SHR4C007R~002 24102238

by

Woody Lander 24102238

Abgal Records (named after the pre-Islamic Arabian god worshipped by nomads (from Bahai Studies)) is a record label focussed on shining a light on the curious world of outsider music. Outsider music is a hard genre to define, but MUSE Magazine (2019) outlines that ‘it consists of unconventional rhythms, nonsensical lyrics, off-key singing, and shoddy instrumentation’, with the majority of the appeal coming from ‘the earnestness of the people who make it.’

 As a sole trader I will handle the recording and distribution of this music, allowing musicians that perhaps wouldn’t be able to release music (due to it being considered too ‘abstract’ or ‘out-there’ by major record labels) to do so, and garner a fan base. The recordings will be done in a field recording style, with minimal production and at most 2 mics, in order to not distort the artist’s vision.

People of all ages and tastes may be interested in the music on this label, but in order to effectively promote, the target market for this music will be people aged 16-25, who already have an interest in alternative music. People who would be inclined to purchase records or CDs from artists on this label will most likely spend an above average time online, on websites like Reddit and YouTube, where outsider music is most frequently discussed and recommended. These people will likely be into artists such as Daniel Johnston and The Shaggs already, perhaps hearing of them through Kurt Cobain or Frank Zappa, who both cited The Shaggs as being in their favourite bands, with Rolling Stone claiming that ‘Zappa said that they were better than The Beatles (K. Grow [2016]).

Market Research

There are not many labels that specialise in outsider music. Daniel Johnston (perhaps the most well known outsider musician) self-released his music for the first portion of his career, but his first record label, Stress Records, haven’t released anything since 2011 (Discogs 2025). Thus, the genre is in and of itself a unique selling point for my label. The allure created by the music being like nothing else in the mainstream or even the alternative scene will drive people to my label, and they will want to buy physical copies on CDs or Vinyls. This is due to the feeling of exclusivity in physically owning something very rare and incredibly unique. There is a huge gap in the market for outsider musicians, as no one is promoting them at all. 

An example of a current musician who could be considered an outsider musician is Ottilie Wallace. She is 14 and self-produced and self-released a pop/punk/rock/singer-songwriter album in 2024 (ottiliewallace.com n.d.). Whilst she is classically trained on violin, and has won many awards such as Young Composer of the Year, her album features her playing piano, guitar and singing. These are done in unconventional styles, and sometimes don’t stay in time or key, but this adds to the rawness and authenticity of the music. You can tell that she is very passionate about the music she is making. She has managed to garner 51000 followers on instagram with no label backing, but this is where Abgal Records could step in, releasing her music and helping promote her. I’m sure there are many other musicians just like Wallace out there with less of a fanbase, and my label would aid in helping them reach more people, as well as selling their music physically. 

Marketing Strategy

My marketing strategy will be mainly online, on sites like Instagram and YouTube. On YouTube, I will approach content creators in the music review sphere, and ask them to review the latest releases by artists on my label. I would ask channels like Anthony Fantano, Alfo Media and Polyphonic, all of whom have expressed interest in outsider music before. As the label grows, it may be in a position to sponsor creators to review albums, which would help to cement the idea of the label itself being a brand. On Instagram, I will do interviews with artists on the label, and post videos of them performing. The nature of most outsider music is so different that it will grab people’s attention that are scrolling through Reels, and want to make them dig deeper into the artists. The label itself will also have a YouTube channel, where long form interviews will be posted, as well as content without the artists in, for example me doing music reviews and other music related content. This will continue to help establish the label as a brand that consumers will be loyal to and follow, as well as the artists on the label. I could also release my own music on my label so it at least has some credibility before looking for other artists, who may be hesitant if they see a label has yet to release anything.

At the start, the business won’t be able to release physical copies, but the revenue generated from, Spotify, YouTube and crowdfunding should be enough to press a limited amount of copies as a test. This can then scale as we get more artists, producing more music, drawing more customers to the label and generating a higher demand for physical releases.

See appendix 3-4 for a logo and rough website design that I will use to promote Abgal.

Costs

The fixed costs will include overheads for the ‘studio’ where I intend to record artists and also paying distributors to upload to digital stores such as Spotify. All other costs will be variable, coming with releasing music and promoting artists. The startup costs may be high, as I will need to spend money on promoting the label itself to initially attract artists to the label, as well as purchasing a premises to record artists. One plan could be, depending on the cost of rent for a space suitable, to record in the artist’s home. This would be in keeping with the theme of the label, being intentionally minimal on production value. However, I will use a studio to calculate costs.

