The four largest music labels are Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and EMI.
Some may consider Apple to be the fifth major label due to the prominence of their iTunes service, but since their primary music business is reselling music produced by these other labels (rather than producing music themselves) they are not generally considered to be a true music label.
The major labels in the Music Industry also change as time changes based on their sales returns. The financial(s) of each label can be obtained and this determines the largest whether their staff is larger than one or the other. There are also mergers going on constantly within the Industry where small labels are distributed by the majors and why you'll see Warner/Curb.
Music really is a business of product, marketing, & sales not unlike thousands of other businesses and corporations world wide.
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Roc-A-Fella Records and His own record label Good Music
It was easier for an alternative band or performer to sign with an "indie" label than one of the major labels. The independent labels were more willing to take a chance on something different or new. Some bands used their indie success to get major labels interested (like Nirvana), while others stayed true to the small labels that supported them early on. A few performers (like Juliana Hatfield) had concurrent deals with both an indie and a major.
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Yes