Independent labels are starting to build their own operating software, citing recurring subscription costs and a lack of control over their data. Redemption Road Music Group in Abilene, Texas, has developed SoundScape Pilot, a self-hosted tool that its chairman, Ray Flanary, says reflects a wider shift among small labels.
Why subscriptions became a cost problem
Flanary describes a typical small-label setup as a collection of separate paid tools: one for radio tracking, one for booking contacts, one for PR lists, and a customer relationship management (CRM) system for relationships. Royalty accounting often sits in a spreadsheet because, he says, no SaaS (software as a service) product handles the math involved.
Each of those subscriptions bills per month and per seat, and they are designed for generic companies rather than labels. Flanary gives examples of what his label needs to know: which Texas stations play its albums on Tuesday nights, and which venues seat 200 people and have a green room.
By his calculation, five tools used by three people over twelve months amount to a payroll-sized expense. He also points to a data risk: when a subscription ends, the stored station contacts, venue histories and booking records may be hard to export or lost.
Flanary says artificial intelligence (AI) has lowered the cost of building software, so that a small team can now produce tools that once required a funded startup. In his words, the question changed from whether the label can afford to build to whether it can afford not to.
What SoundScape Pilot does
SoundScape Pilot runs on the label’s own computer and keeps data on the owner’s machine. It has four working "autopilots":
- One matches artists to real radio stations and drafts outreach.
- One finds venues by state and capacity, including the church circuit in Texas, and handles EPKs (electronic press kits) and follow-ups.
- One works media outlets for PR.
- One builds routed tours.
Underlying engines cover catalog, sync licensing, distribution and royalty accounting. There is no per-seat fee. Pricing is a one-time fee that can be split into monthly payment plans.
Flanary says the software automates research, matching, drafting and follow-up tracking, but not relationships. Calls to radio program directors and venue meetings remain with people. "The tool drafts; the human decides," he said.
Testing and current status
On October 20, the system was independently tested, with all 102 API (application programming interface) routes checked. Flanary says problems found in the sweep were fixed publicly.
The product is pre-launch, with zero revenue and zero users, according to Flanary.
He argues that labels spent a decade renting operations from the cloud and that those with the capacity are now bringing them in-house. "Own your masters. Own your data," he said.
