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Friday, March 21, 2008

“DIT”: Defining the Music Industry together in this new era by Gilli Moon

The first in a series of blogs from singer/songwriter Gilli Moon

Quite a few years ago, I wrote an article called “Taming of the Music Mafia”. You can read it here: www.gillimoon.com/articles. It discussed the challenges artists were facing back in 2002 (sounds so long ago now right?), and where the music industry is heading. The term “mafia” was not not a literal term I used , but more a conceptual, metaphorically speaking way to reference certain control, monopolies and bribery that existed within the music industry, whether legal or illegal, between artists, radio, promoters and record labels. I talked about how artists signed to major record companies, who then spent their money negotiating airplay or retail end cap space to sell the CDs they needed to sell, to keep the ball rolling. I talked about pay to play, buying radio hits, and playing the “game” of the major record company system. Ah,… the music industry. Such an evolving subject these days. It's like a revolving door, with nothing that sticks.
Wikipedia defines the "music industry" as such:
The music industry is the business of music. Although it encompasses the activity of many music-related businesses and organizations, it is currently dominated by the "big four" record groups, also known as "the major labels"/"the majors" — Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner — each of which consists of many smaller companies and labels serving different regions and markets.
Well, they’re a little outdated aren’t they, now that EMI and Sony are one. So basically, there are the big “3”.
I find it fascinating that the music industry definition is still defined as run by so few entities. But back in the day.. oh just a few years ago... artists would play the game with the majors because it was the only way to get a look in. Basically, worldwide exposure was “bought” , it has been claimed, and that any artist trying to get a look in had a fat chance because you’d have to sign up to the devil, really. The "devil", so to speak, were these record companies, apparently, who signed their artists to 5-7 album deals in order to get some kind of life expectancy out of them, be able to push their music through their styrophome towers and through all that, constucted binding 60 page contracts that left little room for artist independence, let alone the real opportunity for them to ever make their investment back or artists to make any money..
"the music industry mafia is pimping girl power sniping off their sharpshooter singles from their Styrofoam towers..." - Ani DiFranco
Playing the devil’s advocate, independent artists, those who were setting themselves apart from the machine of signing deals (or flogging themselves to the Labels to get signed), became silently, discreetly and effectively (to the major public eye) more in control of their business. I was one of them.
The cold hard fact was that Artists needed to become more in control of their careers and less beholden to the deep pocket, the stifling un-creative rigidity, and possibly (probably) get screwed, shelved, or bankrupt in the process. We all know, and knew then, that the "empire" was about to unravel. While independent artists began a surge of self-empowerment and the “indie” world ignited, so did the empire begin to crumble… as expected, and much needed. We all need Rome to fall in order for something new and exciting to transpire. Since my first article, Pandora’s Box has indeed opened and whilst label executives had kept their jobs for fifty years, since 2002, the majority have lost them. There is no more “status quo”. This is the movie The Terminator, except instead, the artists are the ones taking over the world.
What has happened is quite remarkable: the consumer started making decisions about what music they wanted to listen to. Instead of Corporate Music America deciding what we were to hear on radio, see on TV or watch live, consumers, with their ipods, napsters, myspaces, limewires, and youtubes, searched music content of their own choosing. Just google something and you can find it, and usually for free. They didn't want to have music forced down their throat anymore, especially when so much more interesting and abundant music was and is floating on the Net.
The indie artist quickly stepped up to the plate before a Major Record Company exec could write their next marketing plan. How exciting for an indie artist, who has always had to think outside the box and find other ways to get to the masses: the masses at their door step. And the "front door", with people banging loudly, became the artists' own websites, and Myspace profiles and anywhere an artist can upload, blog, ping, splash on the Internet. The indie artist began to take control of not only their careers and future income potential, but take control of how music is being marketed.

posted by Digital Freedom Campaign # 10:41 AM

Comments: Music lovers: Earn FREE MP3s for reviewing hot, new music.

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SFI : March 22, 2008 1:28 AM Post a Comment

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