BY MIKEY MIGO
Napster: The Beginning of the End
From 1999 to July 2001, the music fans ran the prison. We could jump on to Napster with our dial up connections and spend a good portion of a Simpsons episode downloading one song. It was all good and fun. I think everyone with the know-how and love of music jumped on board at that point. We were all stealing music without putting much thought into it. Then Lars got involved and we experienced the whole Metallica versus Napster war. Why is this prominent to the current state of record labels, you ask? Well, it's got A LOT more to it than what many would really expect.
I'm not saying it was the right thing to do, because in reality it IS theft and we're really only hurting the artist. Now a day, there's still lime wire out there for the Napster fiends. The whole "stealing music" technology has evolved into "bit torrents" and "news groups". It's a sneaky way to steal the music and I'm sure the labels and suits are plotting right now to shut all of this down.
This proved to the record labels, artists, and the fans themselves that the music fan had control. We were tired of paying the outrageous prices for CDs so like Musical Robin Hood's; we stole from the rich to feed the poor man's desire to rock. I think this proved that music has a place on the internet. Up until this point, it was just files on a computer. Do you honestly think that if Napster wouldn't have made us all comfortable with the idea of an mp3 file, downloading music, etc we'd of went as far as iPods? I'm not too sure about it. If you think about it, Napster was that first big step forward in the destruction of the traditional record label.
As of January 08, there have been over 141 MILLION iPod units sold. That's a shit load, folks. I looked into it and the biggest hard drive iPod has put out so far is a 160 GIGABITE drive. That's a lot of space. You can't tell me that you're filling that entire space up with mp3 and video files that you PAID for. That would be a lot of money, at least enough to buy a really nice car. So we're still stealing music, but we just don't talk about it. It's like a unspoken code of music fans that they'll download music for free. It might be a download of CD you once owned, a new artist you're unsure of, or even just flat out gluttonous theft of any audio file you can get your hands on. Really, 160 gigs is a lot. You have to fill it up somehow.
MySpace: The Devil has a Friend List
In 2003, the skies above opened up and this big piece of filth fell from the sky. When it arrives and splattered across the land, it was MySpace: "A place for friends". At first we all start off as space-haters, but slowly and surely we get sucked into the abyss that is "social networking". For those who live under a rock, MySpace is a place where you can go to post creatively angled pictures of yourself, post your interests, blog your deepest thoughts, and have a whole list of friends you've never met and will never physically associate yourself with.
One thing that MySpace has done with commendable merit is exposing more people to more music. The rise of pop-punk/emo/screamo has increased to a mainstream level pretty much in conjunction with this whole MySpace phenomenon. I don't know if the connection is valid, but there sure are a lot of emo kids on MySpace. I'm not even saying that as a joke. I probably wouldn't even know what the term "emo" was without MySpace really exposing some of the current trends and favorites.
It works because we as a curious and envious society want to be on the cutting edge. We want to be the first to mark our territory and the first to know about things. Being left behind sucks so we look around, we ask people, and we discuss new bands and musicians. From there, we'll go to their MySpace page and listen to a few songs they selected for us to hear and form a valid opinion.
That whole scenario works for bands on all levels. I've heard mainstream acts for the first time, new singles, and rare versions thanks to MySpace, but it trickles down. I'm a huge fan of the Chicagoland music scene, but I'm not into growl metal or emo. So I walk out of a mainstream show like Marilyn Manson and get a flyer passed to me from someone. If I'm so inclined I can now go home, look at the band's MySpace page and really if they're my cup of tea or not. This is great because it cuts down on the "risk" a music fan takes when investing their time or money into new music. You don't want to buy a CD because of one song and you don't want to go to a concert based on a picture. You want the whole package and a well crafted MySpace page can tell you exactly what a band is all about.
MySpace has proven that a band or artist can set up a MySpace page and take over the world. All you have to do is sign up, upload their music, post tour dates, and interact with fans. This has worked for many bands on a lot of different levels. It's all about self promotion. Sites like facebook, trig, and others have jumped on the social networking site trend and it doesn't seem to be slowly down any time soon. Shit!
Acknowledging the Other Elements
It wouldn't be fair to blame Napster and give MySpace all the credit. We have to look at a few other factors that have helped shape the current climate of the industry. YouTube has given bands a place to put up their videos, live performances, or in the least another outlet for fan interaction. If something becomes a phenomenon on YouTube then it'll be forever kept as something part of "pop culture". Like it or not, "Chocolate Rain", Chris Crocker, and the like are going to be footnotes that someone will bring up ten years from now. These videos are not only embeddable onto your own "social networking" sites, but also embeddable into normal life.
Another element that I think has to do with the decline of record labels is Satellite AND Internet radio. Satellite does play mainstream favorites, but it's uncut and uncensored. They still play new stuff from new artists and with so many channels there's plenty of exposure around for anyone worthy of it. Internet Radio is getting popular as well. The way I see it, Internet radio is like a musical blog where people can stick to pushing to a certain genre or niche' audience. They say the more exposure the better, right? Well, things are getting pretty damn good for those "Do-It-Yourself" gurus and work-a-holics.
Do It Yourself: All The Way To The Bank
These guys are not on a label and seem to be doing fine for themselves…
Mindless Self Indulgence
How Do They Do It? MSI is becoming more known by the day. They have done their own thing since their inception. Through word of mouth, internet buzz, and a cult following Mindless Self Indulgence has proven that the traditional "record label" is something that can be overlooked. They are so unique of a band and a sound that I think the only ones who can properly promoter them are themselves. They've self released their music with a distribution deal through Metropolis and now The End Records and there seems to be no end in sight. Each time they tour the crowd gets bigger and each album they release the sales go up. MSI has proven they are a rising stock and the only ones who'll be reaping the rewards is themselves and business partners. They don't have to worry about their album sales being demolished by a greedy label.
