The clue is in the name. These are companies providing services to artists. Across the decades, of course, it has been a familiar refrain from major record labels that they exist to ‘serve’ their artists.

But over the years artists have found other words to surmise their working relationships with those major record labels. Some have even written them on their faces.

The rise of genuine artist (and label) services companies, however, represents a proper shift in the relationship between ...