Record Labels // Current

Dear Major Labels: You're F*cked

The mass-produced, cookie cutter, bullsh!t "music" that major labels spoonfeed the... more

petergrumbine
added this
19 days ago
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9 comments

Record Labels Fear Virgin’s Piracy Solution

In order to combat piracy the UK Internet provider Virgin Media has has teamed up with... more

atomiclegion
added this
3 months ago
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8 comments

Sly Stone Living off Social Security?

It's unfortunate how all too often amazing musicians get screwed by their record... more

amyeliz
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3 months ago
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10 comments

Major Record Labels Ban Together To Introduce Their Own File Format

Universal Records, Sony Music, Warner Music, and EMI have announced plans to roll out... more

CarlosG
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4 months ago
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11 comments

Frank Black Offers His Thoughts on the State of Record Labels

It's no secret that the reign of the record label is over. With the long-standing... more

RuthRuthless
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4 months ago
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0 comments

On Why Record Labels Are Failing Emerging Artists

Walter Yetnikoff, the legendary former head of CBS Records, shares his thoughts at a... more

RuthRuthless
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4 months ago
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0 comments

The Posies: How Do Bands Make Money Now?

The Posies' members were barely out of their teens when they got a major-label record... more

atomiclegion
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4 months ago
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4 comments

Artists Find Backers as Labels Wane

There was a time when most aspiring musicians had the same dream: to sign a deal with a major record label.

Now, with the structure of the music business shifting radically, some industry iconoclasts are sidestepping the music giants and inventing new ways for artists to make and market their music — without ever signing a traditional recording contract.

The latest effort comes from Brian Message, manager of the alternative band Radiohead, which gave away its last album, “In Rainbows,” on the Internet. His venture, called Polyphonic, which was announced this month, will look to invest a few hundred thousand dollars in new and rising artists who are not signed to record deals and then help them create their own direct links to audiences over the Internet.

“Artists are at the point where they realize going back to the old model doesn’t make any sense,” Mr. Message said. “There is a hunger for a new way of doing things.”

Polyphonic and similar new ventures are symptomatic of deep shifts in the music business. The major labels — Sony Music, Warner Music, EMI and Universal Music — no longer have such a firm grip on creating and selling professional music and minting hits with prime placement on the radio.

Much of that has to do with the rise of the Internet as a means of promoting and distributing music. Physical album sales fell 20 percent, to 362.6 million last year, according to Nielsen, while sales of individual digital tracks rose 27 percent, to 1.07 billion, failing to compensate for the drop. Mindful of these changes, in the last few years marquee musicians like Trent Reznor, the Beastie Boys and Barenaked Ladies have created their own artist-run labels and reaped significant rewards by keeping a larger share of their revenue.

Under the Polyphonic model, bands that receive investments from the firm will operate like start-up companies, recording their own music and choosing outside contractors to handle their publicity, merchandise and touring.

Instead of receiving an advance and then possibly reaping royalties later if they have a hit, musicians will share in all the profits from their music and touring. In another departure from tradition in the music business, they will also maintain ownership of their own copyrights and master recordings — meaning they and their heirs can keep earning money from their music.There was a time when most aspiring musicians had the same dream: to sign a deal with... more