Research and Planning: Role of a label company

Record labels have also been a big part to a artist doing well, but over time this is starting to change with artist putting there own stuff out there through social media and web 2.0 and making a fan base without having a record company behind them.

Major labels 1988–1998 (Big Six)

1. Warner Music Group
2. EMI
3. Sony Music (known as CBS Records until January 1991 then known as Sony Music thereafter)
4. BMG Music
5. Universal Music Group
6. Polygram

Major labels since 2012 (Big Three)

1. Universal Music Group (EMI recorded music division absorbed into UMG)
2. Sony Music Entertainment (EMI Music Publishing absorbed into Sony/ATV Music Publishing)
3. Warner Music Group

To help with the research into music recording label i looked at a article from the guardian  "behind the music: What do record labels actually do? you'd be surprised" it talks about how ed sheeran was able to make it to number 2 on the itunes charts with out having a record label but yet he still signed up to the company Asylum/Atlantic, part of the Warner Music group. The article goes on to statue how he was able to get himself out there but needed help with finance which is where the record label came in, also to try and achieve a bigger fan base and get him music to more people. Other ways of getting out there with shows like pop idol, Britain's got talents and the main one X factor giving the chance for artist to get there music out there and a record deal it helps to find fresh and new artist that may of not been found in the past. With the big success of Leona Lewis and One direction.

But are record label a good thing? this on of the big questions when it comes to the industry they band someone right and they get number one hits, get it wrong and the public slated it. A example of how a record label can change Artist take P!nk for example a small rebel that no one had hear of first album release gets notice but not fully then on her next album she tell them how the album with sound and be marketed making her second album singing about things that have happened to her past events making her career massive because she told the business how it was going to be in a sense. In conclusion i think record labels are not going to disappear but it is just easier in this day and age to get yourself out there with out having to have a label but it will only get you so far before you will need help from a label to get a bigger fan base.