Dance Music Record Labels Do It Differently

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This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari is joined by Deron Delgado, Label Manager at DIRTYBIRD, and Sam Sciarra, the Head of A&R and Brand Director for Higher Ground.

With over 20 years of experience in the Digital Music & Media environment in an entrepreneurial role, Deron Delgado has amassed an all-encompassing knowledge of music label management, digital distribution, licensing, artist development, event production, publishing, and music marketing strategies.

In 2015, his proven expertise landed him the role of Label Manager at DIRTYBIRD, where he led the imprint to earn Mixmag's "Label of the Decade”. Managing all the day-to-day responsibilities of the esteemed label and publishing company, Deron executes the vision of the musical trendsetter, as well as the Talent Buyer for Dirtybird’s in-house events and festivals, including Dirtybird Campout, CampINN, Dirtybird BBQ Tour, and more. In October 2022, EMPIRE, the leading independent label, distributor and publisher, announced the acquisition of the iconic dance record label, with Deron taking on an even larger leadership role.

Sam Sciarra is Head of A&R and Brand Director for Higher Ground, Diplo’s multifaceted house-focused imprint formed in 2019. Transcending a singular sound or subgenre, Sam and his team have developed Higher Ground into a diverse platform championing everything from deep/melodic house to tech house, lo-fi to Afro-infused house, and everything in between. With 3 Grammy nominations, multiple US dance radio #1s, Billboard, Beatport and Official Charts-topping singles, and over 100 impactful releases from the likes of Diplo, Paul Woolford, DJ Tennis, Damian Lazarus, JADED, Carlita, Andhim, Purple Disco Machine, Aluna, TSHA, Azzecca, and many more, Higher Ground has established itself as a tour de force in dance recordings.

Prior to his work for Diplo / Higher Ground, Sam held a role on the A&R team at Universal Music Publishing Group, and spent time working in the music department at WME and at the electronic music focused magazine XLR8R. He also throws underground parties in Los Angeles and is an avid record collector and digger.

00:00:00 - Welcome
00:05:31 - Intros
00:11:28 - The ethos of dance labels and thinking label-focused vs. artist-focused
00:19:20 - The business model behind dance labels and progression of DJ technology
00:29:52 - Streaming royalties from DJ performances
00:36:55 - Dance labels sometimes just represent singles, not entire artists
00:45:40 - What do dance labels look for in an artist/producer?
00:55:40 - Creative ways for artists to break out in the EDM world

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Connect with Deron Delgado

Website: https://dirtybirdrecords.com/
Instagram:   / dirtybirdrecords  
X:   / dirtybird  
TikTok:   / dirtybird  
LinkedIn:   / deron-delgado-0189018  

Connect with Sam Sciarra
Instagram:   / thehigherground  
TikTok:   / the_higherground  
LinkedIn:   / sam-sciarra-0958566b  

Edited and mixed by Mikey Evans
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take