A panel at the recent Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) discussed the role of record labels since the turn of the century, with a particular focus on the success of DIY labels, reports the blog of the music industry conference Midem.

Speaking of the labels participating in the discussion, K7’s Horst Wiedenmuller said, ‘We’re all successful and we all have different models. A few years ago, we were all doing the same thing. Then the market got disrupted, so we tried different things.’

Hospital Records, Kompakt and Ninja Tune all said that a key to their success was doing as much as possible themselves – from distribution to live bookings, a big source of revenue for labels. Crowdfunding platforms, a remix app (by Ninja Tune) and a microsubscription model were also held up as factors in the labels’ success.

Putting tracks online for free was not to be seen as a loss leader for selling live shows, said Jon Berry of the label Kompakt. ‘We use certain tracks as tools to sell the rest of our tracks,’ he said. ‘It’s about exposing artists.’

Spinnin’ Records’s Eelko van Kooten said his label employed twelve people full time just to cover social media. ‘We used to invest in physical product, like booklets, brochures or flyers,’ he said, ‘now, it’s investment in people, in hands.’