Hosted by Dirk Darmstaedter and Salim Nourallah, Write Record Release Repeat delves into what keeps us up at night—songwriting, recording, life, staying sane as an artist, and whatnot. Monthly transatlantic (Hamburg | Dallas) conversations across time zones, insights, stories, flotsam and musings—by musicians, for musicians.
Write Record Release Repeat – Episode 3: Indie, Major, or Me?
My co-host Salim Nourallah is a singer, songwriter, producer, and studio owner from Dallas, Texas. He's been releasing fantastic music since 2000, when his first album as Nourallah Brothers (with his brother Faris) came out on Western Vinyl. I discovered that record, along with his first solo album, in 2004 — and ended up signing him to my label, Tapete Records, in Hamburg, Germany. We released four of his albums and brought Salim over to tour Germany and Europe. That's when we finally met.
My name is Dirk Darmstaedter. I'm a singer, songwriter, and producer from Hamburg. I was part of The Jeremy Days back in the late '80s and '90s — we recorded five albums for Polydor/Universal and toured extensively throughout Europe, the UK, and a bit in the US. Since 1996, I’ve been releasing solo albums and ran Tapete Records and Tapete Booking from 2002 to 2014.
Do artists still need record labels in 2025?
In this episode, We talk about where we are now — fully DIY — and reflect on our experiences with labels past and present. We break down what labels actually do, what’s gained (and lost) when you go it alone, and explore the evolving options between major label deals and complete independence.
🎙 Topics include:
– What record labels actually offer
– Playlist access, press, and PR power
– The workload of going DIY
– Hybrid models, artist services, and community-driven labels
– Who really needs a label today?
If you like the show please like, subscribe and leave us a - preferably glowing- review. We'd love to hear from you and it also makes it easier for other folks to find the show.So yeah...thanks for tuning in - and enjoy the show
🔗 More places to go:
🌐 Dirk's website: https://www.dirkdarmstaedter.com
🎧 Salim’s website: http://salimnourallah.com
📬 Dirk's Substack: https://dirkdarmstaedter.substack.com/
