How This UK Indie Label Sold 25K Records For 1 Band First Week

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Mark Orr, the founder of Lab Records, to explore how independent labels are evolving in today’s music industry. 

From deal structures and artist ownership to marketing strategies and physical releases, Mark shares a transparent look into how his label has operated and adapted over nearly two decades. They dive into how indie deals have shifted to become more artist-friendly, how Lab approaches partnerships like distribution with ADA, and why physical products like vinyl and limited editions are more important now than ever. Mark also breaks down how to build a lean team, when to outsource, and how to create meaningful fan engagement in a crowded digital landscape. Whether you’re on the artist or label side of the business, you won’t want to miss this episode.

https://www.instagram.com/labrecords

https://labrecs.com/ 

Chapters

00:00 - Lab Records Origin

05:00 - Building a Lean Team

09:25 - Streaming & Fan Engagement

13:23 - Pitching Artists vs Majors

16:07 - Modern Deal Structures

21:19 - Artist Power Shift

26:19 - Marketing in 2020s

31:42 - Physical Sales Comeback

36:21 - Touring Builds Fanbase

45:50 - Tools, Teams, Future

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids-Ergas

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.