Adding Other Artists To Your Label
By Bryan Farrish - 2/4/2004
No real label has just one artist, for this would be way too costly to keep putting all the marketing efforts into making just the one thing happen (when those same marketing efforts could be making several other things happen at the same time, with no more cost.) Radio promoters can easily handle five songs on one phone call; PR people can pitch three albums with one call; distro people can try to sell ten albums during a single lunch with a retail buyer. And, the folks on the other end of these marketing conversations expect this. Matter of fact, every record that has ever sold 250,000 units has gone through this system with many other records simultaneously... that's just how marketing and sales works... in any business, not just music.
So, if you are establishing your own label, at some point you must add other acts to your offerings. And our advice is to do it after a full year of promoting your own album first. This way, you will have made some headway at radio, press, and retail, and any new acts that you talk to (especially ones with a following) will take you much more seriously if you really did something with your own record first.
If it's all the same to you, we'd recommend adding three other acts at the same time, none with more than three members each, and with solo artists being preferred. Three new acts is preferred because you will probably lose one or two during the setup process, and you need to be left with at least one. Also, the economies of scale come into play with four total acts, especially in touring (sharing a bus), retail meet-and-greets (one earlier, one later), performances (help in setup/takedown), distro agreements (four is a minimum many times), etc. Within a few months, you'll know who your priority act is, and you can structure your activities accordingly from there on.
Other areas of marketing require different approaches when handling multiple acts, but for radio, the best technique is to stagger your releases, going for adds at least a few weeks apart, but while still taking advantage of any multiple-project discounts you get from some radio promoters. Do be realistic, however, in that there is always one priority project. Everyone on your marketing team, including your radio promoters, needs to know who to push during those situations where they only have time to mention one act, and one act only.
Nothing is more impressive than having multiple acts from one label on a chart simultaneously. It really shows that you are not a one-off situation, and other people will have much more faith in doing business with you when this happens.
You should continue working your four acts (which includes yours) for another full year. It will take that full year for retail, clubs and the media to become familiar with your other three acts, just like it took a year for them to become familiar with you. Your own act, however, is now becoming a staple with them.
At the end of two years, whatever work you had been doing yourself will probably need to be handled by some hired help. And at this point you can be freed up to start looking for four more acts.
Bryan Farrish is an independent radio airplay promoter. He can be reached at 818-905-8038 or www.radio-media.com
