Why We (Still) Need Record Labels

Redefining the Record Label: A Modern Guide to Starting and Running an Independent Label

Forget everything you thought you knew about record labels.

In this bold and inspiring book, Scott Orr—host of the Other Record Labels podcast and founder of the Record Label Academy—offers a fresh perspective on what it means to start, grow, and thrive as an independent record label today. Redefining the Record Label isn’t just a how-to guide; it’s a passionate call to reimagine the music industry from the ground up.

This is not your typical music business manual. It’s practical, yes—but also deeply personal, funny, and refreshingly honest. Drawing from hundreds of interviews with indie label owners and over a decade of hands-on experience, Orr explores everything from building a brand and supporting artists with transparency, to pressing vinyl, marketing in the real world, and redefining success on your own terms.

Across 25 short, engaging chapters, you’ll discover:

• How to sign and support artists with fairness and integrity

• Why niche audiences and DIY ethics are the foundation of modern labels

• The value of weird, authentic marketing strategies that actually work

• How to build a label that’s also a platform, a community, and a cultural force

• Why obsessing over the process is more important than chasing quick wins

Whether you’re a bedroom label just putting out your first cassette or a music-lover dreaming of building something bigger, this book will inspire you to create a label that matters—to your artists, your audience, and most importantly, to you.

You don’t need permission. You just need a vision.