Something is happening behind the scenes in music. The people shaping careers aren’t just artist managers anymore; they’re creative directors, campaign designers, fundraisers, marketers, and dealmakers.

They’re not waiting for labels. They’re acting like them. In some cases, they’re doing it better.

So what do you call someone who finances a rollout, structures a global plan, runs the ops, and owns none of the master?

Managers Are Already Acting Like Labels

Chris Taylor (ex-Last Gang Records founder, former eOne executive, now Hall of Fame Artists CEO) said it best:

“Management companies are doing everything labels used to do.”

He’s not wrong. The new-age manager isn’t just securing the next deal or tour. They’re designing ecosystems: building out touring strategy, managing DSP (streaming) relations, crafting digital campaigns, coordinating merch drops, and sometimes even releasing music directly under their banner. In short, many managers and independent operators today are already performing the core functions of a record label.

And still, the infrastructure hasn’t caught up.

The Problem

Even though managers and operators are doing more than ever, the old systems still gain ownership:

• No equity in the outcome (managers facilitate success but rarely own master rights or IP)

• No access to early-stage capital (funding a project upfront is challenging without label advances)

• No infrastructure for scaling success (each win is ad-hoc, with no platform to repeat the process easily)

• No way to build a tradable, trackable reputation like a label (a manager’s “brand” isn’t an asset that can appreciate or be invested in)

They’re building real value… but they don’t hold the asset.

In other words, we’re asking managers to do label-level work without giving them label-level tools or upside.

The New Archetype: MicroLabels

Make no mistake, this isn’t just traditional management anymore. But it’s not a legacy record label either. It’s a new hybrid model emerging at the intersection of the two. It looks like this:

• Belief-led: driven by early conviction and fan support rather than solely data or clout

• Modular: assembled deal-by-deal, picking the label services you need and skipping the ones you don’t

• Aligned: structured so that artists, managers, and supporters all win together (no one-sided exploitative contracts)

• Scalable: set up to grow into a multi-artist enterprise without collapsing under its weight

It’s time to stop asking managers to do label work without label tools. The talent is there, the hustle is there. Now the infrastructure needs to rise to meet them. Let’s build something better, with managers, curators, and independent operators at the center.

What That Could Look Like

The right infrastructure can empower these manager-operator hybrids to truly operate like the microlabels they’ve become. With a modern platform designed for this new model, managers and independent teams can:

• Launch micro-label-style record deals under their brand (sign and release projects just like a label would, but you call the shots)

• Wrap those deals in proper legal infrastructure (automate contracts, splits, and ownership records seamlessly)

• Raise capital pre-release: from fans, curators, or investors who believe in the project, without going through traditional label gatekeepers

• Stream revenue directly to stakeholders (if applicable, automatically share a portion of earnings with fan-investors or collaborators in real time)

• Retain ownership, creative control, and brand equity for the long run (no more giving away masters or namesake rights just to fund a campaign)

You’re already doing the work; with the right tools, you can also own the results. In short, managers get to act like the label and reap the benefits of being one. If you're interested in learning more about what we're building, reach out here.

This Isn’t the First Time (A Brief History)

This “manager-as-label” concept has been brewing for a while. A few notable examples over the years hint at where things were heading:

• Chris Taylor with Last Gang Records: Back in 2004, artist lawyer/manager Chris Taylor founded an independent label (Last Gang) to release Metric’s debut album, doing label work long before he formally joined a label’s ranks.

• Zack Bia with Field Trip: The DJ/promoter-turned-executive co-founded Field Trip Recordings in 2018, signing buzzing new artists (like Yeat and SSGKobe) under an indie ethos while leveraging major-label partnerships on the back end.

• Zack Fox going DIY: The comedian-rapper recently launched his imprint (Congrats Records) to release his music, exemplifying how even non-traditional industry figures are taking label matters into their own hands.

• Crush & Red Light Management: Top management firms, such as Crush Music, have established their label divisions (e.g., partnering with Warner’s Atlantic Records in 2016), and Red Light Management has long operated a multifaceted empire that blurs the lines between management, label, and tour promotion. In short, big indie managers have been offering label-like services under one roof for years.

• Taylor Swift’s model: Even superstar artists have sought alternatives to the old label paradigm. Taylor Swift famously negotiated a deal letting her own her masters and simply license them to her label for a limited term, instead of giving them up forever. That limited licensing approach gave her full control and set a precedent for artist ownership in label deals.

