Stop waiting to be signed signed. Start running your own label.
The 10 big ideas every independent artist needs to own their
music, read their numbers and build their team, from a
former label accountant who's also an artist herself.
The deal isn't coming? No worries.
Labels are narrowing their focus, so more artists are running a label without a label's finance department. The artists are the last ones who learn to do the math themselves.
+16 pts
Rise in labels naming "focusing on fewer artists" a top priority, 2023 to 2025
~3 in 4
Labels who say artist development is "falling through the cracks"
INSIDE THE FREE GUIDE
10 Big Ideas, a few minutes each
01.
Your career has a balance sheet
02.
Every song is two assets
03.
An advance is a prepayment, not a paycheck
04.
Unlock new skills
05.
Fee or points?
06.
Sign the split sheet in the room
07.
Ask for the files that win placements
08.
Build resilience
09.
Run your books like a label
10.
Know your fixed costs, and ignore sunk ones
Plus three exercises to start this week, and a five-minute checklist for artists who are already signed.
MEET YOUR GUIDE
Every Song has two lives. I've lived in both.
I'm Latonya Allen Deloach, and I've loved two things since I was a kid: making music and making the numbers add up. I sang lead with the YFC Georgia Mass Choir at 15. Since then I've toured with Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour, sung background vocals for India.Arie, dvsn and Avery*Sunshine, recorded vocals for movie commercials, and written songs for Keith Sweat, Musiq Soulchild, Kenny Lattimore and Cyhi the Prynce. I also spent years as an accountant inside the music business. As Athena Renee, I'm a soul singer from Atlanta. Now I teach artists to see their careers the way a label's finance department does, so they keep what they make.
- Toured with Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour
- Background vocals for India.Arie, dvsn and Avery Sunshine
- Lead vocalist, YFC Georgia Mass Choir, at 15
- Songwriter for Keith Sweat, Musiq Soulchild, Kenny Lattimore and Cyhi the Prynce
- Senior Accountant, Warner Music Group
- Financial Reporting Analyst, Warner Bros. Entertainment
- Senior Accountant, Tri Star Sports & Entertainment
- BBA in Finance with emphasis in Quantitative Analysis, Georgia Southern University
READY FOR THE WHOLE PLAYBOOK?
Think Like a Label, the complete book
- 13 chapters on ownership, advances, your team, producers, splits, distribution, sync and placements
- Run Your Books Like a Label: chart of accounts, P&L, balance sheet, budgets and the green-light test
- For Signed Artists: separate entities, contract deadlines, bank reconciliations and project budgets
- 11 workbook exercises, from split sheets to break-even
- The accounting spreadsheet: a ready-made P&L, budget tracker, green-light test and break-even calculator
Plus, when you sign up, I'll tailor what you receive based on where you are—whether you're just getting started, growing steadily, or ready to scale.
SPEAKING
A keynote with a live band
Think Like a Label teaches the business of music between live songs. Booked as a keynote, an acoustic set, a hands-on workshop or a panel for conferences, colleges and artist development programs.
