The interwebthingy that offers evil bastards like me the opportunity to warp young minds also aids the giant zombie musical death machine daily opportunities to track your movements and attempt to pick your pocket. At the mega labels they are just figuring this out. If they truly understood the power of it they would have killed off rock and empty every chicken out of every pot in the western world. It is a great stroke of luck that the Major Labels have largely been staffed, in recent years, by complete imbeciles. Despite this handicap the labels are starting to spread their vampire wings across the cyber sky and circle around your carcass with other vultures like Google or Microsoft or The Council on Foreign Relations.
Retired Rock Manager/Producer
Twenty five years of music biz madness... advice and stories for free...actual help with your music career not available..........Best of Luck.....
Further thoughts on why Major labels suck….
This morning I had a conversation with a musician friend about the demise of the music business. It’s interesting to note that some people are still arguing that the music business still exists. This is complete lie. The days of the huge labels controlling a massive industry are over. The labels that remain are pale shadows of their former selves. How did this come to be? It’s simple. They did it to themselves.
In the late 1980′s and early 90′s the music business underwent a format change. Vinyl records became obsolete and the CD became the new format. For the major labels (names like Columbia, Warners, RCA, BMG, Arista etc) this brought in a deluge of unearned money. It’s important to understand why this money wasn’t earned.
The ultimate prize a recording contract..II….
A recording contract says that the band can only record for the label and no one else. This is absolute and final. There is no scenario where the label will allow the band to record tracks without the label being in absolute control of those masters.
What’s so great about a recording contract?
In the post web world the labels no longer hold all the cards nor do they control the keys to fame. The only traditional system that the labels still control is commercial radio. There is even light at the end of that tunnel since radio is in a confused desperate period. They have no idea what to program and the cracks have appeared under their feet – satellite radio, web radio, podcasts and many more trends have begun to destabilize commercial radio. So the last of the Major label strangleholds is on the way out. Where does this leave the record labels?