The difference now? Today, the infrastructure exists to make this model scalable for anyone. In the past, only those with significant clout or resources could pull off a DIY label operation. Now, platforms like Superfan mean even an up-and-coming manager or a collective of curators can access the tools to run their own “label” playbook and keep ownership from day one.

🔗 Citations

• Chris Taylor – Last Gang Records / Management as Label

  • Quote: “Management companies are doing everything labels used to do.”

  • Source: The Manager’s Playbook

• Zack Bia – Field Trip Recordings

  • Context: DJ and promoter turned executive; co-founder of Field Trip, an indie label with major influence in youth-driven music scenes.

  • Source: Billboard: Inside Zack Bia’s Field Trip

• Zack Fox – Congrats Records

  • Context: Comedian-turned-artist who launched his independent label for greater creative and ownership control.

  • Source: Pitchfork: Zack Fox Launches Congrats Records

• Crush Music – Label/Management Hybrid

  • Context: Management company with label-like infrastructure and a partnership with Atlantic Records.

  • Source: Music Business Worldwide: Crush Music Forms Label with Atlantic

• Red Light Management

  • Context: One of the largest management companies in the world with full-stack capabilities across touring, label services, and brand partnerships.

  • Source: Red Light Management

• Taylor Swift – Limited Licensing Deal Model

  • Context: Swift’s post-Big Machine deals involve licensing her masters rather than giving them up, showing a shift in label-artist dynamics.

  • Source: Variety: Taylor Swift Owns Her Masters Now

Enter Epidemic Sound, a Swedish startup that dared to rewrite the rules. Founded in 2009, Epidemic Sound bet early on a simple idea: make music licensing frictionless. Instead of the traditional model of fractional ownership and royalty collection, Epidemic would own 100% of the music it offered. This meant persuading artists to sell their tracks outright (no PROs, no backend royalties) in exchange for upfront payment and profit-sharing on the platform. In turn, Epidemic could offer content creators an all-you-can-use subscription with one-stop clearance for every track. No negotiations, no separate sync fees – one subscription covers all rights worldwide, forever. For YouTubers, TikTokers, brands, and filmmakers, it was a game-changer: finally, they could add music to videos without fear, and keep their ad revenue.

The demand proved enormous. Today, videos featuring Epidemic’s music attract over 3 billion views per day on YouTube and TikTok alone – roughly the equivalent of 20 Super Bowls worth of eyeballs daily. Around 70% of the world’s top 300 YouTube channels use Epidemic’s library. In total, the company’s catalog of 50,000 tracks and 200,000 sound effects is heard “over 3 billion times a day around the globe”. These staggering numbers underscore a simple truth: there was pent-up demand for easy, legal access to music in the creator economy. By eliminating the friction in licensing, Epidemic Sound effectively soundtracks the internet, from vlogs and podcasts to ads and video games.

A New Model That Upended Tradition

How does Epidemic’s model work behind the scenes? In contrast to legacy record deals where artists keep some rights (and hope for trickle-down royalties), Epidemic signs artists to a non-exclusive, work-for-hire model. Artists compose and produce tracks which Epidemic buys outright, typically paying between $1,800 to $8,000 upfront per track. This payment isn’t a loan or advance; it’s theirs to keep, even if the song never gets a single stream. On top of that, Epidemic shares streaming revenue: any royalties the company collects from platforms like Spotify or Apple Music are split 50/50 with the artist in perpetuity. There’s also a “Soundtrack Bonus”: a yearly bonus pool (35 million SEK in 2025, or about $3.5M) divided among Epidemic artists based on how often their tracks are used by creators on the platform. As a result, the average Epidemic artist earned over $60,000 last year, with top earners exceeding $200,000, a healthy income in an industry where the median artist struggles to make a fraction of that.

