August 26, 2008

“ This is not about a naive belief that pop music is untainted by any commercial concerns. This is about the simple desire to be able to listen to any new music and be secure in the knowledge that it’s not an undercover ad. They come for the bad pop music first. Then they come for the music that you like. You think that your favorite indie bands and underground rappers won’t be subjected to this same tactic as soon as it proves successful? Ha. This is one tactic that just can’t be justified. At least tell us we’re being sold to, you shameless, soulless corporate apologists. Some people still believe that music is worth something by itself.

This whole idea makes my skin crawl. This is why independent music is more important than ever. This is why the major label record company must cease to exist in its current format. They will always, ALWAYS, look for the opportunity in which they can amass the most amount of money.

For example, evaluating the whole downloading situation, the sort of moral propaganda that major label record companies spew always reeked of their greedy desperation seeping through. You know what those major labels never tell you? How much money an artist actually makes from the purchase of each album. You know why they don’t tell you? Because major labels are full of greedy bastards who’ve created a system in which they alone make anywhere from 70% to 90% of the profits off of one cd. So while you think that the $14.99 you’re paying for the record is essentially going to the artist, the artist actually receives a paltry sum. Once you subtract the fee from the label, the management, and lawyers, there are fees for songwriters and producers and then the artist gets paid. Here’s hoping your favorite major label star is multi-talented.

I feel like, eight years after Napster first hit the market, the major labels would finally get some balls and really admit to why music downloading is a threat to their way of life. I mean, it’s the least they could do after completely squandering the whole Napster thing in the first place. How long did it take them to get on that ship before three more already sailed away? Dumb-asses. And now some people are proposing creating some sort of music tax. Here’s why this won’t work in the U.S.: because we are full of greedy bastards. Charging everyone a $5 tax, or a $25 tax, or even a $100 tax per month will not satisfy the businessmen running those major labels. What kind of profit would they make? What would be the point for them? And if that were to occur, wouldn’t there be even less creativity and less interesting artists out on the market? Wouldn’t the major labels be more interested in finding which artists attract the largest audience, or which songs produce the lowest level of satisfaction, thereby subjecting those singular artists to a variety of other media and promotional realms (films! Broadway! clothing lines! perfumes!) in order to create an additional profit while leaving little room for anyone else?

Right now we’re in a particularly interesting time. I have never been so exposed to so much new music at such a rapid pace. It’s not just because I work in music journalism, either. The programs and platforms that the internet gives to the general public means that anyone with a little creativity can become an overnight star and cultivate their own career on their own terms. Think of Lily Allen or Katy Perry on a larger scale, and anyone Pitchfork has ever hyped on a smaller scale. Musicians now have the opportunities to create a rather nice quality EP or album using their laptop, upload it to a MySpace page, send the link to a bunch of music blogs, and create the sort of buzz that major labels have not been able to build around their new artists in years. Anyone can be a musician! You can be Greg Gillis, former scientist by day and mash-up DJ by night until you’ve finally created a career, all on your own, without the “help” of the big boys. Think about that! Think about it! That’s amazing, and for a major label, that’s pretty fucking frieghtening. They no longer get to control who you listen to, and how you find your music. Now, Swedish pop stars named Lykke Li can plan a U.S. tour before her album even drops. Now, young adults who worked as shop boys in a Prada boutique can create enough internet buzz about a song focusing on fucking an American cunt to write an album, and tour the U.S. (fucking American cunts).

It’s wonderful. It’s glorious. It’s freedom for the artist. It’s freedom for the average joe who always dreamed about being a musician. It’s freedom for the fan who wants something a little different to get by during the day.

So when I read articles about Wrigley sponsoring songs by Chris Brown, I get a little disgusted. But then I see what their sponsorship is, and I laugh, for their desperation and feel sick for their greed. There’s a reason why the independent market has exploded, and here’s hoping that it continues to grow and that those greedy fucks at the major labels drown in their swimming pool-like vaults of gold coins.

Comments (View)

buyhercandy reblogged this from britticisms and added:

Well said, Britt. The reason half of us got/are getting into music “journalism” in the first place is because we love...
britticisms reblogged this from maura and added:

Actually it’s not. I just got into music journalism about a year ago. There are many outlets for discovering music, the...
maura reblogged this from britticisms and added:

Your “constant stream...discovery”? It absolutely, positively
grayandgreen reblogged this from rachelhills and added:

The title is appropriate for her. Congratulations on the recognition, Britt!
soupsoup reblogged this from rachelhills
rachelhills reblogged this from britticisms
britticisms posted this

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