How Katy Perry should run her record label, by Katy Perry

Word on the street: Katy Perry's got somethin' to show us. More spe­cific­ally, she's been given (or has worked very hard for, or maybe a com­bin­a­tion of the two) her own record label, a Capitol imprint called Metamorphosis.

This is the first signing — a chap called Ferras, who's done a song with, well, Katy Perry.

But what lies ahead for Katy Perry's record label adventure, and how can she make the most of this opportunity?

Here's some advice.

See people downtown singing the blues

The thing is, Katy, when you're looking for acts to sign to your label, it's important to get out to live music venues to find new artists. They might start off in a blues club, or even banging out dodgy Christian music, but they could be the next pop superstar.

See it all, see it now

Check YouTube, SoundCloud, email sub­mis­sions and tips from friends. Don't just source artists from gig though — even some of pop's biggest hitters are abso­lutely terrible at singing live.

You better choose carefully

Majors will offer label deals to any old fucker; most of these labels are a complete disaster and you should be aware that the clock is kind of ticking from the moment your first release comes out. This can't be vanity project, grand folly or clearing house for mates who can't get signed anywhere else: everything you sign has to be amazing.

You don't have to say, "you were the one that got away"

When you find an act you need to sign, fight tooth and nail to get them on your roster. And if they're brilliant, don't drop them then watch them go on to inter­na­tional hugeness with a different record label.

Be hot then be cold, be yes then be no, be in then be out, be up then be down

Once an act's signed to your label, or even while you're nego­ti­at­ing the deal, nothing will convince artists and their managers that you're a proper label boss quite like changing your mind like a girl changes clothes. The more arbitrary and abrupt your changes of mind, the better. Looking a bit cloudy outside? Demand that everything has an EDM vibe. Is it a Tuesday? Forget EDM, it's time for banjos! Fish for dinner last night? GET SIA ON THE PHONE AND DOES ANYONE HAVE DEV'S EMAIL ADDRESS?

Be an artist's champion, let them hear your A&R

The rela­tion­ship between any artist and their label can be fractious from time to time, but this can be avoided by building a strong rela­tion­ship and letting them know you'll fight their corner. A sym­path­etic A&R ear will always help build trust.

Bring out the big, big, big, big, big, big balloons

Don't be afraid to pull in favours — you're well connected enough to rope in Pop Pals to give your artists a helping hand. How about a nice retweet from your new chum Madonna? A guest spot from Juicy J? You never know, Dr Luke might be able to find space between retweets about artists on his own label.

Pollinate to create a family tree

Comparisons are easily done, but it's true that some of the best labels and imprints thrive on col­lab­or­a­tion between artists on their rosters — create a strong sense of community among your acts and they'll be able to help each other out musically and pro­mo­tion­ally. Your appear­ance on the first Ferras release is a good indic­a­tion that you're already on top of this.

Every February, you'll be releasing a Valentine compilation

Some portions of the com­pil­a­tions market have collapsed while others are doing alright — a well-timed love songs com­pil­a­tion could help your label's balance sheet.

Shut up and put your money where your mouth is

From time to time, Capitol might say things like, "no you cannot have $500K to promote your artist's next release by driving a massive gold truck through LA". The good thing about being Multi-Millionaire Pop Megastar Katy Perry is that if this happens, you can just stump up the cash yourself. Because if you're sure it'll work — as you must have been to ask for the budget in the first place — you'll make your money back.

Rock the boat and make a mess

When you're running an imprint you'll need to fight to get some of your releases taken seriously by the label ulti­mately calling the shots — don't be scared to stomp around and bang tables, or instruct whoever's actually running your label on your behalf to do the same. At the same time…

Bite your tongue and hold your breath

Or, to put it better, choose your battles — then you'll win the war.

That pretty much sums it all up. Good luck Katy!