Crucially, Epidemic’s artists must opt out of traditional collection societies like ASCAP/BMI or their international equivalents. Many PROs and rights agencies have strict rules that all an affiliated artist’s works must be under their umbrella, incompatible with Epidemic’s “all rights included” licensing. This requirement ruffled feathers in the music establishment. Early on, critics balked at Epidemic’s approach, even dubbing its roster “fake artists” or “ghost artists” because they often released music under aliases and lacked a traditional fan presence. And indeed, to serve the needs of video creators, many Epidemic composers produce instrumental, mood-oriented tracks (think ambient backgrounds, lo-fi beats, uplifting corporate scores) rather than radio hits. These tracks populate Spotify’s chill-out and focus playlists (sometimes under pseudonyms with AI-generated avatars), which led some observers to cry foul about a secret takeover of streaming by “faceless” music. But the musicians behind them are very real; Epidemic simply allowed them the freedom to use stage names for different styles. An artist might release EDM under one moniker and acoustic folk under another, to avoid confusing listeners. What outsiders saw as a “fake artist” epidemic was, in part, the result of skilled creators wearing multiple musical hats.

Playlist-driven listening is another trend that Epidemic both benefited from and helped accelerate. As streaming shifted from album-centric listening to algorithmic and mood-based playlists, demand grew for “functional music”; tracks suited for specific activities like studying, sleeping, or relaxing. Major streaming platforms found that listeners of “Deep Focus” or “Peaceful Piano” playlists weren’t necessarily attached to famous artist names; they just wanted the right vibe. Epidemic’s catalog of high-quality, rights-clear instrumentals was a perfect fit. By 2017, industry insiders noticed an abundance of unfamiliar artists in popular Spotify playlists, often with only a handful of tracks and minimal online presence. Investigations (notably by journalist Liz Pelly in Mood Machine) revealed that many of these tracks came from production libraries and companies like Epidemic Sound. Spotify denied any program to favor “fake artists,” but the effect was undeniable: a lot of streamed music was now being created for playlists rather than discovered via playlists. In a way, streaming had birthed a new creative category somewhere between stock music and pop music.

To be sure, not everyone was thrilled. Traditional stakeholders (PROs, labels, publishers) saw Epidemic as challenging the status quo. By bypassing the royalty pipeline and doing direct deals with platforms, did Epidemic undercut payouts for everyone else? (Podcast host Ari Herstand raised this concern: if Epidemic accepted a lower Spotify rate in exchange for playlist placement, independent artists outside the system might lose out.) Epidemic’s CEO Oscar Höglund insists there was no secret trade-off, just that their music performed well and earned its slots. Regardless, the company’s billion-dollar valuation and explosive growth prove that supply met demand. They identified a huge unmet need (affordable, hassle-free music for the digital world) and filled it. In doing so, Epidemic has validated a new model of music distribution, one that prioritizes ease of use, scale, and predictability. As Höglund put it, “our unique music distribution model [meets] the increasing demand for high-quality music in the creator economy”, a demand so strong that it propelled 29% revenue growth in 2024 and attracted partnerships with stars like Johnny Marr and Jordin Sparks to their roster.

Lessons from the Epidemic Sound Revolution

Epidemic Sound’s success holds some key lessons for the music industry:

• Frictionless = Future-Proof. Time and again, entertainment has shown that the lowest-friction experience wins. Spotify overtook piracy by making 30 million songs available at a click, easier than rifling through Limewire or BitTorrent. Netflix eclipsed DVDs by eliminating the physical hassle. Epidemic applied the same principle to licensing: make using music easier than infringing it. Creators flocked to the path of least resistance. Any future model for music (whether for listeners, creators, or fans) must offer a UX so seamless that alternatives feel clunky. Convenience is king, and people will embrace innovation that removes barriers.

• Content is Contextual. The rise of “background” or “functional” music underscores that context often trumps artist branding. Millions now consume music as a complement to other activities, and they’ll choose the perfect mood over a famous name if it better fits their need. This doesn’t mean artist identity is dead, but it does mean new opportunities for music crafted for specific contexts. Smart artists and platforms are tapping into this by creating alter-egos and tailored content for workouts, meditation, gaming, and more. The medium (a playlist or video) influences the message (the music) more than ever.

• Artists Will Embrace New Models, If They’re Fair. Early skeptics thought no serious musician would sell their copyrights for a flat fee. Yet thousands have lined up to work with Epidemic; the company accepts only about 0.16% of those who apply, essentially the cream of the crop. Why are creators interested? Because the deal delivers value: meaningful upfront money, a share of streaming forever, exposure to billions of listeners, and even equity in the company for long-term contributors. In an era when streaming pays fractions of a cent and label contracts lock up rights for decades, a model that pays $2–8k per song and doesn’t ask for exclusivity can look attractive. The takeaway is that artists are open to non-traditional arrangements if they feel like a true partnership. As Epidemic’s approach evolves (they now even onboard legendary musicians for special collaborations), it’s clear that creators will follow the money (and the audience) when the terms seem just.

