How and Why Foster Lancaster Founded Covenant Records

     

[Ferndale, MI]: CovenantRecords.US is a record label established by Foster Lancaster, a talented musician and vocalist, who has released several well-received albums with the label. CovenantRecords.US began as Covenant Records when Foster was publishing his first EP, Alive and Well, on iTunes. The singer has also recently released albums such as Intimacy and Dreamy with the record label and hopes to attract authentic new talent to sign on.

Any music artist who has a passion for the craft and wants to share something unique     with their audience is always hesitant to sign with a record label. They worry whether their creative expression would be stifled or if signing a deal would even guarantee success and public attention.

In 2020, independent record labels accounted for 31.4% of the world’s physical and streaming music sales revenue, and this percentage is only expected to increase in the upcoming years. Many music artists are prioritizing releasing genuine music over signing with record labels for albums or songs they have little creative control over.

Foster Lancaster had the same worries about creative expression and authenticity when he was starting out as a musician. He learned that record labels don’t have to concentrate solely on making profits to be successful but also on the talent of the music artist and what they want to share with the world. Therefore, he created his own record label that focused on artists’ originality rather than appealing to massive audiences. CovenantRecords.US is a one-of-a-kind record label that aims to highlight artists’ individuality and bona fide expression through music.

How It Started

CovenantRecords.US was originally called Covenant Records. It was started by Foster Lancaster as he was putting his first EP, Alive and Well, on iTunes with the online distributor, TuneCore. Since the platform requested him to add the name of the record label that had produced the EP, he wrote the name “Covenant Records”. Foster shares that the word “covenant” in the name “CovenantRecords.US” relates to a deal with God about survival that he made when he was starting out in the industry.

Foster believes that record deals involve luck more than hard work and dedication. Even though he has never been a staunch opposer of signing record deals, he understands that when artists sign with a traditional record label, they sign away their creative freedom and more with it.

Artists who opt for record deals often don’t get the chance to experiment with new music and sounds and are encouraged to pursue what’s trendy at the time. Only when a singer or musician explores different genres, instruments, and music can they discover their artistic voice and how they want to present their music to their fans.

CovenantRecords.US officially kicked off  in 2014 as Foster wanted to start a record label that supported and celebrated  the true identity and sound of musicians. In the beginning, he had no prior experience but was eager to learn about the inner workings of the industry and music production. Even without any formal partnerships or direct guidance, Foster received great business insights over time from indirect mentoring that helped him build and grow CovenantRecords.US.

Challenges Along the Way

Talking about the early challenges he faced with creating a new record label, Foster states that making a record label is easy, but making a record label successful is challenging. Similar to the complex artistic aspects of music production, the business side is just as tricky to handle, especially when one’s a beginner in the field.

However, he is proud of where CovenantRecords.US is today and believes the biggest hurdle  was doing everything on his own. Even though the journey was difficult and consisted of much trial and error, Foster has now become more familiar with the music production process. He understands how the scope of each project is broader than just the contribution of the music artist.

What the Future Holds

CovenantRecords.US is open to signing and collaborating with artists. With many ideas and several years of experience in music production, Foster believes that new artists can share their music with the world through the label and take it to new heights. CovenantRecords.US isn’t limited to a specific niche (music genres such as pop music) or particular demographics but is looking to sign unique artists who believe in their talents and create original music. Nevertheless, Foster also considers CovenantRecords.US as a business that needs to grow. He is interested in signing exceptional online talent and adopting prevalent trends to take it forward.

Advice for New Artists

Launching a new record label is not something Foster would recommend to an up-and-coming artist if they don’t have the budget, connections, or skills for it. It takes time and tremendous effort to build a label successfully and release new and exciting projects. One must have the right connections with notable people in the industry who can guide and mentor you through the process.

It is best for young artists to consider developing their stand-alone projects and working to make them successful before signing a record deal. Creative experimentation and self-exploration can help artists assess where they stand and how they can improve their music for their fans. Garnering a small yet passionate fanbase is much more fulfilling than catering to a large yet indifferent audience.

It is important to remember that even major record labels have unsuccessful artists, and signing a deal does not guarantee fame and success. Once an artist has built confidence as a musician or singer and discovered a path they want to explore, they can approach a record label and share how their music can connect with the public.

While sharing more details about CovenantRecords.US and what kind of plans Foster has for the record label, he said, "A part of me wants to sign artists that can take my message into areas I can't go. I want female role models, older acts, younger acts, other cultures, and, of course, surprising original talent that offers something different than my ideas. I think I have a proven track record of consensus taste that I just can't share creatively from a distance and without seeing what's going on with artists individually. I'd love for CovenantRecords.US to become a label imprint for Sony, UMG, etc., but I might be getting ahead of myself."          

CovenantRecords.US is a Michigan-based experimental record label that hopes to connect independent music with pop manufacturing. It was established by Foster Lancaster, a vocalist and musician, in 2014. For more information about CovenantRecords.US, you can visit https://covenantrecords.us/. To listen to albums released by the record label, you can check out Foster Lancaster’s recent works below:

Dreamy:  https://lnkfi.re/DDE

Intimacy: https://lnkfi.re/intfl