Bringing the Right Product to the Table
by David Wilkes
In my September column I mentioned that when an artist is looking to shop for a label, the first thing would be to understand who the potential labels are that they should contact.
This month I am going to analyze the various labels, and in a later article break down what types of music they seem to favor, so that you will be an informed shopper.
Labels are broken down into two main groups. One group is known as the major labels. They are defined as labels that own or are owned by national or international distribution corporations. There are four of these major companies, down from five with the merger—or pending merger—of Sony and BMG. This merger is under investigation by the European governments and might be broken up in the U.S. as well. The companies are as follows.
Warner Music Group (WEA): Some of the labels that form this group are Warner Brothers Records, Atlantic Records, Bad Boy Records, Rhino, Curb, WEA Latina, Word/Curb, V2 and other smaller labels.
Sony/BMG Music Group: This group has a number of famous labels, including Columbia Records, Epic Records, Sony Classical, RCA Records, Arista, J Records, Sony/BMG Nashville, BNA Records, Columbia Nashville, Provident Labels Group, BMG Classics, Zomba Group, Jive Records, LaFace, So So Def, Verity, Windup and others.
Universal Records Group: This group includes A&M, Geffen, Island Def Jam, Roadrunner, Lost Highway, Universal, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Verve Group, GRP, Universal Latina, Hollywood Records, Disney/Buena Vista, Concord, Curb/MCA Nashville, Hip-O, Varese, Ark 21 and many others that are smaller and more specialized.
EMI/EMM: The last of the big four and the smallest in the U.S., the EMM Group is the home of Capitol Records, Angel, Blue Note, Capitol Nashville, Christian Music Group, EMI Latin, EMI American Records, Narada, Virgin, and smaller and more specialized labels.
In addition to the four majors, there is a second grouping of labels that control a major percentage of the label pie. These are the independents, and they are defined as those labels that either use the major labels for distribution or use a network or a combination of independent distributors and one-stops. There are also a few independent labels, such as Koch Records, which, although not owned by a major as defined above, are owned by a national distribution company, for example, Koch Entertainment Distribution.
When you look at this group, their total piece of the label sales pie is actually greater than some of the major label groups, and in certain areas of music they are much more powerful and successful. For example, Koch Records presently has two hip-hop singles on the Top 25 Pop Charts, so in this musical format they are a force to be considered. I could also cite many examples of independent labels in other musical formats that are competitive to the majors and should be considered when shopping your music.
Study a copy of Billboard's charts and look at acts and labels that you feel replicate the music you play. Next month we will look at the various choices you have, including one or two labels from each of the major labels available and a few choices from the list of labels that would be considered independents.
