What exactly is a record label and why is it important for musicians.

Question

So many artists are signed to different labels, but they are extremely popular. How does a label work and why would an artist even want to sign to one since labels typically get a percent of money. Also, I thought independent or indie artists were not signed to a label but if you go to Spotify and look up indie music half of them are signed to a label.

In: 63

Answer 1

There is nothing to stop an artist from forming their own label (ie a company that pays for all the stuff that needs to happen). In this sense, the artist is still an “indie” even though they have a label since this label is their own company.