Managing Labels

Labels are the imprints or brands under which music is released. Every release requires a label—even independent artists release under a label name, which often is their own name or a self-created imprint.

Why Labels Matter

• Copyright credits - Your label name appears in ℗ (P-line) and © (C-line) credits
• Organization - Group and filter releases by label
• Branding - Build recognition for your imprint
• Store presence - Label pages exist on some streaming platforms

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Creating a Label

To create a new label in LabelGrid:

1. Navigate to Catalogue → My Labels
2. Click Add Label

3. The label setup wizard guides you through multiple steps:
   • General Details - Label name, logo, email, and website
   • Default Genres - Primary and secondary genre defaults
   • Publishing & Copyright - P-line, C-line, publishers, and copyright owners
   • Social Media - Links to your social profiles
   • Distribution Settings - Enable platforms like Beatport, YouTube Music, and monetization services
   • Beatport Setup (if enabled) - Genre selection and Beatport-specific information
   • Public Websites - Enable public label page and demo inbox
4. Click Next to move through each step
5. Click Submit to save the label profile

For detailed instructions on each wizard step, see Creating a Label.

Note

The outlets and services available depend on your subscription plan.

Label Name Guidelines

Do	Don’t
Use the official label name	Add “Records” if not part of the name
Be consistent across releases	Change spelling between releases
Use proper capitalization	USE ALL CAPS
Keep it professional	Use informal nicknames

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Do I Need a Label?

Yes - every release distributed through LabelGrid requires a label. Here’s how different users approach this:

For Independent Artists

If you’re an independent artist without a label:

• Use your artist name - “Luna Martinez” as both artist and label
• Create a simple imprint - “Luna Martinez Music” or “LM Records”
• Invent a brand - Create a label name that represents your music

For Labels

If you run a record label:

• Create your main label profile
• Add sub-labels or imprints as needed
• Organize releases under the appropriate imprint

For Distribution Clients

If you distribute music for multiple labels:

• Create separate label profiles for each client
• Maintain their branding correctly
• Keep catalogs organized by label

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Editing a Label

After creating a label, you can edit all settings plus access additional options not available in the wizard.

Opening the Edit Form

1. Navigate to Catalogue → My Labels
2. Click on the label you want to edit
3. Click Edit
4. The edit form displays all settings organized in tabs

Edit Form Tabs

The label edit form has nine tabs with comprehensive settings:

Main Information Tab

Core label details and default settings.

Field	Required	Description
Label Name	Yes	Your label’s official name
Short Name	No	Abbreviated name for compact displays
Tagline	No	Brief slogan (e.g., “Elevating Artists, Amplifying Dreams”)
Label Introduction	No	Short bio for quick descriptions
Label Description	No	Full description of your label
Label Email Address	Yes	Primary contact email
Default Primary Genre	No	Auto-fills on new releases
Default Secondary Genre	No	Auto-fills on new releases

Images Tab

Visual assets for your label.

Field	Required	Description
Logo (Light Color)	Yes	Main logo, minimum 500×500px
Logo (Dark Color)	No	Logo variant for dark backgrounds, minimum 500×500px
Landing Page Background	No	Wide format image for your public page

Website Tab

Public website and demo inbox settings.

Field	Description
Website URL	Your external label website
Podcast URL/RSS	Podcast feed (SoundCloud or Mixcloud links work)
Enable Public Website	Toggle your sites.labelgrid.com page
Enable Public One-Sheet	Toggle shareable release info pages
Enable Stripe Cart	Enable checkout for fan purchases
Enable Email Opt-in Form	Collect mailing list subscribers
Enable Demo Inbox	Public demo submission page
Enable Name-Your-Price	Let fans pay what they want (requires Stripe cart)

Retail Tab

Distribution services and monetization settings.

Field	Description
Enable Shopping Cart	Turn one-sheets into shop pages with PayPal
YouTube Music Enabled	Distribute to YouTube Music
YouTube Monetization Enabled	Enable YouTube Content ID
SoundCloud Monetization Enabled	Enable SoundCloud monetization
ACRCloud Enabled	Audio fingerprinting service
Audible Magic Enabled	Audio fingerprinting service
Audible Magic Licensing Enabled	Licensing360 sync licensing
Beatport Enabled	Enable Beatport distribution (see below)
ISRC Base	Your ISRC registrant code (leave blank if unknown)

Caution

Enabling Beatport for the first time opens a setup modal where you select genres and provide label information. See Beatport Requirements for details.

Caution

Enabling a store in the Retail Tab makes it available for selection on new releases, but it does not automatically add that store to existing releases. To distribute existing releases to a newly-enabled store, you need to edit each release individually, add the store in the Outlets tab, and resubmit. See Distributing a Release for details on editing outlets.

Contact Tab

Email addresses for different departments.

Field	Description
Email Address	Primary email for receiving/sending
Promo ‘From’ Email	Sender address for promotional emails
Sales Email	Sales inquiries
Dropbox Email	Demo submission notifications
Accounting Email	Financial communications
Support Email	Support inquiries

Clips & Video Tab

Default settings for SoundCloud and YouTube uploads.

Field	Description
Default Clip Start	Where audio clips begin
Default Clip Length	Duration of clips (blank for full length)
Default Video Layout	Visual template for YouTube videos
Default Video Length	Duration for auto-generated videos

Note

These defaults can be overridden on individual releases when creating deliveries.

Copyright & Publishing Tab

Default copyright and publishing information.

Field	Required	Description
Publisher(s)	Yes	Publisher names with optional splits and territories
Copyright Owner(s)	Yes	Copyright owner names with optional splits
Copyright Name (C-Line)	Yes	Composition/lyrics copyright
Copyright Name (P-Line)	Yes	Sound recording copyright

Note

The edit form always uses the advanced publishing format with support for multiple entries and percentage splits.