Tech N9ne
How Does He Do It? Strange Music is the label he calls home and more importantly calls his own. Tech N9ne has crossed promoted, toured with, and collaborated with the top underground artists out there like E-40, the Suburban Noize guys, and even the Psychopathic artists. To me Tech N9ne is the best rapper out there today. His rapid flows, eccentric outlook, and grassroots connection with the crowd is what makes Mr. Aaron Yates a profitable commodity. I could easily see Tech N9ne being a household name and going down as one of the biggest of all time. It's only a matter of time before everyone else gets on board. Hopefully, his "indie" status won't stifle his potential. He sure as hell has a lot of it.
Mistah F.A.B.
How Do They Do It? I first heard of Mistah F.A.B. during December of 2006 on a long road trip home to Indiana from Florida. My friend had Sirius Radio and it was on some underground station. The song that instantly got me hooked was "Ghost Ride It". It not only really exposed me to what the whole "hyphy" genre was. I heard it brought up, but really didn't understand it until F.A.B. got a hold of my attention. Fab has been at work with Snoop and has been gaining some mainstream attention. He's all about his homebase, Thizz Entertainment. Like the artists mentioned above, he's creating his own empire out of nothing.
"Screw You Guys, I'm Goin' Home"
Here's a few bands who are label-less…
Nine Inch Nails
Former Label: Interscope
What Now? Trent Reznor dealt with the folks at Interscope for over fifteen years. That's a LONG TIME in the music world. For the majority of the time at Interscope Trent had his own little subdivision of the label called "Nothing Records." As a fan I really can't complain much except for the fact that they never released "Closure" on DVD. Apparently the label was overcharging fans over seas as well as not giving Trent the creative freedom that he wanted. So he finished up his agreement with Interscope and out of nowhere released a 36 track instrumental album. He put it out online and made over a million and a half dollars on it. Then again, this is Trent Reznor and he has made the Nine Inch Nails product a household name. There are people who are going to buy his albums and releases no matter what they are and his fan base is security enough for him to take risks like this. I don't see an aspiring label band with this kind of luxury.
Smashing Pumpkins
Former Label: Reprise
What Now? The Pumpkins are actually the most current band to jump off the label wagon. Their recent comeback didn't really hit as hard as it should of. I don't even think they've done a hometown show yet. This can't be because of the album not being up to par. Of course not! The promotion for the album was sorta shitty and at this level they really don't need a label. Their fan base is there and it'll expand probably at the same rate with or without a label. Last time I heard, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin bought a studio in the city and will be recording in May. It seems they have a fire lit under them. Hopefully it'll result in a true "comeback" album.
Radiohead
Former Label: Capitol
What Now? Obviously, Radiohead were the first to go all crazy with the "put the album online and give it away" method. It got a lot of attention, but they've been weird about dishing the numbers they made on it. Now it's all "we did it to increase the sales of the physical album" and it's been distributed by a small label. It sorta seems like they bit off more than they can chew and sorta back pedaled. None the less, innovation is innovation. "In Rainbows" has gotten them a lot of critical acclaim and back into the spotlight. They're now touring the US and are as big as they ever were. Good on them, but they obviously don't need a label to accomplish what they're looking to do.
What The Future Holds?
Should record labels feel used by the bigger bands who up and decided to stop playing ball and do things on their own? Not at all. I don't see record labels going away any time soon. I do see how they're perceived being changed in years to come soon. Who can't understand a band like Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, or even Smashing Pumpkins getting off a label and pimping their own shit? They are well established and have a built in audience that'll pretty much guarantee at least one Top 5 spot on Billboard upon release. They're household music names and will sell out or sell enough tickets for big concerts and draw on legacy and recently acquired fans with ease. I'd expect Tool, Dave Mathews, and other major bands with longtime die hard fan bases to all go off on their own. They have the money to experiment with their own business plan and see what works.
Then there are bands that would take a bigger hit if an album wasn't properly released. They need the labels backing and support to get things going. The labels will help you get your album out there to the public on a bigger scale than what MySpace and self promotion can. Even if it's just a distribution contract, the label is needed to get your music in the stores and seen as a legitimate product. I can foresee "label bands" being a term that we'd use in the future in a slightly mocking voice. Once a "label band" learns their craft, the business, saves up money, and knows their demographics then they'd be able to "graduate" to being a non-label band like a Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, or Smashing Pumpkins. Then with that void, the new up and coming fresh unsigned band will hop on board and take the spot.
Even if you'd want to get on a more stable label there's not many choices. Live Nation seems to the only record label really making noise these days and they're not even a normal label. They're doing these "360" contracts where they take care of/take money from your concert and merchandising sales ON TOP OF your album sales. Sure they're handling everything, but it also means they're getting everything. In the past it's been an artist can hate their label, but then tour and shit talk their current situation. If Madonna gets pissed about someone and wants to vent, where can she do so? Live Nation can easily just pull the plug on a concert if things got heated. Even at one point, I'm sure Suge Knight was an alright guy in the eyes of Vanilla Ice. Things can change, if things suck with Live Nation it'll be a stranglehold on anyone who's signed to a contract of this type. It's not just Live Nation, but even smaller bands like Paramore are on these 360's that could either work out great for everyone or become an artistic headlock. We'll have to wait and find out when actual artists sign a "360" contract.
This is all going to be obsolete in ten years when things are changed again. If history has proven anything, there are two things that are always evolving and that are technology and greed. We are greedy for new technology. Music is being dragged along for the ride. Hold on to what you love about it now because in no time it'll be warped and reshaped into something you won't even expect. The more alternatives we have, the more innovative people will become. It's an exciting time to be a music fan and a capitalist!
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