The document discusses potential record labels for an underground UK hip hop artist. It suggests YNR Productions, founded by hip hop artist Jehst, as it has gained respect in the underground scene. Alternatively, it recommends HighFocus Records, formed in 2010 to represent new British underground hip hop artists and gaining popularity through regular releases and shows. Both labels could provide promotion through platforms like BBC Radio 1Xtra and online radio, as well as digital distribution through YouTube, where labels create artist channels and subscribers are notified of new uploads. This allows for thousands of views and links for purchasing music.

1. Institutional Research
My chosen song ‘England’ by Jehst was released on a record label called YNR
productions. The label was founded by Jehst himself in 2000.He is an icon
among the underground British hip-hop scene, however although he has been
releasing music for over a decade he lacks mainstream status. Therefore it is
likely that the kind of record labels most suited to our artists would be YNR
production, which has gained a significant amount of respect within the
underground hip-hop community. Another possibility for a potential record
label would be HighFocus Records. This record label formed in 2010 due to new
surge of British underground hip-hop artists. The record label is quickly gaining
respect among its target audience and is the most active of all UK hip-hop record
labels with regular releases and shows all over the UK.
With the UK hip hop scene remaining fairly underground, my artist does not and
has not in the past received any TV airtime. Therefore the platforms for
promotion lie elsewhere. He has appeared on radio stations such as BBC radio
1xtra, which are known for pushing underground artists, especially within urban
genres. He also received airtime on KaneFM, which is an online radio station. Due
to the fact we are living in a digital age, the Internet has become a distinctive
form of both promotion and distribution with 2011 sales soaring from £3.67
billion to £3.92 billion (source)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/08/global_music_sales/. It offers
convenience as it is viewable from all locations and can perform endless amount
of functions. YouTube is a perfect form of promotion and distribution as it allows
record labels to create channels upon which they place videos of there artists
work, they are then able to gain subscribers who are notified of every new
upload, allowing for thousands of views within hours of an upload, this is
especially the case for HighFocus records who have gained an ever growing
following of 1000 YouTube users (Link to there YouTube channel)
http://www.youtube.com/user/HighFocusTV. The digital age also allows the
online purchase of music meaning people can hear it on YouTube then get a
direct link from the record label on where to purchase it. This is a clever system
as it allows for the promotion and distribution to be handled at the same time.