metalabel

https://metalabel.xyz/r01/introducing-metalabel

Metalabels are groups of people working under a common identity for a common purpose with a focus on releases — distinct public works that reflect and manifest their views. Metalabels are like indie record labels, except for any kind of cultural project: from art to activism to community projects to efforts to establish new points of view.

• unites scenius and a scenes

Elements of a Metalabel

1. A purpose. At the center of every metalabel is a purpose they serve and a point of view they wish to communicate. Metalabels exist to document, represent, or promote a perspective, aesthetic, region, idea, or goal.
2. A principle (or group of principles) curating the output. Metalabels communicate and reinforce a larger idea with each release they put out. Decisions about what to release and what not to release define the label’s voice and impact.
3. Releases. Metalabels put culture into the world incrementally through distinct releases. Each metalabel release stands on its own while adding to a larger world built by the label’s work. Releases come from a variety of people in a variety of forms.
4. Information architecture. Establishing context through information architecture is a key metalabel function as it helps clue the audience into the larger story. This is already a norm in fashion and Web3 where “seasons,” “releases,” and numbered editions are understood language that puts cultural projects into context.
5. A scene it participates in. Metalabels are at their best when they document, represent, or are in dialogue with a community or scene. In some cases the label may end up creating a scene, inspiring others to explore adjacent territory.
6. Funding. Without funding, any metalabel is limited in its output. Traditional labels use sales from past projects to fund new ones or they tap into someone’s personal wealth. Metalabels can adopt these models, they can be resourced by peers pooling funds and skills, they can be structured as nonprofits and cooperatives, they can do all of the above. In the world of Web3 the sources of funding are evolving, with tokenization as one new path.