Why Major Artists Are Going Independent (and What It Means for the Music Industry)

The start of the recording industry is often linked to Thomas Edison’s patent of phonograph technology in the late 1800s. But don’t worry, we won’t go that far back in history. Still, his invention was a key step toward what would eventually become the traditional industry model, which revolves around major record labels.

Technically, Columbia Records is considered the first record label. It was founded in 1889 and remains active today – unless you count Edison’s Records, which referred to cylinders rather than to a roster of artists as we understand labels today.

The development of sound recording in the early 20th century – alongside the rise of global radio broadcasting – began to disrupt the commercial dominance of sheet music publishers. Between the 1900s and 1920s, the record industry gradually overtook sheet music as the primary driver of music revenue, with record labels emerging as the most powerful players in the business.

For decades, these major record labels have acted as gatekeepers. They quickly took control of recording, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and artist rights. One notable early example of this shift can be seen in 1902, when the Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso signed a recording contract with the British Gramophone & Typewriter Company. Two years later, he entered a crucial exclusive deal with the Victor Talking Machine Company, becoming one of the first global recording superstars, with over 250 records and millions in revenue.

Throughout the 20th century, the label model developed into what we recognize today. While early labels focused primarily on classical and popular music (as defined at the time), they expanded alongside the industry itself, representing a growing range of genres – from rock and pop to rhythm and blues, metal, and beyond.

The classic major label model worked like this: a label would sign an artist, offer them an advance (essentially a loan), cover recording costs, handle distribution, and fund marketing campaigns. In return, the label would own the master recordings, take the lion's share of streaming and sales revenue, and retain creative control over everything from release timing to album artwork.

In theory, it was a fair exchange – investment for infrastructure, particularly in an era when physical distribution and industry connections were essential. But it also came with limitations. Artists often had limited control over their creative direction, release timelines, how their music was marketed, and the long-term ownership (and thus legacy) of their work.

The problems with the traditional model haven't disappeared, but the circumstances that made it necessary have. As a result, the artist-label relationship – once lopsided – has been shifting toward more collaborative, artist-friendly models, offering musicians more favorable deals. At the same time, however, opportunities for artists to achieve have expanded beyond the label environment, encouraging many to build their careers independently.

Let’s take a look at the changes happening in the industry over the past few years.

This has been one of the absolute key shifts in the music industry. In the physical era, getting your music into stores absolutely required label relationships. That’s not the case anymore! Today, any artist can upload a release to Spotify, Apple Music, and hundreds of other platforms through a digital distribution service like iMusician – often for a small annual fee or a modest per-release cost. Global reach is no longer a label-exclusive perk; you can achieve it from anywhere within an instant.

Virality today is unpredictable – and more importantly, it doesn't set any conditions on how it happens. Songs can go viral globally without radio promotion, PR campaigns, or a label marketing budget. Artists are growing their audiences organically, and in some cases, doing so faster than the traditional industry machine ever could – of course, depending on factors like strategy and consistency, among others. Generally speaking, algorithms don't care whether you're signed to Universal or releasing music independently from your bedroom.

Platforms like Bandcamp, Patreon, Even, and Substack enable artists to bypass intermediaries and earn revenue directly from their fans – notably, without a label taking a share. This isn’t limited to music records; it encompasses everything related to music that artists can now monetize freely on their own. Key opportunities include merchandise, exclusive content, fan subscription memberships, live ticket sales, and high-value digital or virtual experiences.

These options help artists achieve higher profit margins – sometimes even doubling their income with only a small portion of their fans – while maintaining creative control, decision-making freedom, and access to valuable fan data.

Today, younger artists are often entering the industry with a completely different mindset and understanding of how it works. They're not ‘just’ musicians with creative passions waiting to be discovered and taken on by a label.

Instead, many are starting their careers with a business-focused approach, recognizing that art is not just a form of self-expression but also a product that requires strategy, marketing, financial planning, and customer-centric value. They are creating their own ventures, owning their intellectual property, and thinking about catalog value from day one – all while maintaining their authenticity without limits.

It’s important to recognize that independence isn't a single thing. Some artists choose to leave the label system, others never enter it, and some find creative ways to work adjacent to it on their own terms. The great thing about the paths of these artists is that each one tells a different narrative, allowing any other artist forging their own way to take inspiration and apply it to their own story.

Some of the most compelling cases for independence come from artists who have firsthand experience with the label system and later choose to leave (some temporarily, others permanently). One might argue that leaving a record label after achieving widespread success is quite easy. However, it’s important to recognize that even the biggest and most successful artists benefit from the infrastructure and financial support provided by labels, so standing on their own still means stepping into the unknown and facing potential risks alone.

