Your Record Label’s Niche

Identifying what makes your record label unique, and finding your perfect audience.

The term “niche” is defined as a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service.

A record label’s niche could include their genre, geographic location, social stance, or any combination of specific categories. The best way to define your niche is to start with the broadest audience category, and then start narrowing down with specifics: broad audience > niche > sub niche.

(For example: Fitness instructor > Fitness instructor for women > Fitness instructor for pregnant women). For a record label, this niching-down tactic might look like this: record label > record label from Cleveland > punk record label from Cleveland.

There is no limit to how narrow you can go with your niche.

Why a Record Label Should

Niche Down

1. Gives People a Reason to Check Out Your Label…

You become THE label for that specification…
You might repel some people, but for the RIGHT people, you’re magnetic!
Sometimes, niches have pre-existing audiences that you can tap into.

2. Gives You Parameters…

What not to do is one of the biggest challenges for a record label and a niche gives you guidelines either sonically or aesthetically…
You may think being broad is a better idea, but it means you don’t have an identity… Think about how you choose a takeout restaurant… Italian, Indian, Chinese, Thai? No one really wants to try the restaurant that does all those things…

3. Creates Passion and Purpose…

Niches allow us to have more fun with this job by being able to focus on art and topics that we’re most passionate about…
Keeps us away from people and projects that are stressful or uninspiring…
It gives us an opportunity to meet people who share our passions who love the same kind of music, or have the same goals and ethics and ideals.

Defining Your Niche.

The Power of a Niche.

The power of a narrow niche is in its ability to help fans identify with a brand that mirrors their personal tastes and values.

You accomplish this by explicitly declaring who your label serves, declaring what you DON’T do, doubling down on your ethos, and utilizing your niche to help you stand out from the crowd.