What Caused The Rock And Roll Powershift
The major labels are dead.
Forgive me if I gloat but people like me have been saying for years that the major record labels are a waste of time for an artist.
The Reznor annoucement says more than that he’s willing to go it on his own, without label support.
It also says that any artists that does sign with a label lacks credibility. And that, brother, is the most important commodity in existence for any artist.
Just read what his fans have to say.
The Radiohead experiment has already gotten groups such as Jamiroquai and Oasis, two major names that are not contracted to a record labels, talking about doing the same thing.
Even Annie Lennox is begging to get out of her label contract.
We are watching a major powershift happen in real time.
The remains of the majors will be purchased by electronics companies (i.e. Nokia, Apple, etc.) and we’ll just be left with the stories of hookers and blow all paid for by unknowing artists.
The ironic thing is that the labels did this to themselves.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sold 50,000 records before they were signed.
Rappers have been slinging records out the back of their trunks for years without any label help. Can anyone say Master P?
Nowadays major labels won’t even begin to research a band let alone sign them before they have proven themselves by either touring, garnering airplay or selling records.
What’s the point of signing a record deal when the band has already done the hard part? Artists have been forced to learn how to promote, market and record themselves by record labels. There is no longer a need for a middleman or the need to subsidize lavish industry lifestyles.
The future has finally arrived.
Tags: Apple, Freedom, Master P, NIN, Nokia, Oasis, Prince, Radiohead
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chartreuse 
October 9, 2007 at 4:36 pm
well put, prince. satisfying to see the labels finally reaping what they’ve sown…
October 9, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Oh! You were talking about music– for a minute there, it sounded strangely like publishing. Hmmm.
October 9, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Thanks Prince indeed… both of ’em. 🙂
October 10, 2007 at 1:38 am
If only this happens to firms down the food chain like CAA and UTA than I can die happy. worst people on earth.
October 10, 2007 at 8:34 am
it does sound a bit like publishing doesn’t it Liz…For the record. I wouldn’t sign any book contacts these days either…
October 10, 2007 at 11:08 am
i think books are a little different than music.
October 10, 2007 at 11:13 am
Really?
What do you need a publisher for?
It’s the same model. Middleman gets a huge cut for handling publicity and distribution.
October 10, 2007 at 11:14 am
Books are actually worse than music. The advances are smaller and so are the profits.
October 10, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Published books make no money, so I blog.
Same goals accomplished.
October 11, 2007 at 6:43 am
touche’!
October 14, 2007 at 2:41 am
Using a blog as a successful platform to launch your own self-published books could be feasible.
October 18, 2007 at 8:57 am
[…] this is not just about big artists. The undiscovered have to sell records out of the trunk or use the Internet to make people clap their hands and say yeah before a label will even notice. […]
October 18, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Do those pictures of Sash serve any purpose other than to distract me from the actual content of your article?
October 18, 2007 at 2:23 pm
they’re rock and roll 🙂
October 19, 2007 at 6:52 pm
[…] this is not just about big artists. The undiscovered have to sell records out of the trunk or use the Internet to make people clap their hands and say yeah before a label will even notice. […]
October 19, 2007 at 11:50 pm
[…] this is not just about big artists. The undiscovered have to sell records out of the trunk or use the Internet to make people clap their hands and say yeah before a label will even notice. […]
April 17, 2011 at 7:04 am
so um whats with pics of that chick???
kinda seemed irrelevant…