• The Downside of Centralization. There is, of course, a flip side. Epidemic achieved simplicity by becoming a central hub that owns all the rights. It’s a private company deciding which artists to sign, which tracks to commission, even which pieces to push to its creator network. That’s a lot of power, and it won’t (and shouldn’t) be the only model out there. Artists who aren’t on the Epidemic roster can’t tap into that 3-billion-views distribution engine. And while Epidemic’s library fits many use cases, it can’t encompass the entire diversity of music. The model prompts the question: can we scale frictionless licensing in a more decentralized or open way, so that any artist could partake while still retaining control of their work? This question is spurring the next wave of innovation.

Simplicity vs. Sovereignty: The Next Logical Question

Epidemic proved one thing beyond doubt: when you annihilate licensing friction, creators stampede toward the door you just opened. The startup’s bet on full ownership and one-click clearance unlocked billions of daily plays across the internet. Yet the flip side of that success is clear: artists swapped ownership for convenience. Epidemic’s all rights included model requires musicians to sign over their masters and even leave their PROs, giving the company full rights to each track in perpetuity. In exchange, creators get upfront checks and hassle-free global usage, but surrender the long-tail upside of rights they’d traditionally hold.

That trade-off sets up the industry’s defining tension. On one side is instant, global clearance: a single subscription unlocking music worldwide. On the other hand, there is artistic sovereignty: retaining control and royalties over one’s work. Today, you can have one or the other, but not both at once:

The obvious follow-up question is: can we keep Epidemic-level ease without forcing artists to give up the keys? Even songwriter advocacy groups have warned against the buy-out route, calling on creators to “refrain from signing any agreement which results in giving up all their economic rights forever”. The challenge now is finding a model that delivers frictionless licensing and lets artists still own their work.

Early Experiments in “Frictionless + Artist-Owned”

Not surprisingly, a wave of prototypes is quietly attacking that exact gap, inspired, ironically, by Epidemic’s success. A few early experiments include:

• Smart-split plug‑ins: New tools that bake collaborator splits directly into an audio file or smart contract. Each time a video uses the song, the underlying rails (often blockchain-based) automatically pay out the pre-set percentages to writers, producers, and session players. This promises YouTube-level simplicity for creators, while ensuring every contributor gets paid in real time: no middlemen or spreadsheets required.

• Creator Passes: Imagine artists selling a limited batch of lifetime licenses to their catalog up front. Buy a pass, and you’re permanently whitelisted to use that artist’s music in your videos – no additional contracts or fees, ever. It’s a twist on the NFT concept: the pass functions as a perpetual sync license. A few indie musicians have toyed with this “all-you-can-use” licensing idea, essentially offering fans and creators a one-click license that never expires (sometimes managed via Content ID allowlisting in the background). For this artist have to retain full ownership

• Fan-funded presales: Before a track is released, an artist can crowdfund its production costs by issuing all ownership onchain, including the right for a specific set of content creators to use any of the IP in their content. Platforms like Royal have tested this with major artists, Nas, for example, who let fans buy tokens tied to streaming royalties. A newer crop of tools, including Superfan, is bringing this model to independent artists: project financing, which could include one-click access for creators, and full ownership retained by the artist. Creators don’t just license the track: they help bring it into the world.

None of these experiments has reached the plug-and-play polish of Epidemic’s platform yet. They’re rough around the edges, often requiring tech-savvy users or niche marketplaces. But each is trying to marry the one-click promise with artist sovereignty. They hint at a future where licensing a song might be as easy as buying an NFT or clicking “allow”, all while the artist who made it keeps control and keeps earning.

Why the Tension Matters

If the first social-video era was about erasing barriers for creators, the next era will be about erasing the need for artists to choose between control and convenience. The stakes are high: whoever cracks that equation (delivering Epidemic’s drag-and-drop simplicity plus built-in ownership for musicians) will score perhaps the most coveted prize in music tech. They’ll have found the model that all sides willingly adopt, where creators get instant soundtracks, audiences get more music, and artists don’t feel like they’re sacrificing their future for exposure today.

