Central Florida

is home to more than 20 record labels working to make the region a hub of music production.

At Park Ave CDs in Orlando, one section of the store is devoted to Florida artists. Not Tom Petty or Marilyn Manson, but the smaller, up-and-coming bands that may not be familiar to listeners. “It helps define a community,” says owner Sandy Bitman. “Keeping things local is good in that it keeps things organic.”

Beyond the musicians, Central Florida is home to more than 20 record labels working to make the region a hub of music production in everything from recording to distribution.

The purpose of a label is to brand and promote artists. Since the breakup of British label EMI in 2012, recording industry tracker Nielsen SoundScan reports more than 80 percent of records sold come from what are known as the three majors: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group.

Small, independent labels offer an important stepping stone for artists just starting out, according to owners such as Miguel Garcia of Artist Base in Orlando. “It’s not just a label; it’s also an artist development agency,” said Garcia. “We help independent artists have all the same tools [as major labels], but we keep it independent at the same time.”

Being a local label doesn’t mean being confined to strictly local acts. Artist Base, for example, hosts several national acts on their roster.

“That’s the crazy thing about this day and age,” said Rich Evans, owner of Orlando label Total Punk. “It’s so easy to be connected to people. I’ve put out eight Australian acts and I’ve never been anywhere near Australia.”

Performing under the DJ name Mig Mhkaz, Garcia focuses on electronic dance music, also known as EDM. Artist Base targets mostly digital means of getting its acts’ names out. Online music databases such as Spotify and SoundCloud are key components of the Orlando native’s strategy. “Spotify playlists are huge,” said Garcia, 24. “Those are curated and Spotify has a fantastic algorithm for putting new music daily routine.”

Working out of a crowded room in his Orlando home, Evans takes almost the opposite approach with Total Punk, putting the majority of his emphasis on selling vinyl records. “I sell records all over the world, but I’m selling 500 copies all over the world full of six billion people,” he said.

Evans, 40, hand-stamps logos on his records to give them a unique look. That kind of branding helps his work stand out. “Within my own little niche, I’ve got good name recognition,” he said. “So when everyone is flipping through records, they’ll immediately be able to recognize into your