Which label to choose
Lesson time: (0min 57sec)
Judge Jules explains how to choose a record label by knowing your genre's 'lane' and ecosystem, and finding the labels that are the standard-bearers for your sound.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Legals & Deals: The Basics of The Music Industry
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Understanding Your Musical Lane
As an artist, it's crucial to grasp the lane you inhabit because music can be divided into an infinite number of subgenres.
Key Points to Consider
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Know Your Lane: Unless you understand what lane you're in and the ecosystem you inhabit, you won't know which label to approach.
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Importance of Fan Base: It's not enough to create great music; you must also understand where your fan base is likely to come from.
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Riding Coattails: Consider whose metaphorical coattails (i.e., existing artists) you could be riding on.
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Ecosystem Awareness: Once you comprehend the ecosystem of your genre, it's vital to identify the labels that are the standard bearers.
Final Thoughts
Live it and breathe it. If you do all of the above, you will know which labels are the most important to pursue.
About the instructor

Jules O'Riordan has over 30 years of experience across the entire spectrum of the music industry. This includes nearly a decade as an A&R for the Universal umbrella of labels, 15 years as a presenter on BBC Radio 1, over 150 record releases and remixes in his own capacity as a recording artist, plus a 30-year career as one of Britain's best-known, globally-travelled DJs (Judge Jules), with over 5000 gigs under his belt, plus extensive experience as an event promoter and artist manager at the highest level. Suffice to say, Jules knows the music industry inside-out, and his clients regard him as a trusted advisor for whom no legal or business affairs challenge or problem is too large or small. Jules has been a lawyer for 10 years. His practice takes in the entire breadth of the music-focused entertainment industry. His legal and deal expertise includes management, recording, publishing, distribution and label services, music-based apps, games and tech projects, production deals, producers, featured artists, endorsements, merchandising, neighbouring rights, TV/film scores, live performance, events and venue agreements, plus copyright and rights infringement and many other disputes. Jules's clients include artists, management companies, record labels, songwriters, event promoters, producers, music tech businesses, production companies, live agents, music publishers and DJs. He has spoken on many panels and seminars including ADE, Brighton Music Conference and AIM events, and has been a guest speaker on legal issues across a number of on and off-line media outlets, including BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Introducing, Financial Times, The Sun, The Times and Mixmag. Jules speaks fluent Spanish. Who better to demystify the contracts and deals every musician eventually faces? In his course, Jules turns three decades of hard-won industry knowledge into plain-English guidance, so you can understand the business side of music and protect your work long before you sign on the dotted line. read more




