Crowd-funded record label • Hacker News Board

Re: Crowd-funded record label

#11

Post by sixtofour » Mon, Sep 26, 2011, 2:02 PM UTC

wccrawford wrote: post #3

Not interested in signup forms. They're boring. Post when you actually have content.

This is as good a thread as any to say this:

I'm getting tired of these "launch to gauge interest or collect potential users" pages.

I've seen a lot of discussion and encouragement of these things, here on HN and related sites, within the last few months. It sounds like great advice and a good practice. It may even work. I signed up for one or two when I first started seeing them, in the context of "Oh, this is what those HN posts are talking about."

I don't bother anymore.

When I land on one of these, it leaves me absolutely cold. I click on a link because I'm interested, even excited in rare cases. These things throw cold water on me. "Here's a cool thing! ... But we'll show it to you later. !"

But that's me. If they work, great, I suppose. Maybe I'm not part of the desired demographic.

Re: Crowd-funded record label

#12

Post by aelani » Mon, Sep 26, 2011, 2:47 PM UTC

enemieslist wrote: post #2

I run a small record label, one that I'd like to think acknowledges all the realities of trying to make and sell music in the post-Napster age. My problem with something like this is, I suppose, my problem with Talent Shows, or "Vote For Your Favorite Artist!" contests on MTV, or American Idol: the wisdom of the crowds when applied to aesthetics produces inane garbage. The purpose of art is to expand the human experi…

I think you hit the nail right on the head with this statement: "the future of music is disintegration, not centralization"

Rather than making another "vote for your favorite," sites like OurLabel give a voice to the fans of niche genres. They can "take ownership" of music they like and be taste-makers, and then be rewarded for its success (even if it's just within a small niche and not a huge pop hit).

Re: Crowd-funded record label

#13

Post by ethank » Mon, Sep 26, 2011, 4:38 PM UTC

Here's a question:

What is your product? What value are you adding to the mix between a fan and an artist? How are you going to gauge success of that product? What metrics will you use to define what "success" is?

Are you there to be A&R? Crowdsource A&R? Promotions? Marketing? Publicity? Management?

What piece of the value chain do you want to lay claim to?

To echo a similar sentiment: labels, and actually more A&R (since they aren't all in labels) exist to elevate things from the mediocrity of the commons by virtue of the balance of taste and business. The best A&R guys right now? Lawyers and managers.

Re: Crowd-funded record label

#14

Post by aelani » Mon, Sep 26, 2011, 6:27 PM UTC

ethank wrote: post #13

Here's a question: What is your product? What value are you adding to the mix between a fan and an artist? How are you going to gauge success of that product? What metrics will you use to define what "success" is? Are you there to be A&R? Crowdsource A&R? Promotions? Marketing? Publicity? Management? What piece of the value chain do you want to lay claim to? To echo a similar sentiment: labels, and actually more A&R…

Thanks, those are great questions.

OurLabel is a platform that brings fans into the music-making process from discovery to funding to promotion. That covers a few different aspects of a traditional label. You could say it is crowdsourcing A&R. It is also crowdsourcing publicity by incentivizing fans to promote the releases via their social media channels. OurLabel plans to share 25% of net income from releases to fans who helped promote it (in the form of rewards such as music downloads, merchandise, concert tickets, etc.).

OurLabel is also a free service to funded artists in that it helps in the execution of the project by connecting the artists with the right resources (whether it be production, marketing, legal, distribution, etc.). OurLabel DOES NOT manage the artist. Also, it is important to note that this is done on an as-needed basis. We give artists all the freedom they want as well as the support they want.

To us, success is measured by getting new music, commissioned by fans, out to the market. We certainly take an active role in marketing the releases and aim to maximize their value, as it is in the collective interest of the artists, fans, and us that the releases sell more copies, get more licensing deals, etc.