These days record labels are practically a dime a dozen. What was once the golden gate into the world of successful music careers has now become the Starbucks of the music industry. For the past decade or so, there has been much debate over whether or not a label is even a necessity in the success of a band or artist anymore. With so many independent labels out there, does it really benefit musicians to be signed to one? Or would they be better off managing their own careers, producing and promoting their music themselves? No one has a better understanding of the ins and outs of “independent labels versus self-managed music careers” than independent, American folk rock artist and Dream Row favorite, Tori Sparks.

“Record labels are kind of like relationships. When someone says ‘I’m with a label’, I equate that with a female friend saying ‘I just met this guy.” That could mean you met the sweetest guy in the world, it could mean you meant the most evil man in the world, you met a rich guy and you’re going to be the next Princess of Monoco or it could mean you met some homeless guy in the alley and you’re going to adopt him. Labels are the same way. You could be on some massive, machine label or you could be signed with one or two people who just enjoy music and decided to call themselves a label.”

The problem with independent labels nowadays is that the term “label” doesn’t hold the kind of weight that it used to. “Having a record deal doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Someone can say they are going to sign you to their label and it could mean they are going to sign you for a week. Or it could mean they are going to sign you but do nothing with you or for you.” Being signed to a label may sound impressive, but it doesn’t guarantee you’re going to see any success.

Oftentimes people will go into business as independent labels, despite the fact that they have very little experience in the music business. Sparks is all too familiar with this scenario. “When I was still going to school in Florida, a friend had sent some of my music to some people he knew up in Nashville. One the people called me and asked if I’d be interested in coming up to Nashville. He explained that he was with an independent label that had, until now, worked exclusively with country artists but they were looking to branch out into rock music.

“Unfortunately, they wound up defaulting on the deal. They didn’t do anything they were supposed to do. They were not holding up their part of the contract at all, so after two years, I asked to be let out of my contract. It was a very negative experience but it did teach me quite a bit and it made me mad enough to give me the initial motivation to start doing things for myself.”

Sparks’ experience is not uncommon. Sometimes the negligence of the label is intentional and other times it merely stems from a true lack of understanding of how the business works. For example, someone with a strong background in entertainment law may have started his own label, yet know very little about promotion or touring. Sometimes an artist can manage to escape a lousy independent record deal without too many repercussions. Other times, artists lose a devastating amount of time, money, or personal work.

“The label I was with did help me produce a record but they didn’t help me promote it.” Sparks recalls. “On the one hand it was good because it inspired me to do things on my own, but on the other hand, it also caused me a lot of legal trouble, spending several years having to fight them for the rights of the songs I had recorded while with them. At least if it had been a good deal, the promotion they might have theoretically provided could have jump started things for me in a different way.”

Sparks decided to take control of her own career and promote her music on her own. But despite her label having less than honorable intentions for her and her music, Sparks found herself up against a problem many unsigned artists find when they self-promote. “As a relatively unknown artist, I was running into a lot of skepticism from radio stations because I wasn’t on a label. Unfortunately, if you’re not well-established already, stations tend to see self-released albums as ‘Oh, so you couldn’t get a deal’.” She explains. “Well, I was doing everything that a label does anyway. I was doing the promotion, the booking, etc. So technically, I was the label! Eventually, I decided to just come up with a label name and put up a website for it and start promoting myself as being on that label.”

And thus, Glass Mountain Records was born.

“And now that I’ve done two albums on that label, people have seen the label name a few times in various places and have recognized it.”

Even though Sparks feels she is doing all the same things to promote her career that she always was, she admits that having the official label has helped. “If someone recognized the name of a label, they are more likely to play or review your music. A label sort of acts as a stamp of authenticity. It gives the impression that, theoretically, you have expertise behind you.”

So does having the backing of a label help your credibility even if it’s your own label? As Sparks puts it, “there are so many independent labels nowadays that even industry professionals can’t keep up with all of them!”

Starting your own label is definitely a viable option for artists. According to Sparks, there are several different ways to go about it, depending on your personal preference, expertise, and overall goals. “In my case, my label is myself and a few interns, contractors, and people that I hire to help me so that I can have a formal way to release my own stuff.” She notes.  “I also self-manage even though you can have you own label but an external manager. Just as it is possible to be signed to a label and self-manage if your contract allows for it.”

