So you have a vision. You understand your mission. You’ve laid all the groundwork. You have a marketing plan completed and you are ready to start implementing all the planning you have done thus far. The next step in your process is to execute your plan and launch your business.
As a record label, your main products are the songs that you release. At least one of these products should be available at launch, preferably an entire album. There should be anticipation built up within your target audience. Perhaps this should include a concert event with the launch featuring more established artists to draw people to the show. Create some press around the event. Notify radio stations, record stores, and online media outlets. You shouldn’t spend too much money on this, however, it is important that it leaves a positive lasting impression. This is to be a celebration of your record label, the artists, employees, and all of those that have supported thus far.
Ensure that your product(s) are available at every outlet possible and pay attention to the numbers. Testing is an important step that coincides with your launch. Offer surveys during the launch event and with the purchase of every item that is sold. Take note of how people react to your music. As you receive your responses, don’t take negative reviews personally. Use this information to tweak where necessary. Many successful companies start out on one path only to pivot in a completely different direction to a more successful business model.
The Beastie Boys were originally a Punk Rock band. One of their tracks was a prank call in which they used samples and rapped, influenced by the growing Hip Hop culture of New York City in the early 1980s. This “prank” quickly became a popular song in night clubs and underground parties. Understanding their success, they made the decision to change their music from Punk Rock to HipHop, and the rest is history. If they had not recognized the need to shift, we would never have had classic albums like Licensed to Ill and Paul’s Boutique. As a label, it is your job to recognize when changes like this are necessary, and the only way to do this is to test and pay attention to the results.