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Musical Artists Who Started Their Own Record Labels
It’s about creative control… and ego
Across many industry segments, there is a lingering belief that creativity and business don’t mix. That’s why it is rare (but not unheard of) for actors to operate movie studios, authors to start publishing firms and musical artists to own record labels.
Often, an artist’s record label is nothing more than an ego trip — a vanity label with a record company rather than an independent record label. But some record labels started by musical artists have become legitimate stand-alone businesses.
The primary reason a musical artist starts a record company is to maintain creative control of the final music product. While the company is typically built around the artist’s own recordings, several companies have gone on to sign other artists. Here are some notable ones.
A & M (Herb Alpert)
A & M Records was founded in 1962 by trumpet player/band leader Herb Alpert (“A”) and recording executive Jerry Moss (“M”). Originally called Carnival Records, the name was changed to A & M when Alpert and Moss learned of another record label with the Carnival name. The label released successful singles and albums performed by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, but it added an impressive stable of artists…