Let’s start with perhaps the most interesting and legendary case of an artist fighting for independence: Prince. His yearlong dispute with Warner Bros. began in the 1990s and centered on creative freedom and ownership of his masters. Feeling restricted, he famously changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol (the so-called “Love Symbol”) and started making public appearances with “SLAVE” written on his face. He was eventually released from his Warner contract in 1996, but, famously, signed a few one-record deals with other labels and ultimately reconciled with Warner Music in 2014, returning to the label and gaining ownership of his masters in a landmark deal.

Frank Ocean is perhaps the defining example of his generation. Signed to Def Jam, Ocean spent years in a legal and creative stalemate before releasing Blonde in 2016 through his own label, Boys Don't Cry. He simultaneously fulfilled his Def Jam contract with a visual album, Endless, then walked away, first negotiating to buy back his masters. The move was calculated and bold, turning out to be a commercial and critical success on his terms, and it allowed him to take control of his creative direction, release schedule, and earn higher revenue from streams.

Tinashe first signed a deal with RCA Records in 2012, and while the relationship produced three well-received albums, the last project was marked by growing frustration with the label, caused in part by delays and creative differences. She eventually left in 2019, describing it as an amicable parting, and has since released some of her most creatively adventurous work independently.

Unlike Tinashe, JoJo experienced a much less amicable departure from her label. She filed a lawsuit against Blackground Records and its imprint Da Family Entertainment twice in four years for putting her music in stagnation and for causing “irreparable damages to her professional career.” As she first signed a deal in 2003 at the age of 12, her case also raised awareness of the complexity and scrutiny involved in minors releasing music with a label. The legal dispute was eventually settled with an agreement outside the court. JoJo later signed a deal with Atlantic Records only to go independent and start self-releasing her music through her venture, Clover Music, in 2017. In 2018, she re-recorded and released her early albums to reclaim ownership after her original recordings were suppressed.

Lorde is one of the newest big artists choosing to go independent. In a series of community voice notes shared with fans in March 2026, she revealed that her years-long contract with UMG – first signed in 2009 – expired at the end of 2025, giving her a new, “blank slate” and an opportunity to explore her true self and creativity – something she couldn’t really do when signing at age 12. Nevertheless, Lorde described her time with UMG as an amazing experience and didn’t rule out signing with a label, possibly even Universal, in the future.

Tom Odell fulfilled his contract with Sony in 2021, marking the start of his indie journey. He created his own independent label, UROK Management (in partnership with Virgin Music), and has self-released three albums since then. He described the move as freeing, saying it has let him make more personal and authentic music, without the pressure of producing something to persuade a major label to release it.

Raye literally took over the music scene in 2023 when her single Escapism went viral on social media, and her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues (2023), received widespread critical praise. Her long-anticipated rise to fame also highlighted the harsh reality of some artists signing with major record labels only to be sidelined. She signed a four-album deal with Polydor in 2014, but she was actually not allowed to release an album for seven years – covering the entire period she was with Polydor until she left the label in 2021. She famously celebrated her debut album release by installing a sculptural display of broken white speakers and instruments (essentially her album cover artwork) directly in front of Polydor’s London offices.

Besides artists who signed with a label and later chose to go independent, there are those who proved you don't need a major record deal to reach the top. They built their careers independently from the start, and even when offered major label contracts, they chose to stay in the DIY scene.

Chance the Rapper made history in 2017 by becoming the first streaming-only, unsigned artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year, taking home Best Rap Album for his mixtape Coloring Book. Notably, its single No Problem (featuring 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne) also won Best Rap Performance. To this day, he has released all his music independently, retaining 100% of his rights and ownership, and building his career around a fiercely loyal fanbase through authenticity and community.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis self-funded The Heist and released it independently in 2012. It went on to sell millions of copies, produce multiple platinum singles, and win four Grammy Awards – all without a major label deal. Notably, Macklemore continued his journey independently as a solo artist, releasing his music through supportive distribution and publishing services instead of signing with a major label. He is considered one of the most accomplished independent artists, having achieved multi-platinum, Grammy-winning success.

The British rapper Little Simz built her entire career independently, releasing critically acclaimed records through her own label, AGE 101 Music. Her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, was named the best album of 2021 by several publications and even won the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2022. She stated in an interview that, while she tried, no major label wanted to sign her at the start of her career, and as she gained more success, she felt that the deal offers she received were designed to limit her artistry. For this reason, she has remained independent, releasing her music on her own to this day.

