I recently received a copy of Daylle Deanna Schwartz's Start & Run Your Own Record Label (3rd Edition). This quote on the back cover caught my eye:
"For everyone interested in starting a record label—to market new talent or to release and promote their own music—there has never been a better time to do it!"
My first thought was: Are you kidding? This has got to be exactly the worst time, possibly ever, to start your own record label. All of you can surely cite your own list of casualties, so no need to get into that here. (Incidentally, U.S. album sales are down 37% between 2005-2008.) At the same time, I had another thought, which was that this is the best time, possibly ever, to release music and actually have a chance of reaching an audience larger than your family. Not being a fan of cognitive dissonance, I set out in search of some answers.
