How to Split Responsibilities Within Your Label to Build the Ultimate Team

Running an independent label requires the finesse of a well-oiled machine. It takes a team that knows their roles: what they’re doing, when they’re doing it, and how it all fits together. Without clear guidelines, roles get blurred, communication breaks down, and things start slipping through the cracks. But with a solid structure and the right tools to support your efforts, you can create a workflow that keeps everyone aligned and actually working together.

Splitting responsibilities isn’t just about divvying up the work; it’s about building a system where each person has defined ownership, clarity, and room to thrive in their role. Whether you’re running a tight-knit crew or managing a fast-growing team, here’s everything you need to know to create the team of your dreams…

How to Split Responsibilities Within Your Label to Build the Ultimate Team

Define Every Role as Clearly as Possible

Before you dive in too deep, start with the basics. Every member of your label’s team should have a clearly defined role, and more importantly, a clear scope of what that role includes. That means outlining not just the job title, but what success looks like in that role, which decisions they own, and how they collaborate with others.

For example, if someone’s handling A&R, are they also managing communication with artists? Are they expected to hand off releases to marketing, or are they involved in campaign planning too? The more clarity you can provide upfront, the fewer mix-ups you’ll run into down the line. Defining roles also helps avoid the dreaded “too many cooks in the kitchen” situation, where everyone’s chiming in, but no one’s actually responsible.

Once you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to take it a step further by breaking down exactly how responsibility is shared across tasks… and that’s where a responsibility matrix comes in.

What is a Responsibility Matrix? 

Once you’ve defined everyone’s roles, the next step is to get specific about how your team works together on individual projects and who’s involved at every level. For indie labels, especially where team members often wear multiple hats, having a simple framework to clarify responsibilities can make a huge difference. That’s where a responsibility matrix like RACI works wonders. What’s that, you may ask? RACI stands for:

• Responsible: The person doing the work
• Accountable: The person who owns the outcome
• Consulted: Anyone who gives input or advice
• Informed: People who need to stay in the loop

Let’s say you’re prepping for an upcoming single release. Your marketing lead might be Responsible for building the promo plan, the label founder is Accountable for the release’s overall success, A&R is Consulted to make sure the messaging aligns with the artist’s brand, and the artist’s manager is Informed along the way.

Even with a small team, mapping out tasks this way helps prevent confusion and ensures nothing falls through the cracks. You don’t need fancy software either, just a shared doc or spreadsheet works just fine. The goal is simple: make sure everyone knows exactly what’s expected of them and how their role fits into the bigger picture. Easy enough, right?

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Want to learn more about the world of indie labels? Check these out…

Sync Licensing for Indie Labels: How to Prep Your Catalog the Right Way

Smart Budgeting Basics for Indie Labels That Actually Work

Label Funding: Self-Funding vs. Grants vs. Investor Capital

How to Support Artist Mental Health as a Label or Manager

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How To Keep Everyone On The Same Page

Once everyone’s responsibilities are clear, the next challenge is keeping everyone on track as projects progress. Especially for indie labels where people may be juggling other jobs, working remotely, or switching between creative and admin tasks, regular check-ins and simple project management tools can make all the difference.

To start, consider scheduling quick weekly meetings with the team. Even just 15-30 mins is enough. Use this meeting to review what’s in progress, what’s coming up, and if anyone needs any support. To keep the meeting focused, use a shared agenda or tracker (like a Google doc/sheet) that everyone can update beforehand. It saves time, keeps priorities clear, and makes space for more strategic conversations rather than just status updates.

But outside of meetings, task management tools can help make sure things stay on track between check-ins. Personally, I’ve used (and love) these, especially for small teams:

📚 Monday: Easy to customize and great for labels juggling multiple releases.

💬 Slack: Use channels or integrations with tools like Asana to keep convos organized.

📝 Google Tasks or Sheets: No frills, but effective if you’re just getting started.

The key here isn’t the platform, it’s consistency. Just pick a system that fits your team’s vibe and make it part of your weekly rhythm. That structure is what makes it easier to spot issues, adjust priorities, and keep the whole team in sync.

The Importance of Cross-Functional Understanding

Even if everyone understands their own role, it’s also important for everyone to understand how they affect each other. That means A&R should know what Marketing is planning, Marketing should be aware of what’s happening in Distribution, etc. And that doesn’t mean everyone needs to be involved in every decision, but they should absolutely understand how their work impacts the rest of the team.

For indie labels, too, where roles often overlap, this is crucial. If A&R signs an artist with a specific creative vision, but Marketing doesn’t know that specific context, the rollout will feel disconnected, leaving you with an unhappy artist. To avoid this, you can implement simple ways to keep everyone in the loop, like:

• Sharing important updates across teams, not just with each team member
• Give context, not just tasks. Don’t assume people know the “why”
• Encourage cross-team convos, not just formal meetings
• Keep brand decks, rollout plans, artist goals, etc., accessible to all teams

It’s not about micromanaging, it’s about making sure the entire team is working towards a shared vision.

Document Workflows and SOPs

As your label grows, you can’t just rely on memory (or a bunch of Slack messages) to keep things running smoothly. That’s where documenting your workflows and standard operating procedures (SOPs) comes in handy. It may not sound exciting, but it’s one of the easiest ways to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Start by identifying the tasks you repeat often, like submitting releases, pitching to playlists, or launching social media campaigns. Then, write out the steps for each one. Who’s involved? What’s the timeline? Where do the files live? Even a simple checklist helps ensure things get done the same way every time. And when it’s time to hand something off, you’ve already got a clear guide ready to go.

This is especially helpful if you’re onboarding new team members or collaborating with freelancers. Instead of explaining things from scratch every time, now you’ve got a go-to resource that keeps everyone on the same page.

To wrap things up…

The real magic of implementing systems like these comes when they become second nature to your team. When everyone isn’t overloaded or micromanaged, you create reliable habits that make collaboration not only smooth but sustainable.

From setting clear expectations and updating project boards to understanding every working part of your team, the more consistent everyone is, the less time you’ll spend chasing updates and the more time you’ll have to focus on what really matters… releasing great music and growing your label.

You got this!