The Daily Swarm

Silicon Alley Insider:

We are eagerly awaiting the launch of RCRD LBL, Peter Rojas’ “virtual” music label. Last month Wired.com predicted it would roll out this Thursday, which means Peter is madly scrambling to get things done, right? Maybe….We hear Peter and RCRD LBL cofounder Josh Deutsch aren’t raising any funds prior to launch, and that they’re basically ready to go, though the site is still “pretty raw.”

Wall Street Journal: Music Test: Can a Firm Profit From Free Tunes?:

Rcrd Lbl has signed contracts giving it the right to distribute a handful of songs from 40 to 50 bands, including some, but not all, of Downtown Records’ artists. For instance, there are no plans for Downtown’s marquee act, Gnarls Barkley (the duo behind last year’s alternative hip-hop hit “Crazy”), to contribute music to Rcrd Lbl. On the other hand, the hot indie rock band Cold War Kids and high-profile rapper Mos Def, both signed to Downtown, will have music on the site.

Rcrd Lbl’s artist contracts are unusual—chiefly in that they make the company the exclusive distributor of a specific number of songs, not for an act’s entire musical output, as is the case in traditional record deals. “It’s a blog,” says Mr. Deutsch. “We’re not necessarily trying to tie you up for your fifth album.”

Big-name advertisers have generally shied away from even the most influential music blogs, since most of the music they include is posted without permission. Thanks to their involvement with Rcrd Lbl, the company says it is launching in the black.

Artists with songs on Rcrd Lbl won’t get a cut of advertising associated with their music; they’ll get advances Mr. Deutsch characterized as modest for each song they give the label. These advances range from $500 a song for the least established artists, according to people who work in the music industry, and escalate for bigger names to around $5,000. Rcrd Lbl will divide with its artists any money that it makes from licensing their music to television shows, movies or TV commercials.

Press Release:

The site will feature free exclusive tracks from both new and marquee acts, many of which have been recorded specifically for RCRD LBL. The site’s first-ever offering will be an exclusive, never before heard remix of Justice’s smash hit “D.A.N.C.E.” produced by Benny Blanco and featuring verses from Spank Rock and the legendary Mos Def. Other artists represented by exclusive songs on the site will include Junip featuring Jose Gonzalez, Switch, Eagles Of Death Metal, Spank Rock, Ra Ra Riot, Tokyo Police Club, Amanda Blank,Bad Veins, Dirty On Purpose, Meanest Man Contest, The Moths, White Denim, The Prayers, Sabrosa Purr, Kings And Queens, Skew, Jacques Renault, Professor Murder, Apes and Androids, Digitata, Sam Champion, Dax Riggs, Luxxury, Beat The Devil and others.

In addition to songs in the RCRD LBL catalog, the site will allow users to download exclusive, promotional and catalogue tracks from among the company’s extended family of labels, which include:

• Dim Mak Records (Bloc Party, Klaxons, Mystery Jets, Scanners)
• Downtown Records (Cold War Kids, Spank Rock, Eagles of Death Metal)
• Warp Records (Grizzly Bear, Squarepusher, Battles)
• Ghostly International (Mobius Band, Matthew Dear, Solvent)
• Modular Records (Wolfmother, New Young Pony Club, Cut Copy)
• Drowned In Sound (Kaiser Chiefs, Bat For Lashes, Martha Wainwright)
• Kompakt Records and Distribution (Michael Mayer, Superpitcher, The Field)
• Dirty Bird Records (Claude Von Stroke, Tanner Ross, Worthy)
• Turntable Lab (Diplo, Kid Sister, Piano Overlord)

Paid Content

Rcrd Lbl is the latest venture to embark on the quest for an ad-supported model to help turnaround the troubled music industry. It joins the still-struggling SpiralFrog, which started beta testing in Canada earlier this year. In a WSJ profile of Rcrd Lbl (it stands for Record Label), it’s clear that its backers are trying not to hype the venture too much, which involves allowing no charge, DRM-free music downloads supported by ads.

Peter Rojas:

The new Downtown offices are coming soon. RCRD LBL itself is coming a bit sooner.

P.S. – Yeah, we’ve let the building’s owners know that they misspelled “Digital”.