Whether a label puts out the music of several artists or is a vehicle for only one artist's material, many of the same challenges apply. But if we've learned anything over the last couple of months in this series, it's that it takes lots of elbow grease and perseverance (and perhaps a touch of psychosis) to succeed. And, it turns out, DIY is a myth, you must be prepared to network, network, network.....

The good news is that the recent explosion of digital technologies and virtual marketing opportunities make many things more accessible. But none of this means that you have to do any less work. In fact, the leveling of the playing field has in some ways made it even harder to get noticed because of all the noise out there. But savvy entrepreneurs can do it. All it takes is a bit of ingenuity, lots of contacts, passion and, of course, a relentless focus on your goals.

Brandon Kessler, founder of Messenger Records is a good example of a passionate music fan turned record mogul. This guy started his label in 1996 out of a college dorm room, putting out Bobby Sichran's seven-inch single, "All the Psychotics In My Building." He sold out on the first pressing of 1,000 45s. Before long, Kessler was putting out material by New York City-based band Johnny Society and the late, great, Singer-Songwriter Chris Whitley, who ended up releasing six albums on Messenger before sadly dying of lung cancer in November 2005 at the age of 45. (See December's) AtlasPlugged tribute). Other Messenger Records artists include Singer-Songwriter Dan Bern, who has released six records on the label, and the talented but lesser known Anne McCue, who just released her first record on Messenger in 2004.

Kessler, who says Messenger has made a profit every year since its founding, sums up the primary challenge of running a label like this. "The nature of the business is such that every new album you put out is a new product," he says. "It's not like selling telephones or something. Every new artist can be rejected by the marketplace." Kessler says that the best weapon for a small label without the financial firepower of the majors is to forge relationships in the industry and nurse that network every day. "You try to build that network almost as if it's a product," explains Kessler.

Those relationships with the press, industry insiders, radio promoters, radio program directors and, of course, record stores and distributors (online and offline), are a label's (and artist's) lifeblood. Forming them can lead to an ecosystem that helps propel a particular artist to increased sales and public recognition. When that happens, Kessler says savvy labels must seize the opportunity to promote other label artists and forge even more relationships. "To me, momentum is everything," he says. "If you can have momentum, with that you can do a lot of things."

Kessler's work and those relationships helped McCue sell about 10,000 copies of her debut release despite being relatively unknown. (She's also very talented, which always helps). "That's a good result for a first record," he says. Furthermore, Kessler says the Internet has created huge opportunities for smaller labels, with many of the biggest benefits surrounding artist-fan communication. "You can send emails instead of post cards," he says. "If you're sending a 20-cent post card to thousands of people, you're talking about a lot of money." Such economies of scale can become especially interesting when cross-promoting artists to each other's fan bases, when appropriate.

But Kessler cautions that cyberspace isn't a panacea for indies either. You still have to compete with larger and better-funded labels, which are also using the online channel as much as they can. And then there's the Web's freewheeling nature. "You can't tell Pitchfork Media who to write about," he notes, referencing one of the most popular music review sites. "They write about what they want."

In addition, Kessler says old tricks such as talking up bands on online message boards and chat rooms are "what certain lifestyle marketing companies do to get paid... It's not going to break a band, although it does help." Kessler says the best way for a label to promote artists is also the oldest one in the book. "Touring is as important as ever," he says. "A lot of times artists just want to stay home. You've got to get out there and play. You have to tour."

Just ask singer-songwriter Rachael Sage, who plays 150 to 200 shows a year and has released several records on her own New York City-based label, MPress Records. MPress has so far been primarily focused on putting out Sage's own music, and it has evolved over the years into quite an operation-complete with a real office in New York City, one full-time employee, a couple of part-timers and an intern. She also stays in close contact with her booking agent and distributor in an effort to keep her career and the label itself humming. She can't say enough about her "team" and all the work they do for her. "They're the biggest blessing of my life," Sage says. "Don't take them for granted. Approach them as you would your best friend. There are a million other artists they could work with."

