Terrific Article About Musicians In Sunday NYT...
If you want to get a good primer on the issues surrounding record labels, artistic independence, Internet music distribution, etc., run do not walk to the nearest news stand (or fire up the family browser) and get thee to the New York Times.
The cover of Section II, Arts & Leisure has a wonderful article by Neil Strauss called, "A Chance To Break The Pop Stranglehold." Here are just a couple of interesting quotes...
"The record industry has reached a moment of decision. In the next few years, artists may break the corporate grip that crimps their creativity. Or not..."
"Waiting for the new record from Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction? Keep waiting. It's already been rejected by his record label, Warner Brothers, several times. And what ever happened to Joan Osborne? Her label hasn't liked her new material either. The Verve Pipe? The label made the band write dozens of additional songs for its next album in search of a new hit. And Beck? He has just been sued by his record label over a contract dispute..."
"Despite the rhetoric on the Internet about an on-line music revolution bringing down the record establishment, it is not the Internet per se that is going to grant musicians their freedom. It's the idea of the Internet--in other words, the knowledge that there is an alternative to the system.
The golden age of the Internet--as a freewheeling, chaotic world where all information is available free of charge and everybody is equal--is fast coming to an end. There's too much money at stake for it not to be transformed into a new revenue stream for corporations..."
"Then there are songwriters like Aimee Mann, the former singer in 'Til Tuesday, who has a strong fan base and is an accomplished songwriter. But her experiences trying to release records have been soul-crushing and as a result she has only put out two albums in eight years.
Her first label, Giant, got cold feet and canceled her contract before releasing her first album. Her second label, Imago, folded before her second record came out, and, just after Ms. Mann completed her third album for he third label, Geffen, the company was consolidated into Interscope as a result the merger of both labels' parent company... (MORE WOES FOLLOW, THEN...)
"I'm officially at the end of my major label rope," she said.
"The plan provides that giving artists equity in the companies that market their work would motivate them. They would receive dividends, a much larger share of royalties, the rights to their master recordings and short, standardized contracts so that everyone would be aware of the risks and rewards in the deal. On a more radical note, the proposal suggests that successful musicians be asked to take a stake in new acts to help them get started. In turn, so-called music pirates would be encouraged to become mini-retailers instead and sell CD's and concert tickets on their own Web sites for a small profit."
Best Regards,
c m |
