It Costs to Be the Boss: There is No Such Thing as Running a Free Record Label
Introduction
It is virtually impossible to release music without spending any money. Trying to release music without spending money is like trying to move into public housing or a homeless shelter without paying anything. For example, if you go to a food pantry, you still have to spend gas money to get there right? No one in this day and age really brings groceries back on a bus and even if they do, they still have to pay for a bus ticket. These are some of the expenses I have to face, while running a record label with no music diploma.
Purchasing a Beat
I don't know how to make beats. I am not a producer. The only way I know how to make beats is through a keyboard, or a beat pad, or a beat making app. Although those are good ways to make a beat, I still don't like the way my beats sound. In the past three years, I've only made three beats, and I did not use them to record a song. I finally threw away the beats I made yesterday.
If I liked the way my own beats sound, then I could save money. Buying a beat online can cost hundreds of dollars or even thousands. I usually stick between $20-100, when leasing or buying a ready-made beat, but that's me. You don't have to try this at home. Do what suits your image.
Leasing a beat is much cheaper. You won't have to worry about anyone wanting to use the same beat unless you're already a mega famous superstar. No one will want to copy you. There are plenty of beat stores online to suit your genre.
Recording the song
Of course, you have to have a microphone to record the song and other equipment such as a laptop or a cell phone, which costs hundreds or even thousands of dollars. After that, you have to have an app to record the song with. I personally use an app called Voloco, and it cost $11.99 per month with all of the premium features.
Mastering the song
I don't pay anything to master songs anymore like I used to. I used to spend $10 per song using an app called Landr and Cloud Bounce and I also paid a few professional producers to do it for me. After alot hard work, I learned how to do it myself, and I no longer pay. I use two different apps for mastering. They are called Bandlab and Super Sound. Both are free.
Releasing the song
Alot of apps and sites offer distribution services such as SoundCloud, Distro Kid and Bandlab. I personally use CD Baby which costs $10 per single and more for an album. I usually get that back in royalties so it's technically free. There's no point in switching.
Switching to a free distribution platform is very risky. Lately I've been having a hard time monetizing my content because it goes against community guidelines. I hate gays, and I can't stop vouching for myself and protecting myself from their incestuous bullying in all of my content. There are a lot of gross, filthy, sickening, sadistic bullies out there, who enjoy inflicting disgust onto me, and I have to always speak up for myself.
As far as physical CD's go, I use a website called Kunaki. It's free to publish, but if you want to buy your album wholesale and sell it elsewhere, you'll have to pay, depending on how many copies you get. I usually only start with about $30 worth of copies and see if they sell out or not.
Making a music video
Making a music video is not free. First, you have to own a camera and other equipment, or hire a camera crew, which can cost hundreds of dollars or even thousands. I personally have my own camera, and I use a tripod stand. There are also devices out there that I can use to make the camera rotate. I will never need a camera crew, ever in life.
Hair and wardrobe for the music video also cost, and I've said that over and over. I don't shop at the thrift stores, because there are too many sites that offer brand new clothes with the tags still on for the same thrift store prices. I don't wear second hand clothes. I'm an adult- I'm not a kid anymore.
Renting a Studio to shoot the video
If you don't already own a studio, and you don't want to shoot your video outdoors, then you have to rent one. Studios can be from $25 per hour all the way into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for just one hour. You do the math.
Music Video Editing
After I record the music video clips, then they need to be edited. I usually send them off to an editor that I hire online using various freelance websites such as Upwork and People Per Hour. The editing can cost around $60 and go up into the hundreds or even thousands. There's no need to try to learn how to edit it myself because I will still have to pay for the editing app.
Releasing and distributing the Music video
After the music videos are finished being edited, then they must be uploaded into a video platform. I only use YouTube and Vimeo. YouTube is free, Vimeo is $12 per month. Distro Kid offers a music video distribution service so that your music videos can be distributed onto more platforms such as Apple Music, Vevo, and Tidal. It cost $100 a year, and I may use the platform in the future. I might not. I honestly don't see how much difference it's going to make. People will still hate me.
Submitting the music video to film festivals
You don't have to do this, but if you want to push your limits and see how far you can go, then I suggest submitting your music video to film festivals. Hundreds of the festivals are completely free, others are not. Entry fees can be as little as $1 to $1,000 or more. The festivals are ran like contest. There are first place, second place, and third place winners and there are also official selections, nominees, semi finalists, and quarter finalist.
The first, second, and third place winners usually win a large monetary prize. The lower your budget, the lower your chances are of winning. I usually submit my music videos through a platform called FilmFreeway. It is free for regular members and $12 a month for Gold members. Gold members get a discount on all submission fees and they can also get a refund if the festival is cancelled. If you don't use Film Freeway, you can go to a film or music festival website and submit your film directly to them.
All the festivals have different rules, and you must read them before you submit, otherwise your submission might be disqualified. For example, I recently submitted to a festival and was rejected because the film had to be about having a disability. Even if you have a disability, it does not count, the film has to be about having the disability. Get it?
Some festivals require that you show up to the event in person, others require that you be a student, and some require that you live in the local area only. Before you waste your money or time, read the fine print. I personally have never attended a film festival in person because the hotel and travel fees costs more than the actual submission. I won't show up as a nominee or a quarter finalist. I'm only showing up if I win a monetary prize.
Promoting the music
Promoting the music is the most expensive part of running a record label. High promotion costs can make all the other expenses look like they're only a penny. I usually hire freelancers from various freelance websites to promote my music. Some of them run promotional ads for me to bring in organic traffic. Promotion can be as little as $1,000 per year and can go up into the billions. I also use Instagram to promote.
No fake streams
I don't pay for bots or fake streams because they will always disappear. Bots do not stick around. I try to stay away from "click farms" as much as possible and only stick to what I believe is real promotion. Some of the ones I hire could be running a click farm, but at the end of the day, that is none of my business.
No flyers and posters
I don't promote my music the old fashion way. Everything is done online these days. I don't spend hundreds of dollars on print materials like flyers and posters. I don't have time to run around and post flyers of myself all over the place. I said this a long time ago. I tried it when I first started rapping, but then I realized people were too gay for me and that I didn't need to do all that. I don't stand on the corner and beg people to buy my merch. I don't do any of that type of stuff.
No open mic nights
I don't go to open mic nights to promote my music anymore either. I lost interest in it permanently and I did too much research. Open mic night is trash and I lost all respect for the open mic platforms. I might take down my live performances from the internet altogether. There's nothing to gain by going there. I don't need that much free exposure. All of those venues are Gay with a capital G, and I will never in a million years fit in.
No phoney live tours
I tried booking tours through tour companies but I didn't last with them either. I was definitely a flop, and I knew it. I don't have what it takes to be mainstream. I never hired a manager, and I'll never have the money to do so. Even if I did, why waste it when I can just manage myself?
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