When the folks in Spirit Family Reunion raise their voices in song, they deliver an inspiring message. Their mostly acoustic approach combines elements of rock with hints of bluegrass and country music. They have a feel that approaches the fervent emotions of gospel music, but their messages stay grounded in the secular world. Banjo player Maggie Carson will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on the band
Carson: Let’s take a moment to appreciate and encourage all the independent bands working so hard out there.
There are so many great unsigned musicians working their butts off to get their music directly from their hearts to your ears, many by necessity and some by choice. Even the term “unsigned” has a negative connotation to it. We need a “pro-life”/“pro-choice” term for musicians who release their music independent of labels. We put out our first full album, No Separation, a couple of years ago on our own, no record label. It wasn’t a choice, it was just what it was. Now after playing 300-something shows and bringing our music to so many more people than we ever expected, we are extremely proud to be self-releasing our newest record, Hands Together.
This isn’t intended to shame musicians who sign to labels. There are many brave and talented musicians who worked hard for years on their own before having the opportunity to work under a label. Signing with a record company might help you take steps toward wherever you want to go, because labels have connections and marketing money that can provide a musician with useful exposure. Of course it is also completely possible today for musicians to get good exposure without a record company. Lets push for more of that, more good exposure for good self-released music.
Signing a big record deal often seems like the apex to the career you’ve been working for. But its important to refocus and realize that the most important peak is your creative one, and you absolutely can get there with or without a record label.
