Globalised competitors:

In this section I am exploring globalised record labels. The first being, XL Recordings. The second, Sony Music Records.

XL Recordings is a British company owned by Richard Russell, who you can see above. The record label first started in 1989 in which they sold vinyl’s.

XL Recordings have worked with musicians like, The Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal, MIA and Adele. The record label releases albums worldwide. Richard Russell, founder of XL Recordings says,

‘Only sign artists you really like give them free rein, have no regard for business…’ (Richard Russell, The Guardian, 2011) Russell is known for supporting artists and discovering great music like MIA and Paper Planes. 

Sony Music Records is absolutely colossal across the whole country. They manage record labels within Sony Records like, Sony Music Latin and Columbia Records. Sony Music’s headquarters is in New York, with offices all over the world including: Brazil, Australia, Portugal, Thailand and India. This shows that Sony Music Records isn’t just a record label for music artists it’s also a platform for other record labels. Sony Music is the king of all record labels, and if you are signed by any of these labels you are certainly making it in the music industry.

Although my agency won't be reaching this level just yet, it is interesting to see how these globalised companies work. I want to personally interact with my clients to make sure we can build a friendship and promote them in a way that works best for my clients needs.