The artist will be signed to Big Machine Records, a Nashville-based independent record label specializing in country music artists. As a sub-label of Universal Music Group, Big Machine will provide distribution support while allowing more creative freedom as an independent label. This label has successfully helped launch the career of Taylor Swift, who has a similar genre and sound to the artist. Major labels like Universal Music Group were considered but rejected due to less independence for a new artist.

2. A record label is a brand/trademark associated with
the marketing of music recordings and music
videos. They are also in charge of:
• Talent development
• Product marketing
• Handling legal aspects of producing music
• Providing service to an artist
• Sales and distribution
• Marketing and promotions
• Providing service to the distributors and relations

3. There are four different types of record labels. These are:
1. The major labels (big distribution) that controls 70% of the
music market and 80-90% of the US music market.
Examples of major labels are: Sony Music Entertains,
Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group.
2. The independent labels (lack major distribution) which are
also known as the ‘minor majors’. Examples of
independent labels are: No Limit Records, Aftermath
Records, Priority Records, Side One Dummy Records,
Fiction Records, and Way Out West.
3. Sub Labels and Imprints which are separate companies
and divisions owned by major labels.
4. Speciality Labels which focus on non-mainstream
distribution, e.g. classical/gospel, and use non-traditional
distribution.

4. Advantages of major labels are:
• They are well-financed and can afford the best production,
distribution, marketing and manufacturing.
• They offer artists ability, prestige and top production resources.
• More audience means that more money is made.
• They have more money to spend on promotion and vertical
integration.
Even though they don’t have as much success, and their artists aren’t
as ‘big’ as those who work with major labels, independent labels
also have their advantages which are:
• They can be more creative as they are not pressured by what most
of society want to see.
• They are also able to find and sign more raw talent.
• They are not restricted by long corporate approval processes and
can understand artists and trends faster.
• They can build better regional connections through publicity and
sales.

5. Artist Similar To Our Artist
Taylor Swift
• We thought that we would look at Taylor Swift and the record label she is
signed to because she has a similar voice and sound to our artist.
• Taylor is an American singer-songwriter, raised in Pennsylvania, later moving to
Tennessee at the age of 24 to pursue her career in country music. The Record
Labels she is signed to are Big Machine Records, Universal Music Group,
Mercury Records, and Virgin EMI Records.
A quick background of her music career:
• Seven times GRAMMY winner
• Only artist to have an album hit the one million first week sales figure three times.
• Only artist since The Beatles to log more than six weeks at #1 with three
consecutive studio albums.
• Her fifth album, ‘1989’, sold almost 1.3million albums in its debut week.
Big Machine Records:
• An independent American record label specialising in country music artists.
• Based on Music Raw in Nashville, Tennessee, and it is distributed by Universal
Music Group.
• The label was launched in 2005 and became a joint venture between Scott
Borchetta (the founder of Big Machine Records) and country singer Toby Keith.
• As of 2014, the company consists of up to 88 employees in all areas including
Music Publishing, Management, and Merchandising.
• It also oversees numerous imprints, including Valory Music, that are under Big
Machine Label Groups.
• Examples of artists signed to Big Machine Records are: Tim McGraw, Reba
McEntire, and Rascal Flatts.

6. Taylor Swift’s Record Labels
UMG - Universal Music Group:
• An American worldwide music
corporation that operates as a
subsidiary of Paris-based French
media conglomerate Vivendi,
and is based in California,
United States.
• It claims to be one of the
largest music corporation in the
world.
• UMG owns Universal Music
Publishing Group, which is cited
to be the second largest music
publishing company in the
world.
Mercury Records:
• Mercury Records is an American
record label owned by Universal
Music Group, founded in 1945.
• In the United States, it operates
through Island Records; in the UK, it
is distributed by Virgin EMI Records in
the UK and Island Records in the US.
• Under their own label, Mercury
released a variety of recording styles
from classical music to psychedelic
rock. However, its subsidiaries
focused on their own specialized
categories of music.
Virgin EMI Records:
• A British record label owned by UMG in
2013.
• Virgin EMI was founded in 2013 through
the merger of Mercury Records UK and
Virgin Records. It operates two distinct
A&R and marketing streams – Virgin and
EMI Records.
• Become one of Universal Music UK’s
front-line labels, along side Polydor
Records, Island Records, Pecca Records and
Capitol Records UK.
• Examples of artists signed to Virgin EMI
are: The Rolling Stones, Katy Perry and
Emile Sande.

