Leadership

Michael Hamilton, Ed.D.

Interim Director

A Note from the Director

I’m excited to share some of the things we’re building here at Label 22. As I continue serving as Interim Director, I’ve been focused on a few areas of growth that I believe are essential to our mission and to the long-term success of veteran artists.

Increase the number of singles we can record and release for veterans.
Build an engaged audience that listens to, follows, and supports veteran artists.
Strengthen our internal systems and partnerships so we can consistently reach veterans and provide meaningful services that help them build sustainable music careers.

My background as a former military officer, career educator, and music producer has naturally shaped how I approach this work. My emphasis is on building efficient systems, increasing our organizational capacity, creating meaningful opportunities, and—of course—putting quality music into the hands of veterans who are ready to do something with it.

Redefining What a Record Label Can Be

One thing I’ve learned quickly is that a nonprofit record label is a unique animal. To be successful, Label 22 really has to be a “record label, redefined.”

That presents an interesting challenge—and one I believe is absolutely worth taking on.

A traditional record label is generally built around the success of its roster and the financial return generated by those artists. A nonprofit label has a different responsibility. Our mission is bigger than any individual artist or project.

Label 22 exists to elevate veteran voices, create opportunities for veteran musicians, and build an audience that recognizes the talent within the broader veteran music community.

Our artists are an important part of that mission. When one of our artists succeeds, it helps demonstrate what is possible. When we build an audience for one veteran artist, we have an opportunity to introduce that audience to another. In that sense, we’re not simply building a roster—we’re building an ecosystem.

What That Means for Artists

It’s important for anyone interested in working with Label 22 to understand how our model is different from a traditional major-label relationship.

We provide label services based on our available resources, sponsorships, and organizational capacity. We do not have the resources to operate like a major label that can simply write large checks whenever a project needs funding. Instead, we have to be strategic, collaborative, and organic in how we create opportunities.

That can actually be one of our greatest strengths.

Rather than building a model around debt and recoupment, we want to help artists create opportunities without sacrificing ownership of their work.

Depending on the project and available resources, Label 22 can:

Provide recording and production opportunities at nonprofit-supported or boutique rates.
Help artists identify sponsorship and fundraising opportunities for larger projects.
Connect artists with established producers, musicians, studios, and other industry professionals; however, these professionals are not necessarily on our staff so they provide services according to their own service rates.
Assist with music releases and develop strategies for building a listening audience.
Provide guidance on touring, booking, social media, and other aspects of developing an independent music career; however, we don’t offer these services in-house.
Provide early-stage management support when appropriate, while encouraging artists to ultimately build relationships with professional managers who can grow with them.

Just as importantly, we want our artists to develop the skills and relationships to eventually operate successfully beyond Label 22.

Ownership Matters

Our artist agreements are designed with the artist in mind.

Projects supported by Label 22 allow artists to retain ownership of their work. Under our 90/10 structure, artists retain 90% of the revenue generated by projects we support, while 10% returns to Label 22 to help fund future programming and opportunities for other veteran artists.

There is no recoupment strategy waiting around the corner.

When Label 22 invests resources into a project, our goal isn't to recover a large investment from an artist before they can benefit from their own work. Our goal is to use our resources to create opportunities, help the artist build momentum, and then use the success of that project to help us serve the next veteran.

That distinction is fundamental to who we are.

The Launchpad

If we are successful in what we’re building, I envision a nonprofit record label for veterans that can do two things exceptionally well:

Give a veteran a quality single—and give that single an audience.

But the ultimate goal is bigger than releasing music.

We want veterans to leave Label 22 with music they are proud of, a growing audience, stronger industry relationships, and the knowledge to continue building their careers.

We are the launchpad, not the landing pad.

Our hope is that some artists will move on to bigger and better opportunities. Others may discover how to successfully operate as independent musicians. Some may continue working with us in new ways as their careers develop.

All of those outcomes represent success.

Because ultimately, Label 22 isn't measuring its success by how long an artist stays on our roster. We're measuring it by how many veteran artists we can help move forward.

A Final Note

I love the work I’m doing here. I’m still a veteran, an educator at heart, and a producer who is passionate about making great music. Those parts of who I am are a big part of why this mission matters so much to me.

I also want to be transparent about my role. I’m serving as a volunteer in this position, and the majority of the work I’m doing for Label 22 is uncompensated. Where appropriate, I can make reasonable allowances for the use of my studio for tracking, mixing, and mastering, but my primary goal is to make the resources we do have go as far as possible for the artists and the mission.

I’m doing my best to serve Label 22, our artists, and the broader veteran music community with the time and resources available to me. I know I won’t get everything right, and I’m sure there will be places where I miss the mark. But I care deeply about what we’re building, and I’m committed to continuing to learn, improve, and move the organization forward.

Michael Hamilton, Ed.D.
Interim Director, Label 22 Records