Institutions

Aftermath Entertainment logo

Aftermath Entertainment - Founded by Dr. Dre, Aftermath Entertainment is worth well over 700 million dollars due to Dr. Dre alone as this is his individual net worth. However, with the likes of Eminem, who has a estimated net worth of over 200 million dollars, this figure of how much the company is worth can only be assumed to be higher. Aftermath is a large institution as it contains some of the largest mainstream artists on the planet such as Eminem and is one of the more dominant brands in this music genre.

Interscope records

Another major record label is Interscope records. Founded by Jimmy Lovine and Ted Field, Interscope records have an net worth estimated at $400 million and above. However, just like aftermath, The value could be expected to be higher due to the numerous big music stars signed to their name. These stars consist of Eminem, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Rae Sremmurd as well as other stars from different genres such as Selena Gomez and Will.i.am.

Def jam recordings logo

Def jam recordings, founded by Rick Rubin and Russel Simmons, is another major record label in the rap music genre. Def Jam records has an upwards net worth of $325 million and is a large institution located in the United States of America, New York city. Def jam contains some of the biggest rap stars in the industry due to the likes of Kanye West, YG and Big Sean but also recently signed independent music artist, Logic.

Links for more information on each record label:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Def_Jam_Recordings
http://www.universalmusic.com/label/interscope-geffen-am/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath_Entertainment

Which record label would I pick? 
The record label that takes my interest and the one that I would pick has to be Aftermath Entertainment. This decision has been made on the finical benefit that Aftermath would give to a smaller independent artist as they have by far the biggest net worth out of the three labels. However, because Aftermath are mainstream it will be much harder for a small indented artist to sign a contract with them. Unlike Aftermath, Def Jam records would be the preferred choice for an independent artist as they are willing to support smaller artists as seen by one of their latest signings, Logic who is a small independent artist.

What I have learnt about record labels
Record labels require their artists to be under strict contracts and regulations (This only applies to a few labels). The requirements are things such as allowing the star to have a certain amount of closeups during a music video. Richard Dyers stars theory states that stars are engineered by institutions such as record labels to benefit them financially. Therefore, these requirements create some truth behind Dyers theory and suggest that some major labels can/do manipulate the way artists appear to the viewers to generate a higher income revenue.