8 independent label owners tell us how to go it alone

The thought of starting a label is easy, but actually doing it and succeeding is the difficult part. Success won't happen overnight, but one belter of a track, EP or album package could really propel your imprint into treasured territory. Once you've cracked it with that one special release, chances are you'll have that core fanbase eagerly awaiting your every move in the future.

It could take a while, though, so be prepared for tough times. Many have endured difficulties, but many have also got through them to become successful. We spoke to eight independent label owners on how to do things right. Read their advice below.

"First of all, you don’t start a record label to succeed. It's just a natural progression that reflects who you are and what you do. When this process is genuinely natural, it will succeed by itself. Everything I do is a creative impulse - the result of constant observation and communication with my artists that became my family. This has helped me to create a label that closely resembles the one I had imagined in my dreams, one that behaves as if it has its own mind and temper.

"I just follow my instinct and go with the current flow. There is no strict release plan and, at times, the workflow feels a bit chaotic. It requires a certain character to run this kind of record label. It's a different lifestyle and like having a baby it brings a lot of responsibility. You stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about others. At some point you focus more and more on scouting other talents and diving deeper into their worlds until it absorbs you completely. Of course, this process can be quite time and energy consuming, but it is so infectiously inspiring.

"One difficulty can be that sometimes an artist doesn’t want to release a certain song and you have to convince him or her otherwise. It might not be the artist’s favourite track but sometimes it is that exact track that will stand out and make a difference. I have a very clear feeling of what works best for the label even if at first sight it does not make any sense. The other trouble is to make sure records make it to the right stores. Some of my favourite stores are very difficult to work with. The people that run them have their opinions and loads of attitude. There’s more politics in this business than in the White House! From time to time, supporters receive records with delays due to the complicated system of international distribution. Most of the трип releases are double gatefold records which means some smaller stores cannot afford the final price of the record after all taxes, shipping and production costs."

"First, you have to decide for yourself what success is. Is it enough just to break even with your records? Do you even care about those things? Maybe your label is an output for fulfilling a dream. None of us [Axel, Kornél Kovács and Petter Nordkvist] are taking a salary away from Studio Barnhus. We're constantly reinvesting our money in different products and making more and more elaborate productions, using more expensive mastering or mixing individuals and studios.

"Try to get a P&D [press and distribution] deal is my advice. That was very important for us. Up to that point, it was just a question of 'who has the money to front the release?' It can cost around €3000 depending on how you make it and how many copies you want. Someone has to front and risk the money. Another bit of advice is to take time. Any small mistake that you make will haunt you forever because it's made of vinyl and it doesn't disappear. You cannot be too careful with things like the artwork. Be more thorough than you usually would and communicate very clearly with the artists of what you're doing. Let them know what's happening - if it's selling well or if it's not selling well. Some people get really annoyed if you don't look out for them. Remember, you're responsible for somebody else's music. For some people, it's a window to the soul and the most precious thing they've ever done. You have to respect that some people are sensitive."

"Passion, creativity, courage, an open mind and giving yourself time are key components in succeeding. 'Follow your passion, not the money' is a great bit of advice I was given because following trends will just make you a follower. I was also told to follow your passion until it takes you off the beaten track, and start making your own path there. Trust your intuition and don't be afraid to take risks and explore new musical directions. The industry has changed so much and the old 'rules' of releasing and marketing music are crumbling so don't feel like you have to follow certain framework, either.

"I started Heka Trax to showcase new music and did lots of research to make sure I played it reasonably safe with the budget. You don't want to run yourself into debt by trying to do too much at the start. Make sure you plan well. Things to consider are: what is the ethos behind the label? What is the art direction? What is the marketing plan? Who is the target audience? If you're planning to release on vinyl brace yourself for extra work.

"Also, do it for the right reason and be prepared to harness all your talents. At the same time, be truthful to yourself and get extra help with areas you're not comfortable with. For example, if you're not a great writer, commission someone for the sales notes and press releases. Listen to the advice of your distributor as they are professionals and know what they're doing. Finally, invest in PR. It's worth it."

"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."

"For us, there are a few meanings to success and one is definitely providing the best possible platform for our artists. Ultimately, we want to find artists that have a unique vision and help them grow for the future that they want. That’s an incredible thing to be a part of when it’s working. We always put a big emphasis on the craft of the music. Beyond that, we put a lot of care into thinking about how to share the music in a way that we think will help it resonate most strongly in the larger world. I've been told before that no great artist is fully formed when you meet them. You might see greatness from the start, but every great artist continues to grow and develop at every stage.

"When starting a label, you have to think about the long term with every big decision, be patient, stay on your toes, learn as much as you can, try new things and stay excited. Don’t expect it to be easy, but remember the profound power of music and remember to find the fun.

"Mixpak is in a strange place in the music world. Straddling different worlds is what makes what we do amazing and often what makes what we do difficult at the same time. On top of that, things are constantly changing, so you always need to be processing different potential outcomes and be ready to change plans. All good things take effort and many of the most difficult things to figure out end up being the best things we do. Beyond that, we keep on top of everything in the business, stay as close to our artists as possible and make sure to not be scared about trying new things. There are no rules as to what a label is, so you get to invent it for yourself."

"Everyone has a different barometer for success, but the main thing is to be getting out of it whatever you put in. If you want to shift loads of records and push for the charts and you achieve that, then you've made a success of what you set out to do. Equally, if you'd rather source new artists or work on abstract release formats or challenge existing structures and you do that, you can consider yourself just as successful. Some advice I've been given is to treat your label and your records like they are the most important thing in the world (with thanks to Elijah who co-runs grime label, Butterz). Then other people will do, too. That made me feel more resilient, especially to the inevitable setbacks and disappointments that come with the territory, but also encouraged me to be proud of my label, rather than anxious about how it'd be perceived.

"I always try to devote the same amount of time to every record I put out where I can. Aside from two Letta albums, which obviously take a bit longer to promote and release, I'm always conscious of investing my time properly. I've built Coyote around a core community of artists who all equally deserve as much support as a label can give, so that is always at the forefront of my thinking.

"Breaking through industry circles can be difficult. Whether that's at press, radio or live events, nothing is instant and you have to be prepared to take your fair share of disappointments. If you stick at it, believe in what you're doing and, most importantly, have a good ear for new music, you'll get to a point where people can't afford not to listen to you. You just have to be persistent. It's hard work, financially, though, so you have to be prepared to juggle, take on extra work or even borrow in some cases. I had to take out a loan to kickstart Coyote, but the only thing I regret is not doing that sooner."

"It's got to come from an honest place. Half the battle is to sell records. For people to buy these records they need to believe in them, believe in the common mind frame we all share. Be it a movement, a feeling or a sound. People need to connect. It comes back to honesty and a genuine belief in what you're doing, what you're putting out and who you're working with.

"Don't do it for the sake of doing it, do it if you have what you think is amazing music at your fingertips, do it to help out your friends, and be patient as anything good takes a lot of time, passion and hard work. It's also important not to think too much about the here and now. Passing trends are a constant, just do your thing.

"Finances have been an issue for us. Some records did well, others didn't. I guess that's something you need to be prepared for while building what it is you do. I was lucky as I got a job at Corsica Studios, which left me with enough money to pay the bills and enough time to keep Church moving. It takes a while to build an audience when starting from scratch so give it time and have patience."

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor. Follow him on Twitter