Crossed perspectives on the economy of music labels

How are music labels reinventing their economy in the age of dematerialised music? Three record labels will discuss how they adapt to the evolution of music consumption.

Every day in 2023, an average of 120,000 new songs have been added to streaming platforms, representing 43 million tracks in 2023 alone. At the turn of the 2010s, the music industry underwent a major transformation, with the advent of legal streaming. Since the 1980s, the golden age of physical music, the industry and its players have been constantly adapting to changes in the way music is consumed.

Record labels, which are responsible for producing, publishing and distributing artists' recordings, have been particularly affected by these changes. Nevertheless, they remain an essential link in the chain for the emergence and development of artists.

We invite you to meet the heads of three record labels and discuss the economy of record labels in the age of dematerialised music.

speaker

Pierre Villeret is the Director of Igloo Records. Founded in 1978, the IGLOO label grew out of the intense cultural effervescence of the late 1970s, which saw the emergence of networks, associations and alternative projects that have shaped much of cultural life to this day, and enabled jazz music to develop in the way it has in Belgium. Igloo welcomed productions of renowned artists such Chet Baker, Philip Catherine, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, and Nathalie Loriers.

speaker

Isabelle Clarençon AKA Mab'ish is the Director of Beat X. Beat X changers label was born in 2013. Before it was a label, Beat X Changers was an online community of musicians and producers that began on Facebook. The label has had a spontaneous, participatory and eclectic approach since its inception. The label develops the up-and-coming Parisian house, electro and hip hop scene, creating a real synergy between Parisian DJs, producers and dancers, and more particularly with the events : Tap Water Jam. Beat X changers' catalogue includes artists such as : Neue Grafik, Oswèla, Rafiki and Axone.

speaker

Giuseppe Millaci is the founder and Artistic Director of Hypnote Records, an independent label set up in 2016 with the support of sound engineer Jonas Verrijdt. Open-mindedness, introspection, a taste for creation and refinement, combined with the talent, dynamism and highly personal worlds of each artist, define the label's identity. Its policy is to follow and help artists to develop and to allow them to retain artistic control of their work. The label's catalogue includes numerous productions and licences from Belgian and international artists such as Nuphar Fey, Tomer Cohen, Damon Brown, Anat Fort, Grégoire Maret, Amaury Faye and Rosario Giuliani.

moderator

Thomas Melhan is an inveterate fan of jazz and, more broadly, improvised music. After frequenting clubs and festivals all over the world, he decided to pass on his passion by launching the JazzXploration podcast in 2022.