Matt: The Era Of The Label-Free Artist?
October 26th, 2007
So Radiohead self-released their album as a pay what you want (as you all know by now), Madonna has left Warner and signed with a concert promotions company (Live Nation), Nine Inch Nails are without a label after leaving Interscope, Pearl Jam also have no ties to a record label and Wilco sold their album to Volkswagen. Over their careers these artists (combined) have sold well over 200 million albums…if we thought record labels were worried about revenue before, they must be crapping themselves now!
Music is commerce; it’s sad but it’s true, so let’s look at it as a job for a moment, because it IS a job for most of the artists whose music you buy. At the core of it (leaving aside the conversation of the art of music being reduced to a product), musicians have the same rights as anyone else to demand fair pay for their work…don’t they? Even if it’s the type of money we can only dream of that might not seem ‘fair’ (cough cough Madonna)…but everything is relative.
iTunes and online music stores are all making big money as alternatives to the iron fist of the major label…but let me tell you something; the person who comes up with the model that can unanimously join the artists in a collective sigh of “finally, a fair way to get our music to the people” is the person who will not ONLY put the last nail in the major label coffin AND perhaps put an end to the unfair treatment of music makers AND music buyers, but also (since we ARE talking music and commerce here) would make a SHITload of money. I’m just sayin…
FYI: having sold over 40 million albums, Blondie who are STILL playing shows and possibly making a new album, are also without a record label. I know this because Debbie Harry told me last week when I chatted with her…check out my interview with her on MuchMoreMusic this Saturday at 11am ET and 11pm ET Sunday on The Loop Weekend.
=mw
Posted on Friday, October 26th, 2007 at 4:34 pm by Jodie E. and is filed under Just For Fun.
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3 Responses to “Matt: The Era Of The Label-Free Artist?”
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WHY DO QUEBEC RESIDENTS CANT PARTICIPATE TO YOUR CONTEST! IT FU**IN SUCKS….
EVERYOTHER PROVENCE CAN SO WHAT THE DEAL?? CUZ WERE FRENCH??
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Quit trying to seperate and we might treat you like part of it
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interesting, although, artists don’t really see THAT much money from album sales. it’s mostly from touring & merch. so the people crying about it are actually just the label honchos.