8 independent label owners tell us how to go it alone

"With anything like this, luck and timing is a big part of it. A key thing that I'd say, as the label has gone through periods of frustration and periods of being fairly successful, is don't give up on it. It's important to keep going and keep trying hard and being persistent when you're not getting much press. During those periods, it's important to continue to support and be good to the people who are still buying your records. Whether that's as simple as good customer service on Bandcamp or replying to them on Twitter. Ultimately, what can make a label financially viable is it having a close, consistent fanbase who will buy every release.

"Another thing that's important to remember is that labels get big from having big artists. Obviously you can't just make an artist big, but if you look at [Local Action artist] D∆WN, 99.9 per cent of people buying D∆WN records probably don't know or care much about labels. From the label side, it's important to relax your ego a little bit with stuff like that. From having D∆WN, we've learned that you naturally lose a bit of control over it. As you get bigger, you can't micro-manage everything. If something you're doing seems against the norm, but it works for and your artist, just do it.

“It’s really tempting to wanna make every part of your catalogue sit together aesthetically. It's easy to do that when you've got six releases under your belt, but when you've got 50, it's hard to keep doing, and the worst thing a label can do is get stuck in its ways and become a dinosaur. If you buy into an artist's vision, it's important to let them develop in their own way. You just need to act offer guidance and support."

"Branding is key. Make sure you have a clear vision of what the label is and what you're setting out to do with it. The branding is part of the identity of your label, so it's worth investing in good graphic designers, videographers etc. Keep making targets for yourself, even if they seem unrealistic at the time, aim high and be confident in the music you're releasing. Even if the label's new, you don't have to jump at every opportunity that comes your way to promote it. Be selective about the DJs you mail it to. If the music is banging, people will find it. Don't just work on one release at a time and be prepared to lose money.

"Loefah's advice was invaluable for me at the start. I had a similar attitude to him about the way I wanted to promote the music. I didn't really feel like launching a massive PR campaign and having exclusive premieres on other SoundCloud accounts and media outlets. I wanted the label to build a loyal following first and earn its integrity through growing out of its own channels. The best advice he gave me was about understanding my audience and knowing where to place the music so they can find it. It's not about saturating social media, but more about knowing where and how your audience look for tunes, and using those strategies to plug your release."