Running a label in 2021

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In these turbulent times music is more vital than ever – it is escape at the end of a long day, it is hope, it is a proven contributor to better health and wellbeing. We need music.

Supporting its way into the world is a privilege, but it’s also a growing challenge. We thought it was time to share a little of what it’s like to be an independent label in 2021 and the incredible scale and quantity of challenge we’ve faced just to keep going this year.

There is so much hardship in so many ways hitting people at the moment so we won’t bang on too much about what we feel we’ve lost. As context though we entered 2021:

  • with plans to take on our first paid employees (we take no money for the effort we put in to the label)
  • to secure premises and stop running the label from our homes
  • with our biggest and most ambitious schedule of releases, which had taken 6 years to work up to

What the year has turned out to be is by far our hardest yet, and one in which these long-awaited plans for growth were put on hold as our focus needed to be purely on surviving as a label and business. We’re very aware that we’re not alone in this situation and that many other labels and independent artists are also facing these challenges and uphill struggle to keep going.

Co-founder of Reckless Yes Sarah Lay shared more of the details on Twitter – you can find her at http://twitter.com/sarahlay or we’ve pasted the content of her thread here. There are some things you can do to help support at the end of the thread but please do share – the more people who know what pressure music is under right now the better.

  • We’re into our final releases of the year at @TheRecklessYes. It’s been by far our hardest year yet as a label & we’ve seen most of the plans we had to grow shelved to focus on keeping going. It feels like time to share a bit about the challenges right now…
  • For those that don’t know – there’s just @razorcuts & myself at @TheRecklessYes. We’re ethical, fully independent, supported by a membership & self-financed. We have an incredible roster, are artist-centred, & run as a not-for-profit taking no money for the work we put in
    • And Another Thing Part 2: when people say The Music Industry & refer to his record labels are raking it in they really mean Majors & their subsidiaries. Not truly independent labels running on love
  • One of the biggest challenges is getting music made, especially on vinyl. There’s more demand than ever & capacity is reduced at plants. This means lead times are now around 8-10 months, slots are sparse & snapped up by Majors for reissues & variants mostly
  • We had to do some fast financing & manoeuvring to make sure we could get records made this year as planned. To have the vinyl shipping at release date is nothing short of incredible right now. Kudos to @razorcuts for finding pressing slots for us
  • Even with slots secured there are unexpected delays – not great for those who’ve bought a record but also not good for bands /label who’ve invested in PR etc. We’ve been pretty fortunate but after 6 years of always having records on release this year put an end to that
  • The higher pressure on pressing plants means quality can slip too. We had one (already delayed) record turn up with Side A pressed on both sides. Hundreds of records had been sent to us without anyone noticing this visible mistake, & then further delays to get it all re-pressed
  • We try to minimise environmental impact (physical & digital music is not very green) & one way we do this is through eco vinyl. Using virgin pellets left over from other runs gives a ‘lucky dip’ colour effect. Good fun & a little more green. Except now…
  • There are no colours available. A shortage of coloured pellets mean choice is reduced back to black. Not a show-stopping issue but worth mentioning. It’s a competitive market & not everyone who buys vinyl is doing so as an audiophile…some are looking for the aesthetic
    • Something I Forgot Part 1: demand for vinyl & issues in supply chain of materials mean prices are rising. It also means some plants now won’t accept runs of fewer than 500 records or new customers. This is a big challenge for new & independent artists
  • But you get your records made, & you have fans waiting. Next issue is a shortage of card so your mailer choices are harder & way more expensive too. A record isn’t something you should really just be wanging in an envelope & hoping for the best tbh so mailers are important
  • You’ve got your records, you’ve got mailers GUESS WHAT?!? Postage is fucked. It’s expensive & if you want to ship outside the UK Brexit has screwed you. @ilovealcopop did a brilliant thread on shipping issues so go check that for all the depressing detail
  • So, just stop making vinyl for now, right? Well…80% of our sales are vinyl so that’s not really a solid business plan tbh. CD sales are lower (although have a better profit margin), while digital doesn’t really need a label & even so is pretty financially terrible for artists
  • Even if you make it through all the production challenges we’re also seeing promotion get much harder. Right now there is a huge influx of releases, held back while we were in lockdown. This means getting coverage from publications & radio is ever-more competitive
  • For independent artists & labels this is very challenging a we don’t have the money or the teams to compete fairly with bigger labels & Majors. They have the advantage. Shout out here to @WallOfSoundPR & @someonegreatpr who’ve helped our artists get covered this year
  • Also a thanks to the blogs who continue to support – for a small label with a roster of under-represented voices this means the world. We know how much time & effort you put in for free & love you for it – publications like @getinherears@Joyzineuk@austintownhall@ForTheRabbits
  • Away from PR (which is super expensive & always a gamble) lots of sales happen at gigs. But gigs haven’t been happening (obviously) & are only (& rightly) only just starting to tentatively return. A usual channel for connecting fans & music is still stifled
  • We’re lucky our wonderful membership are a community who support us & have financially & emotionally kept us going. Our roster too a community & without this I’m not sure myself or @razorcuts would have come through this with our mental health intact
  • These problems aren’t going away & things may even get more challenging as Brexit really kicks in & the pandemic continues. We’ve thought long & hard about whether we continue as a label. Where we at is….
  • It continues to be a huge privilege to support art into the world & we feel music (culture, generally) is needed more than ever. We’ll keep going until we can’t anymore. We’ll keep trying to make a difference not just as a label but for social & environmental good
  • We know we’re not alone & other labels & independent artists are feeling this too. Solidarity with them & as ever open to ways we can support each other practically & emotionally. But what can you do as a music fan…?
  • If you have money to spare please consider buying physical music or merch direct from an artist or label. #bandcampfriday is a great time to do this for max impact. Even if you have to wait a long time between buying & receiving know how grateful artists are for your purchase
  • If you feel safe to do so please go to gigs. If you don’t have money to spare (& we know pretty much everyone is watching the pennies) share stuff – it’s free & it makes a MASSIVE difference in this competitive environment for coverage
  • And if you want to support @TheRecklessYes & our artists our membership is a great way to do this. You can still get a 2021 digital subscription to everything we’ve released this year (10 albums, 3 EPs & some remixes). Our 2022 membership opens this week
  • So, that’s a little look at what it’s like to run a record label (alongside full time jobs, families, caring responsibilities, & our own creative endeavours) in 2021. These challenges make every sale & message of support huge for us – thank you all for keeping us going
  • I’ve probably missed something so may add to this as I remember those things – or @razorcuts may chip in down the line & expand on what’s captured here or the bits I’ve accidentally left out

If you want to support independent music please share this thread on Twitter or link to this post from elsewhere. And if you are into what we do here at Reckless Yes please buy our releases, share stuff from our artists, consider joining our membership, or buy us a coffee. Honestly, we need something stronger after this year but we’re grateful for the donated coffee.

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