Why Do Labels Sometimes Bury Artists' Records?

Even as digital tools give musicians the ability to record and distribute their own material, a record label contract can still unlock doors for a budding professional musicians and young bands. That said, being on a record label doesn’t always guarantee that fans will be able to hear their favorite bands' music; it's not uncommon that an album winds up locked away and never heard — even from an artist who wants to release it.

"It sounds counterintuitive,” says Aylin Zafar, Deputy Editor of BuzzFeed Music. She wrote a recent article on record labels' decisions not to release albums. "They would want to sell the record, you would think."

However, sometimes artists get caught in the crossfire of label politics. Zafar explains the phenomenon further — including story of R&B singer JoJo, who hasn't been able to release an album for seven years.