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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | "W. Colter" <deedlemusic@sbcglobal.net> |
| Subject | Rants R Us |
| Date | Thu, 10 Jul 2003 17:43:32 -0700 (PDT) |
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Kevin wrote:
>NONE of
> the bands I listen to need major labels. They get
> their publicity from
> creative internet ventures or word of mouth (music
> lists) or small
> labels (not lame, etc). The "larger" acts I listen
> to want nothing to
> do with the major labels really anymore (Pearl Jam,
> Aimee Mann, Ben
> Folds). Some would argue that without the big
> labels, those bands
> wouldn't be in a position to succeed now without
> them, but I contend
> these bands would have made it on their own anyway.
How, pray tell, do you contend "these bands would have made it on their own anyway"? Really, I want to know. I've been trying to "make it on my own" for years now, - with the help of an indie label or two and all by my lil' ol' self - and my direct experience is that it takes A LOT OF MONEY to create a career like those artists you mention -- for promotion and awareness and tv appearances and ads in Billboard and payola to the radio stations (which all the artists you quote above had at a critical points in their careers) to "make it" in this business, money that I don't have, that the indie labels didn't have quite enough of, and that only major labels seem to feel inclined to dish out, strings, warts and all. I'm sure your own CD collection can attest to the fact that "making it" has nothing to do with "talent", right? So, if your definition of "making it" is at all similar to mine: i.e., being supported financially by one's career to the point that one doesn't have to work
another job (isn't this the definition of anyone's life -- having your life's work support your LIFE?), i.e., not a weekend-warrior or emphatic hobbyist releasing disks on a shoestring as in your first two sentences above (neither are bad, just not my definition of "making it" as an artist and I'll bet you none of those band's definitions either -- ask Bruce how many CDs a typical Not Lame band can expect to sell), then please do tell me the magic formula that Aimee Mann, Ben Folds and Pearl Jam could have used early in their careers without being on a major label first, to routinely sell 100+ thousand copies of whatever they feel like putting out now.
Inquiring minds want to know.
Frankly, all this hoo-ha about how fucked up the majors are (and they are, yes they are, but so what - any artist who's lucky enough to get signed to a major should know enough to take the money and run and be glad they now have a bankrolled shot at a future with or without the label), gets me wondering where the hell the next generation of musicians who grew up listening to Pearl Jam, Aimee Mann and Ben Folds are going to turn to follow their dreams of "making it" as a musician/artist. It's practically an out-moded job description for non-ultra-commercial artists, now, isn't it? To me, that's far more fucked up than CDs that won't play in your computers.
Wendie
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