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Top Dawg Entertainment is an American independent record label founded in 2004 by Anthony Tiffith. In 2003, Tiffith signed a young Kendrick Lamar following his first mixtape, and then, in 2005, Jay Rock was signed on with TDE. TDE signed deals with both Warner Bros. and Asylum Records, but soon intended to go independent after the labels failed to handle Jay Rock's debut album 'Follow Me Home' properly. They cut ties with Warner Bros. in 2010.
Ab-Soul was signed in 2007 and, soon after his addition to the label in 2009, Schoolboy Q suggested that the four artists form a group which would become known as Black Hippy. In 2010 and 2011, Black Hippy rappers created projects that were issued by TDE exclusively to digital retailers (iTunes, Google Play, etc.), including Lamar's 2011 debut album 'Section 80'.
March 2012, TDE signed a joint venture deal with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records, under which Kendrick's 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' was released. This became his major label debut album, with Schoolboy Q's 'Oxymoron' following suit in 2014.
Newcomers Isaiah Rashad and SZA were both signed to TDE in 2013, after TDE announced they were planning to sign two more artists in June that year.
TDE would be the ideal label to sign my artists. As an independent record label, TDE allows more creativity and experimenting with music. They also sign Hip Hop artists, a genre which Alternative Rap falls into. More importantly, TDE obviously cares a lot about their artists; cutting ties with other labels to ensure an artist and their music gets the treatment they deserve. This is what makes a good record label.
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Sony Music Entertainment, American music corporation, was originally founded in 1929 as American Record Corporation, but became SME in 1991, and again in 2008. It is the world's second largest music company, after Universal Music Group. It was in 2004 when Sony made a joint venture with Bertelsmann, creating Sony BMG Music Entertainment. This joint venture ended in October 1st 2008 when both Sony and BMG took an equal 50% of their shares and split. Sony then became an owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation.
The last few albums that were under the Sony BMG music label included; Michael Jackson's 'Thriller 25'; 'I Am Sasha Fierce' by Beyonce; 'Keeps Getting Better' by Christina Aguilera; and Dido's 'Safe Trip Home'. Sony owns a number of smaller music labels, some including Columbia Records, RCA Records, Roc Nation (limited liability, distributed by Universal Music Group), and Def Jam Recordings (until 1993).
Sony wouldn't be my label of choice. There a few artists within this label that make music which fits into my chosen genre - apart from A$AP Rocky - so I am not very convinced that Sony would be a suitable label to be signed to. Although they are a good label in general, they don't seem very fitting for my genre.
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XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell, founded in 1989. They have worked with a number of big artists, including: Adele; Dizzee Rascal; Prodigy; Radiohead; M.I.A; The White Stripes; and FKA twigs. XL was originally launched to release rave and dance music, until Russell later broadened the musical horizons of the label with the inclusion of other artists and genres. The Prodigy was one of XL's most successful artists and in 1994 they released his second album 'Music for the Jilted Generation' which topped the UK Albums Chart. And again in 1997, his third album 'The Fat of the Land' topped the British and American charts and was number one in 26 countries.
2003 saw XL Recording's winning of the Music Week A&R award, and also the release of The White Stripes' fourth album 'Elephant' which became their first UK number one album and reached double platinum certification in Britain. Also in 2003, Dizzee Rascal's debut solo album 'Boy In Da Corner' was awarded Mercury Prize for best album of 2003.
Founder and Director of XL Recordings, Richard Russell, was included an Evening Standard list of Most Influential People in London in 2007. And M.I.A's 'Kala' album was released and deemed by Rolling Stone as the ninth best album of the decade.
Again in 2009, XL Recodrings won the Music Week Best Independent Label award. Adele, possibly XL's biggest artist yet, won the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, and in the same ceremony Radiohead won both Best Alternative Album and Best Boxed or Special Edition Album for their album 'In Rainbows'.
XL Recordings would probably be one of the better choices of a music label for my artists. Beingan independent label they allow and encourage innovation and creativity. Some of the biggest British artists are signed to this label, and American artists such as Tyler, The Creator and Azealia Banks have also been signed. Because of this spread of artists, genres, and numerous awards, I believe XL Recordings will be a perfect label choice.
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