More Tab

Additional settings and catalog configuration.

Field	Description
Catalog Number Prefix	Text prefix for catalog numbers (e.g., “TOOL”)
Catalog Number Format	Format string (e.g., “TOOL%1$03d” produces TOOL001)
Allow Previews Before Release Date	Show or hide unreleased content
Enable Automatic Distribution	Auto-distribute to new DSPs
AudibleMagic Licensing360	Enable sync licensing service
Default Master Split for Label	Default percentage for label royalty share (typically 50%)

Social Media Tab

Links to your label’s social media profiles.

Field	Format
Facebook URL	Full URL
Bandcamp URL	Full URL
X ID	Just the ID (not full URL)
Instagram URL	Full URL
SoundCloud URL	Full URL
Spotify URL	Full URL
Beatport URL	Full URL
YouTube URL	Full URL

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Copyright Lines (P-Line and C-Line)

Your label name appears in the copyright credits on every release:

P-Line (℗)

The P-line protects the sound recording (master recording).

Format: ℗ 2026 Your Label Name

This credits who owns or controls the recording itself.

C-Line (©)

The C-line protects the artwork and packaging.

Format: © 2026 Your Label Name

This credits who owns the visual/packaging elements.

How Copyright Lines Are Set

In LabelGrid, copyright information is typically:

• Auto-generated from your label name and release year
• Customizable if the recording/artwork owner differs from the label
• Required for all releases

Who Should Be Credited?

Scenario	P-Line	C-Line
You own everything	Your label	Your label
Licensed recording	Original label or as agreed	Your label (if you made artwork)
Compilation	Various or your label	Your label

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Multiple Labels and Imprints

Many organizations operate multiple label imprints:

Why Have Multiple Imprints?

• Genre separation - Different labels for different styles
• Artist branding - Vanity labels for specific artists
• Business structure - Separate entities for legal/accounting
• Acquired catalogs - Maintaining original label names

Managing Multiple Labels

1. Create separate label profiles for each imprint
2. Assign releases to the appropriate label
3. Keep branding consistent within each label
4. Use filtering to manage each catalog

Example Structure

Main Label (Horizon Records)
├── Horizon Records (main imprint - pop/rock)
├── Horizon Dance (electronic sub-label)
├── Horizon Classical (classical sub-label)
└── Artist Vanity Label (artist-specific imprint)

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Label Organization

Filtering by Label

Use label filters to:

• View all releases from a specific imprint
• Generate reports by label
• Manage catalog segments separately

Consistency Across Releases

• Use the exact same label profile for all related releases
• Don’t create duplicates (select existing labels)
• Update label information in one place

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Label Changes and Transfers

Changing Your Label Name

If you need to rename your label:

1. Update the label profile with the new name
2. Existing releases retain original copyright info
3. New releases use the updated name
4. Consider implications for brand recognition

Moving Releases to a Different Label

The label assigned to a release is permanent and cannot be changed after the release is created. This applies to all releases, whether in draft or already distributed.

If you need to move a distributed release to a different label, follow this process carefully to preserve your streaming history:

1. Create the new label if it does not exist yet (see Creating a Label)
2. Create a new release under the correct label — use the same ISRCs as the original release, but leave the UPC blank so a new one is generated (the old UPC is locked to the original release)
3. Distribute the new release first — because the ISRCs match, streaming platforms will link the new release to the existing content, preserving play counts, playlist placements, and artist profile access
4. After the new release is live on DSPs, take down the old release under the original label

Caution

The order matters — distribute the new release before taking down the old one. This avoids any gap in availability on streaming platforms. The full process typically takes a few business days for DSP processing. Contact support if you need help coordinating the timing.

Tip

To avoid this situation, always verify that the correct label is selected before saving a new release. The label selection is shown in the General tab of the release form.

Acquiring a Label/Catalog

When acquiring another label’s catalog:

1. Create a label profile for the acquired imprint
2. Import releases under that label
3. Maintain original copyright information
4. Or re-brand as your label if legally permitted

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Label Settings and Defaults

Some label features may include:

Default Settings

Setting	Purpose
Default territories	Pre-select distribution regions
Default outlets	Pre-select streaming platforms
Default pricing	Set standard pricing tier

Applying Defaults

When creating releases:

• Select the label first
• Default settings auto-populate
• Override as needed for specific releases

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Best Practices

1. Create labels before releases - Set up your label profile first
2. Be consistent - Use the same label for related releases
3. Complete your profile - Add logo, description, and contact info
4. Plan your structure - Decide on imprints before releasing
5. Keep it simple - Don’t create more labels than necessary
6. Update carefully - Label changes affect copyright credits

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Troubleshooting

Label doesn’t appear in dropdown

1. Verify the label was saved successfully
2. Refresh the page
3. Check for typos in your search
4. Ensure you have permission to access the label

Wrong label on a release

The label on a release cannot be changed after creation. If the release has been distributed, you can migrate it without losing streaming history:

1. Create a new release under the correct label using the same ISRCs but a new UPC
2. Distribute the new release first — DSPs will link it to the existing content via the matching ISRCs
3. Take down the old release after the new one is live

See Moving Releases to a Different Label for the full process, or contact support for help.

Duplicate labels exist

1. Choose one label as the primary
2. Update releases to use the primary label
3. Archive or delete the duplicate
4. Be careful with labels that have releases

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Related Guides

• Creating a Label - Step-by-step wizard guide
• Creating a Release - How labels are used in releases
• Managing Artists - Artist management alongside labels
• Beatport Requirements - Enabling Beatport distribution
• Metadata Style Guide - Naming and formatting standards

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Need Help?

If you have questions about label setup or copyright information, contact our support team.