The average price of a small recording studio is between £25 and £50 per hour (Arcus Sounds 2025). With the minimal setup of the artists my label intends to record, we can assume this to be £30. In keeping with the spirit of the music, the vast majority of recordings will be done in one take, as it is hard to define what constitutes a ‘mistake’ and what is simply a quirk of the music. We could then say the average album length to be 10 songs, of 3-4 minutes in length, totalling 35 minutes per project (on average). This could be comfortably done in an hour at a recording studio, but we will account for setbacks and say 2 hours. This means it would cost £60 per album recording. To promote on instagram, which will be the main site to start with, the cost per click averages a maximum of 50p (A. Defazio 2025). 1000 clicks would be too much for a first release, so I would start with 200, coming in at £100. Additionally, a distributor like Distrokid, which I would likely use when starting out to get music on streaming, charges £90 a year for unlimited artists and music (Distrokid 2025). This means I would have a total startup cost of £90, with the cost for a first release being £160, coming to £250 for setup, release and promotion. This would have to come from personal finance (which would be simple given as a sole trader me and the business share funds), perhaps with a crowdfund or help from friends and family. This could easily be made back by playing gigs myself, which would also be a major form of promotion. Posts on social media such as YouTube would still be free, costing time rather than money. Musicians Union (2025) says £162 is the minimum for gigs under 3 hours. From my experience, this is a lot more than artists actually receive; I would put the figure around £100. This means that an artist would need to perform 2 gigs to turn a profit. See appendix 2 for the financial forecast for 2 months, which includes additional promotion and a hypothetical future recording.

Development

There is lots of room for development as the label grows. For example, I can start hiring employees to handle promotion and recording for specific artists. I could also purchase or rent a building to record in, as some artists may not have room in their houses for a recording set up, minimal as mine would be. As the brand recognition and loyalty increases, I could start selling merchandise, make compilations and increase focus on the YouTube channel. One big goal for this label is to be able to release music by musicians who have passed away. I would like the label to become established so that it will be trusted by the owners of unreleased material from artists such as Daniel Johnston, Bingo Gazingo and Wesley Willis.

Group Work

In my group, everyone was doing an EPK, so I struggled to get feedback on my ideas for my business plan. However, one label that I was recommended to look into was Speedy Wunderground. I took a lot of inspiration from them for my marketing strategy. They have a ‘Single Series’ where they record and mix a single in 2 days, then press 500 copies on vinyl, and once they are sold out they don’t restock. This creates a brand, where consumers follow the label to see who will have the next single, and also encourages people to buy physical copies, as once they’re gone, they’re gone.

One of the ideas my group did come up with was a plan to put on shows for artists on the label in unusual places, which would fit the outsider vibe. Some places suggested included abandoned buildings, canal barges and even public toilets, which would be hard to get the rights for, but would be incredible promotion for the artist and the label. I decided this would be something to look into later on in the business’s lifetime, when it is more established and notable. These could be filmed in a style akin to NPRs Tiny Desk Concerts (See Appendix 1). One idea expanding on this was brought up in group work: hide the mics and other technology so as not to break the ‘immersion’ for people watching online. 

My group also mentioned that there was a scene for experimental and avant-garde music, and that reminded me of a band I saw in early 2025 called Ultimate Thunder. They are an experimental-psych-jam band whose members all have learning disabilities. This helps to make their music sound utterly unique, and, as I saw them play in Millennium Square, a large outdoor space/venue, I am confident that there is a scene for artists like Ultimate Thunder who wouldn’t be classed as having ‘mainstream appeal’ but would still be loved by people.

As a first year, I don’t have too much insight into the music industry, and especially not the business of setting up and maintaining a record label. As such, I am aware that my business plan is a drastic oversimplification of what it would be like to run a label. I would use this as an outline of a plan, and fill in the details by talking with industry professionals, and I suspect there may be a lot of experimentation with finding strategies that work to effectively promote and attract artists. I chose to pursue this business as I feel very passionately about the need for outsider music to be shared and appreciated, and also feel that no one else is doing that at the moment, or at least not noticeably. Hopefully, I can use this plan in the future as a framework for a thriving business, improving on my marketing strategy as well as overall brand aesthetic.

Bibliography

Appendices

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OvWFurOBk8 (NPR 2012)