Domino Records - Independent

 Domino Records Independent - case study

The Domino Recording company was created in Putney, London by Laurence Bell and Jaqui Rice in 1993. This is an independent company rather than a conglomerate like the Walt Disney Company meaning that it is self-controlled and owned by no other companies. They specialise in recording and producing music and have stuck to the same ethos for over 25 years and have signed artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Pavement who have become famous worldwide. 

As they are an independent company, this means that they can take more risky choices and take on smaller artists that might not necessarily be successful. Domino Records own many recording studios along with the recording right to Artic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and Pavement along with many other artists. Domino Records is now a worldwide company with bases in France and New York and while it's main division is recording and publishing music, they also distribute merchandise and concert tickets to further promote the artists on their label. 

For smaller artists, two subsidiary labels called double six and geographic are used in order to gain further exposure and to make sure that smaller artists are under an appropriate label. Furthermore, money gained from their bigger artists can be used to fund smaller ones and continue the label. Domino records have worked on a joint venture with an American music company - Ribbon. Domino records therefore shares it's recording and producing label with Ribbon in order to reach more people. Domino Records chooses to distribute their own products via their own website meaning vertical intregation is used and no external companies are involved - this is done through the 'mart' section on their website www.dominomusic.com. 

This allows for people to buy CDs and LPs along with merchandise such as clothing directly from the website to contribute directly to the artist. There is also a 'pre-order' option on the website to encourage people to buy more music and get a bigger hype for new releases. Concert and event tickets involving people signed to Domino Records can also be bought directly from the website for a cheaper price therefore encouraging people to try smaller artists and further allowing their work to be distributed. The label is advertised by people buying from the website due to the recognisable logo and branding. They also advertise by displaying social media links and youtube videos on artist pages and the bottom of their website to encourage people to view other areas of the label. 

Domino Records Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0FsVA-KvYI&feature=youtu.be