"CD Market - Music Label Sim" lets players run a record label their way, from the vinyl era to digital music. You can stay small and focused or choose to expand; while discovering artists and shaping careers, you must also navigate long-term changes in formats, trends, rivals, and crises.
CD Market is a record label management game where you lead a small record company through decades of music history.
You sign artists, shape their careers, release records, organize tours, climb the charts, and strive to keep the whole business from collapsing amid industry upheavals.
Some weeks are calm: a single sells well, a tour wraps up smoothly, a new artist shows promise. But other weeks, bands fall apart, lawsuits land on your desk, piracy eats into your sales, rival labels poach your biggest star, and your next album isn't ready yet.
That's the job. No matter what, build up the label.
Starting in the 1970s means dealing with a world built around physical formats, regional distribution, and record stores. Starting later, the business is already different. The rise of CDs, the emergence of piracy, the arrival of digital platforms—those old, cozy ways of selling records become less reliable.
You can play beyond 2020 to see just how long your label can last.
Sign artists and manage their careersDiscover new artists through your A&R department, negotiate contracts, pay advances, set royalties, renew agreements, and decide who deserves a long-term spot on your roster.
Artists aren't just money-making machines. They have creative energy, stress, boredom, happiness, chemistry, traits, and their own worries. Even the most talented bands can burn out, disband, lose key members, or become unmanageable at the worst possible moment.
A release begins long before the launch screen.
Set the creative direction for a project, choose styles and themes, schedule demo recordings, hire songwriters and producers, record songs, and decide which become singles, albums, EPs, promotional singles, compilations, greatest hits, or special editions.
You can release music in different formats across various regions, including vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and digital. Each era changes what makes sense, what sells, and the risks you face.
Promote your releasesEven the best song will go unheard if no one listens.
Run marketing campaigns, arrange PR activities, get music on the radio, produce videos for TV, generate buzz before album releases, and boost artist visibility in different regions. You may also receive offers for product placements, collaborations, award show performances, and more—all of which can propel a release to success.
After an album, send your artists out into the world.
Choose venues, set ticket prices, plan show dates, arrange setlists, add opening acts, coordinate schedules and logistics, organize rehearsals, and watch how each performance affects reputation, stress, box office results, and future demand.
You can also create merchandise bundles, work with suppliers, order inventory, set prices, and turn fan enthusiasm into another revenue stream for your label.
As your label grows, music festivals become part of its identity. Get your artists on festival lineups, or create your own: rent venues, schedule dates, invite rostered or global artists, manage budgets, and strive to turn a risky event into a name fans will remember.
Survive in the industryThe music business never stops.
Global charts change every week. New styles emerge constantly. Rival labels grow stronger. Artists retire, get poached, or become famous enough to demand better terms. Awards boost your prestige. Lawsuits drain your cash. If you ignore piracy for too long, it will destroy your sales.
Build departments, hire better staff, bring in executives, launch anti-piracy campaigns, settle or fight lawsuits, and make the choices that determine whether your label becomes a legend or a cautionary tale.
If your label is successful enough, the business goes beyond just signing artists and releasing albums.
You can build your own recording studio, move into better offices, hire executives, open distribution centers, run your own record stores, acquire radio stations, strike distribution deals with rival labels, and even acquire other labels.
As your company grows, you can start delegating some of the chaos. Marketing executives can handle day-to-day PR for your artists. HR executives can recruit and manage staff across departments. Touring executives provide more accurate forecasts before you invest in tours. Distribution executives assist with retail infrastructure, store costs, and partnerships with rival labels.
You can also hire distribution executives to manage an artist's album cycle. They can plan demos, schedule recordings, prepare singles, draft release plans, and wait for your final approval before anything goes public.
By then, your label is no longer just surviving in the industry. It has become a force shaping it.
Explore the game in Sandbox modeIf you want less pressure or just want to experiment freely, Sandbox mode lets you tweak the game to your liking.
Edit your label's cash, fame, genre popularity, release settings, price caps, manufacturing costs, staffing, and more. You can also create and edit artists, adjust members, change traits, boost happiness, repair chemistry, or assemble the exact lineup you want.
Use it to test strategies, build your dream label, skip the tough early days, recreate a specific music scene, or just let the numbers do something wild and see what happens.
Start from any year between 1950 and 2020, and play endlessly
Lead a record company through the eras of vinyl, cassettes, CDs, piracy, and digital music
Discover artists, solo members, and rising stars through A&R
Negotiate contracts, advances, royalties, renewals, and EP agreements
Manage artists' happiness, chemistry, stress, boredom, burnout, addictions, and internal band conflicts
Produce demos, record songs, choose songwriters and producers, and assemble full album projects
Release singles, albums, EPs, compilations, greatest hits, promotional singles, and special editions
Choose formats, regions, prices, publishers, marketing budgets, and release options
Track sales, profits, certifications, piracy impact, chart positions, and regional visibility
Run PR campaigns, marketing efforts, radio promotions, TV appearances, and commercial partnerships
Plan tours, including venues, ticket prices, setlists, opening acts, schedules, logistics, and performance ratings
Create merchandise bundles, manage suppliers, order inventory, and sell to fans
Compete for awards and perform at major ceremonies
Create your own music festival, inviting rostered or global artists
Handle lawsuits, settlements, trial outcomes, and anti-piracy actions
Compete with rival labels, counter their offers, sign global artists, or acquire subsidiaries
Build distribution centers, open record stores, and partner with other labels
Acquire radio stations to strengthen your control over promotion
Use Sandbox mode to edit your label, artists, funds, fame, and more
Create or import custom music templates with different genres, styles, regions, stores, publishers, and radio stations
Unlock achievements covering sales, tours, awards, formats, lawsuits, stores, and digital music
It's a journey watching your label's history grow one decision at a time. The first artist discovered. That risky single that paid off. The expensive tour that didn't break even. The band that nearly broke up. The album that kept the company alive. The rival who stole your star. The comeback you had to rebuild from the ashes.