For close to ten years, Single has fueled D2C operations for artists and labels. Three of its label collaborators demonstrate how that cumulative effect manifests at different levels.
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, July 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — There is plenty of talk about direct-to-customer (D2C) strategies within the music business. Musicians and record companies gather fan information, sell merchandise and music straight to their audience, allowing independent artists or labels to maintain control over that connection. The more compelling inquiry is what comes after that?
For labels that have been running D2C initiatives for years, it is no longer just a method tied exclusively to launching new albums. It transforms into a growing asset, where every transaction builds a larger base of confirmed purchasers with authentic buying histories. Over time, this core of superfans enables entirely fresh revenue streams rooted in genuine enthusiasm for the artist or label.
Single, a platform built on Shopify, has quietly driven that progression of D2C for musicians and record companies for almost a decade. Three of its label partners—Rhymesayers, Frontiers, and Concord—show how that cumulative effect operates across various sizes.
At Rhymesayers Entertainment, that narrative has been unfolding since 1995. The Minneapolis-based company started as an artist collective and remains heavily focused on its catalog, with releases featuring Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, Yasiin Bey, and the MF DOOM estate. Years of direct sales to fans via its Shopify store have established a customer base that operates separately from streaming services for the label.
“Creating genuine direct fan relationships with our artist partners has been crucial for keeping our business going over the last three decades,” says David Barnes, Chief Operating Officer of Rhymesayers. “Shopify and Single have been a vital element in driving our recent achievements and growth as the industry continues to change in these areas.”
What Rhymesayers has developed over many years is the customer base itself. The next question is what a label can accomplish with that customer base once it is in place.
Frontiers Label Group offers one path a label can take with an established customer base. Founded in 1996 in Napoli, Italy, the rock-oriented independent company has focused on its audience of collectors. The label specializes in hard rock, classic rock, metal, and alternative genres, collaborating with artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard, Journey, Whitesnake, and Yes.
With a fanbase built around dedicated collectors, the label used Single to start a vinyl subscription club within its current Shopify store. The club costs $25 per month or $275 per year. Each month, subscribers receive an exclusive, club-only pressing limited to roughly 300 numbered copies, featuring 180g vinyl with unique color variants.
The outcomes indicate how that model grows over time. Comparing the same customers before and after joining, members spend 12 times more than they did previously. Almost all members, 99%, place two or more orders, compared to just 22% of non-members. In numerous instances, the majority of each month’s pressing sells out before it ever becomes available to the public.
“Our collectors are our collectors. The label has spent decades earning that loyalty and we weren’t going to hand them off to a third-party,” shares Leo Nicholas, Managing Director (UK), Frontiers Label Group. “Single is the only reason we could build the club the way we wanted to, in our own store, without losing the relationship in the process.”
This approach is not about finding new audiences, but about keeping a familiar customer base eager for fresh, collectible releases of both classic and contemporary rock music. At a larger scale, Concord applies the same reasoning across its entire collection of signed artists. The Nashville-headquartered company runs multiple labels, each operating its own Shopify storefront powered by Single. That framework allows teams to act directly on fan data across hundreds of releases each year.
Founded in 1973, the leading independent music company’s sub-labels include Concord Records, Loma Vista, Fearless Records, Rounder Records, and Craft Recordings. Each label manages its own roster and storefront, with Shopify stores powered by Single handling both physical and digital sales across hundreds of releases annually.
“Each of our labels runs their own store on Single, with their own roster and their own fans,” shares Joe Dent, EVP, Operations at Concord. “Keeping the relationship direct rather than handing it off to a third-party is a core focus for us. Using Single allows us to keep the day-to-day operations simple and gives us time to develop strong relationships within our customers which results in robust sales.”
That arrangement allows each label under the Concord umbrella to act directly on its own audience data. For example, the label used Single to host a listening party for Taking Back Sunday’s new album on the band’s Shopify store for 24 hours before the public release. By targeting known fans with early access, the label was able to bring those customers back into its own environment and convert engagement into album and merchandise sales during release week.
It is the same core strategy seen at Rhymesayers and Frontiers, but applied across a broader portfolio—each label owns its customer relationship, operates within its own ecosystem, and can act on that customer data in real-time.
Fresh back from the 2026 edition of A2IM Indie Week, the American Association of Independent Music has formalized access to this infrastructure, giving 700+ members 50% off Single’s Bronze plan. The deal unlocks automated chart reporting and reduces digital sales fees from 15% to 10%—with a cap that keeps more revenue where it belongs: in artists’ pockets.
“For the independent community, the fan relationship has never been a nice-to-have, it’s the whole foundation of a meaningful career,” says A2IM CEO Ian Harrison. “As direct-to-fan only grows in importance, Single is leading the way putting the tools needed for that future directly in the hands of independent artists and labels. We’re excited to have them as an A2IM member.”
This arrangement lowers the cost of entry for A2IM members seeking to build or expand their D2C operations, while keeping sales, data, and customer relationships within their own controlled environment. This initiative was developed under CEO Ian Harrison, who took over in 2026 after spending more than 20 years at Hopeless Records and seeing the value of D2C relationships during his tenure.
For labels already investing in D2C, the shift is less about embracing a new approach and more about expanding a strategy that can deliver cumulative advantages over time. Rhymesayers, Frontiers, and Concord show what a D2C relationship looks like in practice across various levels of the music industry. This new partnership with A2IM and Single lowers the barrier for independent artists and labels who are looking to build their direct-to-customer relationships to start compounding those benefits.
Ashley King
Digital Music News
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