7. Artist Similar To Our Artist
Ed Sheeran
• We also though Ed Sheeran is similar to our artists as he is British, like our artist,
and has a similar sound and feel to his music.
• Ed Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter, born in West Yorkshire and raised in
Suffolk. He moved to London is 2008 to pursue his music career. The Record
Labels he is signed to are: Atlantic Records, Asylum Records, Warner Music
Group and Elektra Records.
A quick background of his music career:
• In 2011 he released an independent extended play, No.5 Collaborations Project, which caught the eye of Elton John
and Jamie Foxx. He then got signed to Asylem Records.
• His debut album, ‘+’, was certified 6x platinum in the UK. In 2012 he won two Brit Awards and also made an
appearance on Taylor Swift’s fourth studio album and wrotes ongs for One Direction.
•His 2nd studio album, ‘x’, peaked at No.1 in the UK and US.
Warner Music Group
• An American major global record company headquartered in New York City.
• It is the largest American-owned music conglomerate worldwide. It operates some of the largest and
most successful recording labels in the world, including its flagship labels Warner Bros
Records, Parlophone Records and Atlantic Records. They also own Warner/Chappell Music, one of the
world's largest music-publishing companies.
• Formerly owned by Time Warner, the company was publicly traded on the New York Stock
Exchange until 2011. It was then that they announced its privatization and sale to Access Industries,
which was completed later that year. Warner Music Group employs in excess of 3,500 people and has
operations in more than 50 countries throughout the world.

8. Ed Sheeran’s Record Labels
Atlantic Records:
• Atlantic Records is a Major American Record Label best known for its
numerous recordings of Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Roll, Jazz, and Hip-Hop.
• In it’s first 20 years Atlantic Records became known as one of the most
important American recording labels, specializing in Jazz, R&B and Soul
Recordings.
• In 1967 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the now called Warner Music
Group and expanded into signing rock and pop artists.
• In 2004 Atlantic and Elektra Records merged to make Atlantic Records Group.
• The record label also has a number of deals with previously independent
labels such as Must Destroy and VP Records.
• Examples of artists signed to Atlantic Records are: Wiz Khalifa, Bruno Mars,
Led Zeppelin and Ed Sheeran.
Asylum Records:
• Asylum Records is an
American record label
founded in 1971, taken over
by Warner
Communications (WMG) in
1972, and later merged
with Elektra Records to
become Elektra/Asylum
Records
• Geared primarily towards
hip-hop, along with roc and
alternative metal.
• Owned by Warner Music
Group and is distributed
through Atlantic Records.

9. Which Record Label will our Artist be signed to
and why?
• We have chosen Universal Music Group however we’ve chosen the
Big Machine Records as the sub label because it is a record label
that Taylor Swift is signed to and therefore we know this record
label will sign artists with this similar genre and sound of music.
Is it a major or independent label? Is it a sub label
or a major? If so, which one?
• Big Machine is a sub label of Universal Music Group but is its
own independent label, and as our artist is not very well known,
it would be a suitable label to be signed to.

10. Why did you choose that label and how will it
help your artist?
• It will help the artists because it has had experience
with producing and distributing a range of other artists
albums in which some have been fairly successful
(such as Taylor Swift).
Which labels did you reject and why? Which
other labels did you consider? Why did you reject
them?• Mercury
• Virgin EMI
We didn’t chose these record labels as they didn’t
particularly specialise in country and country pop.