<p>This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Mark Orr, the founder of Lab Records, to explore how independent labels are evolving in today’s music industry.&nbsp;</p><br><p>From deal structures and artist ownership to marketing strategies and physical releases, Mark shares a transparent look into how his label has operated and adapted over nearly two decades. They dive into how indie deals have shifted to become more artist-friendly, how Lab approaches partnerships like distribution with ADA, and why physical products like vinyl and limited editions are more important now than ever. Mark also breaks down how to build a lean team, when to outsource, and how to create meaningful fan engagement in a crowded digital landscape. Whether you’re on the artist or label side of the business, you won’t want to miss this episode.</p><br><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/labrecords" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/labrecords</a></p><p><a href="https://labrecs.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://labrecs.com/</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>Chapters</p><br><p>00:00 - Lab Records Origin</p><p>05:00 - Building a Lean Team</p><p>09:25 - Streaming &amp; Fan Engagement</p><p>13:23 - Pitching Artists vs Majors</p><p>16:07 - Modern Deal Structures</p><p>21:19 - Artist Power Shift</p><p>26:19 - Marketing in 2020s</p><p>31:42 - Physical Sales Comeback</p><p>36:21 - Touring Builds Fanbase</p><p>45:50 - Tools, Teams, Future</p><br><p><br></p><p>Edited and mixed by Ari Davids-Ergas</p><p>Music by Brassroots District</p><p>Produced by the team at Ari’s Take</p><br><p>Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: <a href="https://book.aristake.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://book.aristake.com</a></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>