Record Store Day: Life on the Edge of Independent Music Labels

In the face of the power of “majors” and streaming platforms, independent labels are an essential link in music creation. But the economy of “indies” remains mostly precarious.

Ground Zero has it all. Rock, pop, funk, or afrobeat, the record store in Paris and Montpellier is diverse. In the crates, the latest Taylor Swift rubs shoulders with productions from confidential independent labels. “We need both, we wouldn’t survive if we were 100% indie,” explains Alban, the seller at the Paris store, to franceinfo Culture. “It’s tougher for small labels these days.” Apparently, the increase in vinyl sales, up 15% in 2025, doesn’t benefit everyone.

“It’s unfairly distributed,” confirms Franck Pompidor, founder and manager of Ground Zero. “The top sellers boost the numbers. And most of the time, they are artists from majors.” The majors: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group. The trinity of the music industry now dominates around 70% of the market. A total domination, not only over new releases. Most recordings before the 1990s belong to them. “The classics, the old hits, also make up a good portion of sales since the vinyl comeback. That doesn’t serve the indies well either,” concludes Franck Pompidor. So, what is the economy of independent labels like? We investigated on the occasion of one of the big record celebration days, Record Store Day, on April 18.

“Poor Jean-Baptiste Guillot?” “No, he’s right,” says Céline Lepage, general secretary of the Independent Labels and Distributors Federation (FILIN). “A pure phonographic production label like his, built on a distribution network established over 20 years, won’t exist anymore.” But she assures that a new model is taking over. More diffuse, more diversified, it offers artists comprehensive support, from editing to managing followers and networks, essential for gaining visibility on platforms. “It’s something between a label, a record producer, and an artist’s agent,” describes Céline Lepage.

For example, Baco Records, a discreet success story in the French music industry. An “artist label” built around Danakil. In 2011, the flagship French reggae group, not big fans of majors, decided to manage their albums themselves. “We quickly realized that an album would bring us twice as much if we were also the distributor,” recounts Mathieu Dassieu, saxophonist of the group and now head of the label.

Baco Records, a SME today with 32 employees, 4 sites in France, and prestigious names like Clinton Fearon or Groundation. Along the way, the label diversified into other genres besides reggae. After 20 years of fierce self-production, the seasoned French rap veteran Yoshi was convinced. “I weighed the pros and cons,” explains the artist. “All the formalities take time away from artistic creation. Now Baco takes care of everything, and they have means that I don’t have to manage my image.”

Goodbye independence then? “It’s not a major,” replies Yoshi. “I listen to their advice, but they allow me to make my artistic choices freely. Of course, they take a percentage, but it’s better to have a small slice of the cake than no cake at all!”

Depending on the artists, coproduction, licensing, or contracts covering all expenses from A to Z, the label receives 30 to 80% of the generated revenues. But the model remains fragile. “We are extremely dependent on tax credits, subsidies, all forms of creative aid,” acknowledges Mathieu Dassieu. “It’s what guarantees a sustainable model for many independent labels. But if the 2027 elections go wrong, given the programs and budget cuts announced, it could be disastrous.”

This is why Cracki Records, another emblematic independent on the French scene, chose a different path. Parties, festivals, release parties for every album release: the label focuses on events, the starting point of its two founders.

“The grants should be seen as a bonus, but preferably not relied upon. We started by organizing events in factories 15 years ago,” Donatien Cras de Belleval recounts. “It was successful, and so we were able to fund the label we dreamed of. The idea was really to move away from the typical French label, where we only do garage punk or electro.”

Cracki Records’ catalog now includes over 100 references, from house to pop, techno, or disco. But events remain one of the pillars of its economic model. In early March 2026, the label opened PRINT: an office building rented for three months before its renovation. The offerings included gastronomy, bar, exhibitions, bookstore, and of course concerts.

“It’s necessary to experiment, reinvent constantly, because everything evolves very quickly. Just 15 years ago, there were no CDs anymore, vinyl hadn’t returned yet, and music was downloaded illegally! But we held on and managed to make a living, which is already quite something!”

Indeed, not everyone is in the same boat. For many of the 1,500 independent music producers in France, whether labels or self-produced artists, precariousness remains the norm. “I manage to pay myself… from time to time,” testifies Thomas Persuy, head of the label 18heures48, which navigates between demanding electro, pop, and songwriting. “In 2024, not a penny of income, I lived off social welfare. Things are better now.” Tomasso, he says, is just finding enough gigs for his artists so they can make a living from music.

Even if it’s not just about them… “My personal project doesn’t bring in anything at the moment,” says ZAYKA, one of the label’s artists. “I’m forced to do a lot of intermittent work, it’s complicated. The label manages everything else, from mixing to distribution. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have time to create my own music. And that’s exactly what drives the boss of 18heures48 to continue. “I have no talent, but I’m in the front row!” smiles Thomas Persuy. “Seeing an artist’s project evolve from the first draft to the final record is a huge privilege. I’ll continue for as long as I can.”