To be sure, running a small label involves hours and hours of grunt work and relationship building. "The one thing you can control is how many hours you're putting in on the phone or on the Internet-just working it," she says. "It's hard work. And it's a lot of time." In the early years, Sage used many creative methods to open doors, even pretending to be Rachael Sage's manager instead of herself when handing her CD to industry people at events. "They had no idea," she says. "I had glasses and my hair in a bun. They didn't even know it was me."

As for getting publicity, Sage suggests a simple but often overlooked plan: Give the press something interesting to write about. An upcoming gig is a good start. But an anecdote or story about the artist can be even better. "You have to have a hook for the press," she says. How many times have you read an artist feature that included several interesting anecdotes or on-the-road adventures? Rest assured that in most cases the label itself put those anecdotes into a press release or bio, which is probably what got the reporter interested in writing a feature in the first place. (One note of caution: Don't make stuff up. You'll get caught eventually. And once word gets around, a lot of music writers may never write about you again).

Sage has also been trying to find new acts to release on her label. "But it has to be love at first listen, and it also has to be right for the artist," she says. MPress has been cultivating relationships with other artists for quite some time, holding 10 "Mpressfest" showcases over the years. "I've always been open to helping other artists," she says.

Part of this is altruism. But it's also business savvy. After all, meeting other artists (and featuring them at label events) helps Sage build relationships that can lead to opportunities for her as an artist and label owner. Meanwhile, MPress events help cultivate relationships with groups like Indiegrrl and others that can, in turn, lead to festival gigs and other benefits. "It's really just a process," she explains. "It has to be a religion to get yourself out there," says Sage. "You have to be obsessive and possessed by a vision that's a bit bigger than what you thought it could be."

Lacking the multi-million-dollar marketing budgets the majors can count on, indie label entrepreneurs must think outside the box to succeed. I spoke with industry consultant Daylle Deanna Schwartz, author of "Start and Run Your Own Record Label," who told me about Dan Zanes, formerly of the Rock group the Del Fuegos (I spent a good portion of my high-school years rocking out to their 1985 album, "Boston, Mass." What a record, but I digress). Fatherhood led Zanes to his latest music career, head of Festival 5 Records, which puts out children's music (quite a departure from the Del Fuegos, I can tell ya).

Rather than standard jewel-case CD packaging, Zanes created a 16-page book on recycled paper with the CD inside. He later told Schwartz that some stores ordered the CD without ever listening to it--just because they liked the packaging! In addition, Zane thought outside the record-store box, approaching retailers of books, clothing, children's furniture and, of course, toys. Before long, the buzz got around and he ended up selling more than 30,000 records. That's pretty amazing for an indie release. He later parlayed that into a one-record deal with Rawkus Records, which led to a distribution deal.

In Schwartz's new book, "I Don't Need A Record Deal!" she tells the story of Daniel Lee Martin, a country-music singer who chucked his job as an ad exec in 1997 and moved to Nashville to, well... you know. After several years of dancing with major labels that never seemed willing to commit, Martin ended up going the indie route. Lee, a big baseball fan, got friendly with some Major League Baseball players, who loved his music and pushed him to release it on his own label. They eventually offered to fund the venture, which became Chin Music. When word got around, other players also kicked in some money. Martin now gets commercial radio play, opens for major country acts and participates in extensive WalMart-sponsored tours.

Running a label certainly isn't for everyone. The obstacles are many, and it can be especially daunting for small labels that are trying to do right by their artists-all while remaining a going concern in the exceedingly cut-throat music business. Mostly it comes down to your willingness to sacrifice and your definition of success. Anyone looking for easy riches may want to try something else. Make no mistake: The music biz isn't for the faint of heart or for anyone willing to take "No" for an answer.

(Mike Grebb is a writer, journalist and singer/songwriter based in Washington, D.C. He has written for numerous publications, including Wired and Billboard. His debut solo record, Resolution, is available at www.mikegrebb.com, as well as digitally on iTunes, MSN Music, Musicmatch, Yahoo! Music Unlimited and other sites. You can also be his friend on MySpace!)