Music Industry- Stonefish Records

A key role in the strategies of independent record labels as differentiation focusers should play brand management. It offers Independents many opportunities to improve their competitive position that are contrasted by just a few threats. Long-term preferences should be building not only for the artists respectively their releases but also for the label itself, especially considering the fact that independent record labels seem to be prides-tined for branding. The added value of labels as brands must be communicated. Simultaneously the branding measures have to be adjusted to each product personality. In this way the label as brand could be the strategic key to marketing.

I researched this record label because of the genre of the music and also as it was created in 2007 it has the latest artists. I was also intrigued by the relationship between the record company and the artist which based a good business relationship to succeed.

Stonefish, located in Newcastle, is an independent record label which is all about the music. Their aim is to let good music be heard while offering the artists guidance, management, creative freedom and industry expertise. The group consists of Steve Nelson (managing director), Nathan Hardwick (creative director) and Darren Hall (artist development director).

They handle all aspects of the record making process with a limited number of artists so they can offer there service with a personal touch.
Stonefish includes artists such as; People of Santiago, Ben Watson, Nat Hardwick and Oddur Runarsson which compose pop/indie and alternative style music.

Stonefish distributes the music by advertising the latest in the news page such as People of Santiago’s debut single and announcing their singing with the company.
The site has also recently released a music player which includes Nat Hardwick’s entire album while also adding any new music. This is easy and quick for the audience to obtain the music and helps to gain popularity for the artists.
In the news page I also noticed how they advertised the upcoming artists and tasters for the audiences.
The press releases also help with advertising the artists as they give audiences ratings and comparisons to other artists which determine how successful they are.

Stonefish records also have a store which sells singles such as Nat Hardwick’s debut album (Fact and Fiction) also Before Nights Fall featuring acoustic tracks.
As technology has developed it has become easier for the public to purchase their wanted items at home. Although Hardwick’s album cannot be downloaded elsewhere this makes it a limited offer and shows the record labels loyalty to the artist.
I noticed that the website also has a radio, although I couldn’t access it, I would imagine it distributes the latest music, artists, scouting and news. However there’s an alternative in a MySpace page in which audiences can listen to the latest songs and links to the artists private pages.