The steps for starting your own label really depend on what your goals are for one. If you want to start a label for yourself or even as a collaboration with other musicians as a way to promote each other’s music, the most important thing is to make sure you have the appropriate means for obtaining those goals. “If your goal is to produce and promote a record, you will need someone to do radio promotion, act as a publicist, create a website, do CD manufacturing, and take care of distribution. Basically, all the jobs that are necessary in order to put out a record, you need to be able to do or have the means to hire people who can do it for you.”

While Sparks admits she enjoys her own personal success that she has had through her label, she also makes it clear that she is not planning to take on other artists any time soon. “If you’re going to promote artists other than yourself, you need to make sure you have the means to invest in them.” She explains “I don’t feel I have the financial backing that would be acceptable when doing so. I say ‘acceptable’ because there are labels out there who will sign artists when they do not have appropriate means to back them and they wind up not doing anything for that artist. If I’m going to sign someone, I’m going to put their stuff out and back them up financially. I’m not just going to say ‘Yeah you’re on my label. I own all your stuff now. Good luck touring’.”

Now that she’s on her own, Sparks admits there are pros and cons to being her own manager and acting as her own label. “One thing that is helpful about not being on someone else’s label or working under someone else’s management is that I can do what I want. If I want to take a year off and move to another country, I can do that. Or if I decide that even though I just released an album a year ago, I want to release another one now, I can. If I want to tour in Texas or California, I can. I don’t have to ask anyone’s permission. If I think something is a good business move or a bad business move, it’s my call.

“However, if I was with a manager, theoretically they would have more expertise than me and would have more connections than I do. They would be able to take some of the work off my shoulders and alleviate some of the pressure by making some of those more difficult decisions. Of course, that is based on the assumption I’d be signed to a good label. I could be signed to a bad label that would be making decisions for me, but not necessarily ones that were in my best interest.”

To sum it up, “freedom is the best and worst of both worlds. You have no one to help you but you have no one to get in your way either.”

With online streaming and digital distribution becoming so popular and accessible, many people feel labels are becoming obsolete anyway. Social networking sites, such as MySpace, Facebook, or ReverbNation are said to be replacing the need for record labels. “Sort of.” Sparks responds. “At the very least, they are eliminating the need for certain aspects of a traditional record label. For example, sites like these are allowing artists to take care of their own distribution, rather than having to rely on a label to do it for them. However, now that every musician in the world can theoretically get their music online, the question becomes how do you get people to buy yours? You still need good promotion and lots of it. Maybe even more so now that people have access to millions of artists.”

Tori Sparks is a true success story. But even she knows that there is no one-size-fits-all procedure for a successful music career. What works for one person may not work for someone else. The important thing to remember is, “whether you’re a band, artist, or someone starting up your own label, the first step is the same. Figure out what your goals are, both short-term and long-term. That will give you an idea of what type of musician or company you want to be. My approach as a twenty-something, Americana-rock artist who is self-releasing her own albums, is going to be different than the eighteen-year old pop artist whose goal is to grace the cover of Rolling Stone. The same goes for a label whose goal is to be the next Universal South.  “The approach is going to be completely different.”

“The best thing people can do is educate themselves about the business, ask people questions, observe, and learn by experience. You can’t just sit at home and hope someone will discover you on the internet.”

On a final note, Sparks reiterates that while this is an amazing and fun job, it’s also a lot of work. “I definitely encourage people to do this but don’t do it if you only want to do it because you think it would be cool to say you’re on a label. Owning my own label has been a very positive thing for me but it’s also been a lot of work. If your sole motivation is to be part of the glam, you’re going to be disappointed. I do this because I love music and I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.”

Tori will be on the road here in the U.S. in September and November. During October, she will be heading overseas to do some touring in Europe. Please check out her tour dates at www.torisparks.com. You can get your Tori fix before she leaves, however, as she will be playing a show with several other artists on Friday, September 3^rd at the 12th and Porter to benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of TN and the Great Strides Walk of Sumner County here in Nashville. Show starts at 7pm with Eva Hunter and Kristen Cothron opening up the night. The Show is only a $5 donation at the door

-Tori Sparks lives in Nashville, and is currently touring the United States, Canada, and Europe. She is known for the DIY work ethic, and is in the process of recording her fourth album, to be released through her independent label, Glass Mountain Records