How to Release Music Independently in 2026: Lessons from Label Veteran Michaela Bóková

In this episode of Meet the Pros, hosts Éamon Laughlin and Matt De León sit down with Michaela Bóková for a wide-ranging conversation about what it truly means to release music in today’s independent artist landscape. From hand-packing and shipping vinyl herself to support a label to digital streaming editorial practices, Michaela’s journey is a masterclass in learning on the job, stepping into new, unfamiliar environments, and knowing when it’s worth outsourcing instead of doing something yourself.

Michaela’s path into the music industry is anything but conventional. Trained as a classical singer in the Czech Republic, she transitioned into jazz and studied music management and production at the Janáček Academy of Music in Brno, an environment that pushed students into real-world production work early on.

The pivotal moment came when she happened to meet jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel at a bar in Paris. He needed someone to book him a show in Prague…in three weeks. Despite having zero booking experience, Michaela pulled it off. What followed was an invitation to help Rosenwinkel build his new label, Heartcore Records, from the ground up in Berlin.

Ten years later, she’s still in Berlin, and still learning. Her story is a reminder that the music industry often rewards initiative, curiosity, and a willingness to figure things out as you go.

Michaela’s PhD dissertation, published through Springer, examined how independent jazz labels sustain themselves economically, and the findings were revealing. Streaming alone, she explains, is rarely enough for an independent or newcomer label.

Every label she interviewed had diversified: some ran festivals, others combined booking agency work with their label operations, and some published magazines or educational content. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heartcore itself pivoted to producing and selling guitar masterclasses with Rosenwinkel, a product that proved hugely successful.

The lesson translates directly to artists, too: a record release today is less about generating revenue and more about promoting yourself, building visibility, and creating a body of work that opens the door for other revenue streams such as live performance.

After years at Hardcore Records, Michaela noticed a gap in the market. Established labels were overwhelmed with submissions — she personally received hundreds she couldn’t respond to, despite genuinely loving some of the music. Meanwhile, artists who did find a label often discovered they were expected to deliver finished masters, fund their own artwork and marketing, pay the label, and sometimes surrender their master rights.

Her solution: Release the Kraken, a consultancy that offers label-level expertise on a project-by-project, à la carte basis—without taking ownership of your music.

Artists can pick and choose exactly which services they need — graphic design, social media scheduling, pitching to streaming platforms, setting up crowdfunding campaigns — without paying for what they can already do themselves. It’s a model that Éamon Laughlin describes as “more logical in 2026 than committing to a formal team when you don’t know what’s coming next month.”

One of the most actionable parts of the conversation covers how and when to pitch your releases to streaming platform editorial teams. Michaela’s advice is specific and grounded in years of doing it herself.

Before you spend a dollar on promotion, Michaela urges artists to get the basics right on their streaming profiles. The algorithm, she explains, actively rewards profiles that look well-maintained.

When asked where a limited release budget has the most impact, Michaela is direct. Here’s how she thinks about it:

Michaela’s advice on campaign structure comes down to one word: events. Every single, every press release, every video drop is an event — a moment your audience and the media can react to.

She recommends releasing three singles before an album announcement, spacing them out to create a sustained conversation around your music. Each single can carry its own press release, its own visual assets, its own social media moment. The goal is repeated, recognizable exposure.

Consistent branding across all materials is critical here. Fonts, colors, and imagery should feel like they belong to the same campaign. Whether or not you’re working with a designer, establish those visual rules early and stick to them.

Michaela is candid about the economics of streaming for independent artists. Beyond the major platforms, she points to several tools that tend to be underutilized:

Even if your long-term goal is to sign with a label, Michaela makes a compelling case for self-releasing your debut. The experience of handling your own distribution, pitching, and marketing teaches you exactly what each of those services is worth, which means you’ll negotiate better when the time comes to hand them off.

A successful self-release is also a meaningful calling card. Labels are more likely to take notice of an artist with a documented track record than one without any public profile at all.

This post is based on highlights from a full-length interview from Meet the Pros, the music business podcast from Anyone Can Book a Gig. New episodes feature conversations with music industry professionals like booking agents, managers, label professionals, and more.