Many of the artists' stories we chose for this article are linked to themes of limited creative freedom, self-expression, and ownership issues related to record label deals. These are just some common reasons artists often leave their labels. Let’s take a closer look at these – and a few others.

The ownership of master recordings is the foundation of everything in the music business. Masters are the original recordings, and whoever owns them controls how they're licensed, where they appear, and what they earn over time. As discussed earlier, for decades, artists were expected to sign away their masters to labels as a condition for securing a deal.

The modern cultural turning point in this issue came with Taylor Swift. In 2019, her former record label, Big Machine, along with the masters of her first six studio albums (and related recordings, videos, and artwork), were sold to Scooter Braun’s company without her involvement, consent, or the opportunity to buy them herself. Braun later sold the rights to a private equity firm, Shamrock Holdings, Inc. – notably, under the condition that he continue to profit from the rights. Swift responded by re-recording her entire catalog to create versions she owned, achieving commercial success and critical praise.

Her highly publicized fight for ownership of her music sparked widespread debate on artists' rights, intellectual property, private equity, and industry ethics, influencing not only industry insiders but also listeners. Millions of music fans who had never even thought of publishing deals suddenly became interested in the topic and voiced support for artists’ rights. In May 2025, she famously reclaimed her masters from Shamrock, gaining ownership of her entire body of work.

Unlike traditionally signed artists, independent musicians typically keep their masters by default. This means the catalog they build throughout their careers belongs to them and can increase in value over time. Whether directly motivated by Swift’s masters dispute or not, for many artists, the ability to own their art eventually becomes a key reason to choose independence.

The conversations about creative control might seem abstract until artists share what label life is really like. We’ve seen this in the stories of Jojo or Raye: release dates delayed for years, albums put on hold indefinitely, singles chosen by committee, artworks rejected, or sound shaped by what A&R thought would chart.

Releasing music under a deal can become a constant battle to create something authentic, allow for self-expression, and also meet the label’s vision and, most importantly, sell records. Sometimes, artists can’t release music because their artistry – no matter how much they adjust it – doesn’t match the label’s often-changing commercial demands. In other cases, when the person who originally signed them leaves the company, artists can find themselves without internal support or advocacy.

Independence removes many of these constraints. Artists decide when to release, what it sounds like, what the cover looks like, and how it's presented to the world. For many, that level of control is essential to creating work that feels honest and sustainable.

The economics of streaming have been endlessly debated, but the basic principle remains simple: independent artists retain a much larger share of their earnings. Under a typical major label deal, an artist might receive 15-20% of recording revenue, only after recouping the advance. In reality, many artists never recoup at all.

With digital distribution platforms, independent artists can keep anywhere from 80% to 100% of their streaming revenue, depending on the service. The per-stream rates are the same, but the revenue split – and therefore the outcome – might be very different.

One of the most overlooked benefits of independence is the direct connection it allows between artists and their audiences. Without a label in the middle, artists can create their own communities – through email lists, fan platforms, social media, and events – and truly own those relationships.

First-party data (knowing who your fans are, where they are, and how they engage) is becoming more valuable. It enables artists to sell directly, communicate without algorithms, and develop the kind of fan loyalty that sustains careers for decades. Labels, by nature, don't share this data.

It’s true that many independent artists, when they can, work with external services to handle their music promotion. Still, even that relationship often feels more genuine and freedom-filled than having labels do it.

The traditional album release cycle, centered around physical distribution, radio campaigns, and retail windows, was slow by design, and an album could take years to release. That often meant that an opportunity to capitalize on a trend could easily disappear while waiting for approvals.

Today’s streaming landscape often moves faster, allowing artists to announce their release date well in advance and plan marketing campaigns accordingly. Still, there are often obstacles or conditions set by the label that can delay or complicate the process, or even prevent artists from choosing their own release dates.

Something we haven’t mentioned yet, and that's important to recognize, is that artists frequently compete not only with artists from other labels but also with fellow artists within the same label. In these contexts, some artists may receive more opportunities, trust, and privileges – often based on their previous commercial success – resulting in timing and creative restrictions for others.

Independent artists, on the other hand, can move at internet speed. A track can go from idea to uploaded for release in just days, enabling them to synchronize their release schedule with cultural moments, audience demand, and their own creative rhythm. Whether it’s a surprise drop, a timely remix, or a rapid response to a viral moment, that flexibility can provide a real competitive advantage in today’s fast-moving environment.

