Quote:
Originally Posted by edwardc77
However once I also read an old sonic youth interview where they stated that they decided to move to a major label because indie labels had difficulty offering them adequate promotion and getting money from them was always problematic. Plus for the first time in their lives they now had health insurance.
Back in the old days if you wished for success and big financial rewards probably major labels were almost your only option.
However that wasn’t my point, my point is that if you have big ideas in music nowadays, it will be difficult to turn them into reality because simply there is no money out there for big risky projects.
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I do remember that. They joined the majors at the right time and place, when there was room. but were also lucky to create good music that attracted listeners as well - a couple of major flop albums and it could have been goodbye.
In a way, I feel that what the majors did with expensive videos, pipe dreams, sub-labels/faux-Indies that failed, very little support for the alternative after a fashion, signing who they felt to be mega stars, and other high expenses was what made the majors fall.
On the other side of things, there was a lot of crap going on at the Indies, I will agree. I remember a number of important labels going under in the 80's and 90's, and heard a lot of those "Where's my money?!!!" tales. Big Black also had some major crap from their Distribution with Homestead if I'm correct. (Our Band Could Be Your Life, p. 335) A read through a great book, Alex Ogg's recommended Independence Days, also has quite a few horror stories.
I just hope that the Indie side of things has learned from it's mistakes. If there's any time that they're needed it's now. Maybe what I'm trying to say is that it's not really a time for Big Ideas, but a time to seriously re-evaluate what's going on at this moment. Let's hope I'm proven wrong in that there will be a time when taking risks will be great in the near future. I'd like to see a return when that can happen, but maybe if the Indie world shapes up, there will be a true adventurousness with that way of thinking with people who seriously like music running the show. I still don't see a day that anything will be changed with the majors.
There will be some successes, mainly from bands and musicians who already have an audience, but for new musicians, it's possibly a time to actually think about a making an impact without playing the big games. A few bands played very smart when they joined the majors (Re: Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, REM, a few others), and I'm sure a lot of it was with a lot of experience, know-how, and the ability to create good music that actually crossed into the mainstream, but not many do. Still, with the mentality of those at the top wanting the bottom line, I still say that those days are over.