Why We (Still) Need Record Labels

Redefining the Record Label: A Modern Guide to Starting and Running an Independent Label

Forget everything you thought you knew about record labels.

In this bold and inspiring book, Scott Orr-host of the Other Record Labels podcast and founder of the Record Label Academy-offers a fresh perspective on what it means to start, grow, and thrive as an independent record label today. Redefining the Record Label isn't just a how-to guide; it's a passionate call to reimagine the music industry from the ground up.

This is not your typical music business manual. It's practical, yes-but also deeply personal, funny, and refreshingly honest. Drawing from hundreds of interviews with indie label owners and over a decade of hands-on experience, Orr explores everything from building a brand and supporting artists with transparency, to pressing vinyl, marketing in the real world, and redefining success on your own terms.

Across 25 short, engaging chapters, you'll discover:

• How to sign and support artists with fairness and integrity

• Why niche audiences and DIY ethics are the foundation of modern labels

• The value of weird, authentic marketing strategies that actually work

• How to build a label that's also a platform, a community, and a cultural force

• Why obsessing over the process is more important than chasing quick wins

Whether you're a bedroom label just putting out your first cassette or a music-lover dreaming of building something bigger, this book will inspire you to create a label that matters-to your artists, your audience, and most importantly, to you.

You don't need permission. You just need a vision.