Tapsearch Com EditorRecord labels now obsolete! Oh wait, no.
October 2nd 2007 22:38
Everyone is making big deal of Radiohead's decision to release the new album itself. Problem is, the main functions of a label are to fund, record and promote artists. Radiohead members have plenty of money, can hire their own recording staff and are big enough that they don't need the marketing. What exactly does this prove?
Additionally, they're putting the record up for download for "whatever you want to pay." Again, terrific if millions of people will get it, and presumably some will donate. Radiohead will recoup its costs. But this does nothing to change the fact that less and less money is going into the music industry -- because of downloading -- so the industry can't invest much in high-risk, inventive new bands.
If anything, this will actually compound the problem. The big bands will leave the labels and keep all the money to themselves, leaving labels without a cash flow from successful acts. That cash flow used to fund a crop of new bands, only a few of which made it big. Now there's no money with which to find the next Radiohead.
Until the day independent artists can reasonably expect to make some money off their work without labels, I'll be pining for the old system.
Additionally, they're putting the record up for download for "whatever you want to pay." Again, terrific if millions of people will get it, and presumably some will donate. Radiohead will recoup its costs. But this does nothing to change the fact that less and less money is going into the music industry -- because of downloading -- so the industry can't invest much in high-risk, inventive new bands.
If anything, this will actually compound the problem. The big bands will leave the labels and keep all the money to themselves, leaving labels without a cash flow from successful acts. That cash flow used to fund a crop of new bands, only a few of which made it big. Now there's no money with which to find the next Radiohead.
Until the day independent artists can reasonably expect to make some money off their work without labels, I'll be pining for the old system.
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Comment by Louie
randomthoughts
Phil's Wellness Tips
Maybe Radiohead should be putting a few tracks of some young artists they like on their new album and giving them support that way...
Interesting post
cheers
Louie
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
The future is Companies as facilitators of sales, music groups as self funded on smaller scales etc. I see positives and negatives.
Comment by Techno
Geeky Blog
If you or anyone else you know has a problem with this, I'll look out for it for you.
Techno