Netlabel

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A netlabel, also called online label, web label or MP3 label, distributes its music in digital audio formats (mainly MP3 or Ogg) online. Netlabels often work like traditional record labels to produce and promote music projects (such as albums or compilations). Most employ guerrilla marketing to promote their work. Few netlabels earn money for participants.

The primary difference between netlabels and record labels is that netlabels emphasize free downloads, as opposed to physical publishing (CD, vinyl or DVD). The music, sometimes also called netaudio[1], is often released under licenses that encourage sharing, such as the Creative Commons Licenses. Artists typically retain the copyright.

[edit] History

Online music groups date back almost as far as the history of personal computers, and share close ties with the demoscene, and video games. Early music groups released music in MOD formats, typically as part of a music disk, which often included a MOD player, accompanied by visual effects and textual information.

Netlabels began to branch out from the tracker scene when the MP3 file format became popular in the late 1990s, but most are still dedicated to electronic music and related genres.

Early netlabel pioneers include the Kosmic Free Music Foundation (a.k.a. Kosmic, 1991 - 1999), Five Musicians (a.k.a. FM, 1995 - 2000), Monotonik (1996 - present), Tokyo Dawn Records (1997 - present), No Type (1998 - present), Illogik (1999 - present), Kahvi Collective (1997 - present).

Today there is a wide range and fast increasing number of netlabels all over the world. Though netaudio music is still a niche within music business the easy way of distributing the music via download/ stream from the internet and the modern license system are the strongest arguments for the growing importance of netlabels and netaudio.

In the beginning of the year 2006 with netlag, a first regular netlabel-party series started in Berlin at RAW-tempel.