This tension matters because it speaks to the core of a fair and vibrant music ecosystem. We’ve heard what the internet sounds like when licensing is easy; it unleashed new genres of background scores and powered countless viral videos. The coming question is what it will sound like when licensing is easy and artists still call the shots. A solution that makes using a track as simple as Epidemic did – but with every artist and collaborator automatically benefiting, could transform not just internet content, but the music industry itself. In the end, it’s a vision of friction eliminated on all sides. Creators get music seamlessly, fans get more choice, and artists get to have their cake and eat it too, enjoying both the reach of frictionless distribution and the rewards of owning their work. That’s the next chapter waiting to be written, and the entire creator economy is listening.

Disclaimer: The author’s perspective is informed by recent developments in the music-tech space, including insights from Epidemic Sound’s journey. “Superfan” is mentioned as an illustrative example of emerging platforms exploring new models (with which the author is involved). This article is intended to provoke thought on industry trends, not to promote any single service explicitly.

Citations:

• Ari Herstand, “Epidemic Sound Removes Rights and Royalties From the Equation.”
  Ari’s Take (podcast transcript). Accessed June 2025.
  https://aristake.com/oscar-hoglund

• Epidemic Sound, “Epidemic Sound Publishes Its 2024 Annual Report and Sustainability Report.”
  Press release, 8 April 2025.
  https://corporate.epidemicsound.com/press-and-media/press-releases/2025/epidemic-sound-publishes-its-2024-annual-report-and-sustainability-report/

• Dr. Runcie, LinkedIn post: “Culture is less of a spectator sport (and why that matters for music).”
  Posted February 2025.
  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/druncie_culture-is-less-of-a-spectator-sport-and-activity-7328826592044937219-C0G_/

• Epidemic Sound, “How We Work With Artists.”
  Company explainer. Accessed June 2025.
  https://corporate.epidemicsound.com/about-us/how-we-work-with-artists

• First Floor, “Liz Pelly Wrote a Book About Spotify and the ‘Systemic Grift’ of Streaming.”
  Substack article, July 2023.
  https://firstfloor.substack.com/p/liz-pelly-wrote-a-book-about-spotify

• Daniel Tencer, “Superfan App EVEN Launches With 10,000 Artists Onboarded; In-App Sales to Count Towards Billboard Charts.”
  Music Business Worldwide, 10 April 2024.
  https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/superfan-app-even-launches-with-10000-artists-onboarded-in-app-sales-to-count-towards-billboard-charts/

• Epidemic Sound, “Honey Dijon Launches Epidemic Sound’s ‘Extra Version’ Remix Series.”
  Press release, 28 May 2025.
  https://corporate.epidemicsound.com/press-and-media/press-releases/2025/honey-dijon-launches-epidemic-sounds-extra-version-remix-series-introducing-a-new-era-of-music-distribution--unlocking-the-creator-economy

• Daniel Tencer, “Epidemic Sound Has Courted Controversy Over Its ‘Buy-Out Deals’—Here’s Exactly How the Company Pays Artists.”
  Music Business Worldwide, 25 April 2024.
  https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/epidemic-sound-has-courted-controversy-over-its-buy-out-deals-heres-exactly-how-the-company-pays-artists/

• Tamerlan Bagraev, “Rethinking Music Licensing: From Frustration to On-Chain.”
  LinkedIn Article, 2024.
  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rethinking-music-licensing-from-frustration-onchain-tamerlan-bagraev-usyxf/

• The Lab Report, “Four Challenges for Labels in Web3.”
  Analysis piece, February 2024.
  https://www.thelab.report/four-challenges-for-labels-in-web3/

• BeatStars Blog, “What You Need to Know About Allowlisting on Content ID & More.”
  Blog post, August 2023.
  https://blog.beatstars.com/posts/what-you-need-to-know-about-allowlisting-on-content-id-more

• Murray Stassen, “Nas to Let Fans Buy Shares in Streaming Royalties via NFTs on Music Investment Platform Royal.”
  Music Business Worldwide, 6 January 2022.
  https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/nas-to-let-fans-buy-shares-in-streaming-royalties-via-nfts-on-music-investment-platform-royal13456/