West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds could be top of the pops with new record label

Move over Parlophone and BMG, West Suffolk College has launched its own record label.

Emulating industry expectations, Digital Saint Records offers music students at the Bury St Edmunds college a platform to showcase their work and they are already gearing up for the label’s debut release.

Compilation album ‘Exhibit-A’, which features tracks from numerous students, will hit all digital outlets on Thursday, March 14 and promises everything from folk and pop to dubstep and house.

Bosses at West Suffolk, in Out Risbygate, say it joins ‘only a small handful of other colleges across the country running similar initiatives’.

Joe Stocking, head of music, said: “The development of Digital Saint Records encourages aspiration - no matter what music course a student is studying on, or the style of music produced.

“This is a brilliant way of showcasing student work in line with industry expectations whilst also raising the bar in terms of the quality of music being produced across the department as a whole.”

Further compilation albums are planned throughout the year and any student on a music course can submit a track for consideration by their tutors, who decide on the final selection.

To qualify to release a track, students have to sign a single only recording agreement, which is a formal contract between them and Digital Saint Records.

This gives the label ownership of the recording but the artist still owns the song.

If students make it through to the final selection, they will be exposed to promotional opportunities boosting their chances of building a fanbase.

In terms of income, Digital Saint Records earns 50 per cent from every stream, download and sync contract, while the other half goes to the artist.

‘Exhibit-A’ will be released on platforms including Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, Amazon Music and Napster.

For more information on the new label, visit https://www.digitalsaint.co.uk/