By Yvonne Claro
While some young musicians consider signing a record deal the ultimate goal, one which opens doors to wider exposure, financial support, and professional guidance—the alternative choice of staying independent preserves a unique set of benefits for them: creative control, financial generosity, and complete ownership of their work. Recently, many famous musicians have taken their independence from record label contracts; they pursue the ability to shape their career paths, free from constrictive measures.
You are an independent artist, in full control, from the sound and style of your music to the look and timing of releases. This ripples further into financial management: you get to decide what money goes where based on what's most important to you. You manage yourself to make sure your music reflects your creation without outside interference.
While that is true—major labels offer extensive networks of distribution, strategic guidance, and money—the gap is decreasing between independent artists and those signed to a label. Thanks to resources like Cage Riot, it has become increasingly possible for independent artists to reach the scope and scale accessed by label-signed artists and to therefore expand their reach and grow their brand.
Independence carries a host of tangible benefits that influence decisions taken for day-to-day activities in career building. They can direct the music videos, album art, and overall brand image as an artist sees fit. It allows setting their own release schedules and thus work without the pressure of externally imposed deadlines. Financial control gives the ability to decide where to invest—be it in production quality, marketing, or live performances. An artist stands at a vantage point independent of the label's expectations for a hit-single-to-airplay ratio, thus having more stability in working on their craft without having to live in fear of being dropped. Most importantly, independent artists own their music, collect royalties directly, and build a legacy on their terms.
Not all artists are concerned with the ability to reach an audience without label support. For most, there are many bridges in Cage Riot. It allows artists to distribute their music widely and retain ownership. Our promotional services connect independent musicians with curators, editors, and a broader audience; most of these options come with guarantees about exposure or review. Social media is still good for reaching out to the fans, building followers, and managing one's campaigns.
It's all personal to decide between going for a record deal or staying independent as an artist since all the goals and values of the musicians may vary. But while record labels do have a lot of great resources to experiment, having greater control over your finances and being able to step out of the mold of typical musical artists can be just as rewarding. Both can be successful in the music industry, yet it is about choosing which avenue combines your vision and aspirations. Either way, being independent or signing with a label offers two different journeys. It's all about how much creative control, financial independence, and the kind of support the musicians want that should determine which direction to go.
If you are building your team, reach out to Cage Riot, as we have many resources to bring to the table.
Author: Yvonne Claro is the managing partner of Cage Riot Music Group and head of business and publishing development, dedicated to exploring innovations that empower independent artists and shape the future of music.
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music industry blog, cage riot, music distribution, how to distribute music, cage riot publishing, a2im, music biz, Yvonne Claro
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