Record labels are the music
industry’s publishing companies.
They make the decisions for music
sales and distribution. They decide
which musicians to represent. They
choose how much to promote a
musician. This determines who
becomes famous. Labels also
choose which songs are played on
the radio. They pick which stations
play those songs. They set a
record’s release date.
Record labels can be helpful for
new musicians. Some have staff
to schedule media interviews.
Marketing managers come up with
creative ways to promote albums.
Other people handle a band’s
finances while they are on tour.
Before the Internet, musicians
needed to sign with a record label.
That is how they made it big. But
that has changed. In 2016, there
were only three major labels left:
Record Labels
Publish Music
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One way record
labels promote
artists is through
online platforms.