We’ve talked plenty about what has changed in the industry that has helped artists to abandon or avoid the traditional label model, but it’s important to especially talk about the infrastructure that now exists to support independent artists at every stage of their career.

In the past couple of years, digital distribution platforms have become the backbone of modern independent music. They allow any artist to get their music onto every major streaming service globally (often alongside genre-specific platforms, e.g., for classical and electronic music), collect their royalties, and maintain full rights to their recordings – without needing a label relationship of any kind.

Beyond distribution, independent artists today have access to tools for publishing administration (ensuring that songwriting royalties are collected), neighboring rights collection, YouTube Content ID monetization, music analytics, and playlist pitching. These are pretty much all services that were once available exclusively through the major-label system.

Rather than striving to sign – or continue – a deal, many artists today are focused on building a sustainable team that helps them manage all aspects of their careers. The most successful independent artists work with independent managers, booking agents, PR and marketing professionals, and music lawyers, assembling their own infrastructure rather than depending on a label's. The difference is that each of these relationships is on the artist's terms, not built into a deal that also claims ownership of their creative output.

In summary, independence is, to a great extent, enabled by this infrastructure. The tools exist. What artists bring is the vision and the willingness to run their career like a business.

So far, we’ve discussed the reasons and mainly the benefits of becoming independent. However, it would certainly be dishonest to make independence sound easy and straightforward. Because it isn't, and ignoring the challenges would do a disservice to any artist considering this path.

The most immediate issue is the upfront investment. Labels provide advances because records cost money to make, promote, and distribute. Independent artists either need savings, alternative income, or a realistic plan for funding their releases.

Now, the good news, as we already discussed, is that today’s independent scene's infrastructure, dominated by distributors, makes it easier for anyone to release and promote their music without needing specialized services, at least when starting their careers. Many distributors, such as iMusician, offer a wide range of powerful tools to promote, analyze, and monetize their music.

However, more investment might be needed over time as your career advances, and you want to continue growing. It’s also important to recognize that costs aren’t just financial; they can also be measured in time. Managing every aspect of a release – from writing and recording to producing, designing artwork, releasing, promoting, and analyzing performance – requires significant time and effort. Naturally, many artists start their careers as side projects while holding down a day job, which often means switching back and forth between earning money and chasing their dreams. It’s rewarding but can also be incredibly exhausting and stressful.

We just mentioned that being independent often means doing things on your own, which basically involves wearing multiple hats at the same time. Marketing, perhaps, is one of the most important of those, as it acts as a drive to make music more recognizable, sell it, and ultimately grow one’s career.

Without a label's promotional machinery, getting music heard requires creativity, consistency, and often a budget that emerging artists simply don't have. Building an audience from scratch often becomes an amazing experience and learning opportunity, but the journey takes a lot of work, errors (and time).

It’s not just the finances and services a label offers, but also its network. Over the years, labels have built strong relationships with radio programmers, playlist editors, booking agents, brand partners, and press contacts. All of these resources are accessible to signed artists, making it easier to break into the industry (though not always).

This doesn’t mean independent artists can’t eventually develop these relationships, but it often takes longer and requires more initiative and active effort.

We mentioned at the beginning of this article that many of today’s artists have an artist-as-business mindset, approaching music more as a business than just an artistic career. That, in itself, can be a significant challenge for independent artists. Besides creating and promoting music and cultivating connections that can help you advance, managing your own music career also requires understanding contracts, managing cash flow, filing taxes properly, and, most importantly, making sound business decisions.

Being your own artist means building your personal brand, which essentially means running your own business. This creates a range of demands that not every artist may be equally prepared for.

The rise of independent artists isn’t just a trend; it reflects a broader shift in how music careers are built and sustained today. What was once a system dominated by gatekeepers in the form of major labels has evolved into a more open ecosystem, where artists have greater access to tools, audiences, and opportunities than ever before.

For some, independence is a conscious choice. For many others, it’s simply where their journey begins. Either way, the ability to release music, build a fanbase, and retain control is no longer reserved for a select few. Instead, it’s increasingly becoming the norm.

Want to start your independent music journey? iMusician offers digital music distribution, music analytics, YouTube monetization, and everything else you need to release your music professionally, keep full ownership of your rights, and turn your work into a sustainable career.

Credits: Frank Ocean – Photograph by András Ladocsi; Tinashe – Photograph by Marissa Andrea; JoJo – Photograph by Dennis Leupold; Tom Odell – Still from Sounds Like Art, Arte Concert; Lorde – Photograph by Thistle Brown; Chance the Rapper – Photograph by Bethany Mollenkof