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Well, the music you and everyone hear is only as a result of labels and what they do. Traditionally, a label is supposed to pick out what would consider "artists to watch." Whether two months or two years pass, they are supposed to make sure that artist gets better and better until the artist can put out consistent hits, which would be a good investment on their part. The electronic dance music labels are a little less hands-on than rock or pop or rap labels, where they are trying to sculpt an image around the artist (EDM scene just wants them to come up with something catchy or bound for hit-ness).... The first labels to sign Deadmau5 (when he wasn't famous) did a good job at this. Flashover and its relationship to Breakfast did a good job at this as well. They took relatively unknown artists, and saw something in them that would lead to big tunes in the future. That is the model of what a good label does. Armada does this to a good extent too, however, I think it's way too big to foster a consistent relationship with the artists that my previous example of Flashover does. For example, there's a million smaller producers on Armada and its sublabels, whereas Flashover has maybe a dozen or so. However, thanks for Flashover and their consistent relationship with the artists, a 19 year old from Maryland, Breakfast, is getting gigs with Ferry Corsten, as well as without Ferry Corsten, on his own avail. Armada puts out a huge array of tunes from smaller producers, some of these tunes become "hits", but at the end of the day, I don't think they "follow through" with these artists like Flashover does, what's called "artist development."
Anyway, unfortunately, I think the idea of the record label has gone down the tubes in recent years. With digital downloading and less vinyl pressing, "starting a label" takes a few easy steps nowadays. Some people begin labels for the right reasons. Not just because I'm affiliated with them, but Quarterlife Records here in NYC said straight from the beginning, they're giving light to cutting edge music from this great city and that's their manifesto. However, for every record label that knows what they're doing and has a good plan of attack, there's 50 failed labels with no idea how a label is run.
Unknown DJs are now "starting labels" to put their own stuff out, and it must be asked: "Are they starting a label because other labels won't sign their stuff?" Sometimes this is the case, and as you sort through some of the crap on Beatport, you'll see what I mean. Bumblefuck Records (doesn't exist, just saying) has 230 releases, all by DJ Bumblefuck. Nobody buys them, but it gives DJ Bumblefuck a sense of pride and increased ego knowing that all his music is on Beatport. If Cosmic Gate decides to start a label, pay attention, and look out for what artists they get involved, it could be interesting. If DJ Go-Fuck-Yaself, a Piney from South Jersey, announces a million bulletins on Myspace that he's starting a label, look the other way. Unfortunately, the whole "everyone thinks they're a DJ" thing has boiled over into "everyone thinks they can 'start' a label."
Enough of my rant though, but I hope the first half of my post informs you what labels are supposed to do. And as for Santana, one of my favorites too, if it weren't for a label, we'd never have heard of him!
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