DIY musician series (part 1); can an artist 'go it alone' without signing to a record label

Of course - it is possible today. This is the concept of 'self-release', and many artists are doing it. But it is difficult, and it requires a thorough knowledge of the business.

Never before has it been this easy for an artist to market himself directly to his fan-base, and every artist should use this new technology to benefit his career, especially when he has not yet been 'signed'. Never before has the musician been less reliant on the record company. Particularly if he understands the technical side of music production.

If a new artist is willing (and more importantly, able) to make the financial, administrative and technical commitments that are necessary to function as his own record label, there is no doubt that he should. Beware, however: this is easier said than done, and as Donnelly put it, 'the road is littered with the carcasses of artists who have tried this and failed.'

But the landscape for going it alone is, I believe, more favourable than ever before. High quality production and recording equipment like Pro Tools is more affordable and available than ever before. As long as he is technically competent, the artist is now able to finance the recording of their own album master without becoming indebted to a label, and direct distribution channels are available to him on the internet. Above all, the artist can justifiably retain the ownership of the copyright in his own master recording, (later licensing to a label if he so chooses) and this is a big thing.

Indeed, there are more and more success stories of artists who 'went it alone' and have succeeded. In the next part of the series, we'll discuss areas where the artist should exercise caution and also look at going the traditional music industry route.