Dance Cry Dance is a boutique record label that positions itself as ‘a young and growing record collective with an equitable profit-sharing model created for artists by artists’.
In 2022, the label launched Dance Cry Dance Break, an ‘audio magazine’ featuring new music from independent artists alongside stories and essays inspired by their songs, delivered via Substack. Artists are paired with journalists who create podcast-like audio episodes that explore a story, or other such item, inspired by the artist’s music. Mini versions of the episodes are free to everyone, but the full versions are only accessible through a $5 monthly subscription, which also unlocks access to exclusive music and other content.
While Dance Cry Dance Break follows in the footsteps of long-shuttered indie label subscription offering Drip.FM, its point of clear differentiation is focusing on storytelling to build fandom. The internet has no shortage of artist ‘content’, so Dance Cry Dance has focused on creating something that is both different and appealing to superfans. The positioning as an audio magazine is key, conveying that the proposition is one in which fans can lean back and take a break from the endless content deluge that is the attention economy.
Dance Cry Dance is a small label with small artists, but this level of thought, effort, and dedication points to a group of forward-thinking minds that are grappling with how to create meaningful fan bonds in an increasingly commodified music market.