Start a record label in one borrowed room in 1950. Keep it alive until the end of the 2010s.
THE TALENT — Every Friday at Woolsey’s, anyone with a song and the nerve gets a shot. Your scouts find them. You decide who’s worth the ink.
THE TERMS — Bonus, royalty, how many records they owe you. Lowball them and they’ll sign reluctantly, or walk.
THE SESSIONS — Writing, recording, producing. You call every one.
THE PRESS — Six papers, six critics, six ideas of a good record. Learn their tastes or learn the hard way.
THE STUDIO — A borrowed piano today. Ribbon mics and a mixing desk tomorrow, if the money holds.
THE COMPETITION — Rival labels want the same acts and the same top spot. The chart says who's winning, every week.
THE YEARS — Sixty of them. The sound keeps changing. Keep up.
Scout a growing list of venues, each with its own genres and crowd
Negotiate contracts against what each artist actually wants
Record in three phases, finding what each artist does best
Release to six publications with distinct tastes and voices
Hire scouts and producers with their own strengths
Upgrade your studio with era-appropriate gear and permanent choices
Compete with rival labels for talent and chart positions (DELETE IF NOT IN BUILD)
Ride genre popularity as it rises and falls across seven decades