The Music Business
Read carefully before you sign the dotted line
More artists are becoming more involved in every aspect of their music. It’s becoming common place for artists to be actively involved in the production, writing, arrangement and recording of their work. This phenomenon has thrown the industry as we know it, off balance. Artists are proving self sufficient. Fewer artists are seeking recording contracts from major labels; an act that is rendering labels redundant. Instead distribution companies are booming with interest as independent labels are rapidly expanding. Suddenly the exclusivity of the music word has become permeable, which is a notion that does not sit well with major labels.
Labels have been forced to change the way that they conduct business as a means to accommodate the shift in the proverbial musical tide. Sales are down, piracy is up, and the big budget spending is out. These and many other factors have contributed to the astronomical way in which artists map the routes to success. Ten years ago, it was still feasible for artists to want to record a Demo, shop the Demo and get signed by a label; thus marking the start of an illustrious career. These days, the rules of engagement have changed. With recent technological advances and increased accessibility, music production and recording has become a professional pastime for many.
The change in the political structure of the music business has been a positive change in the name of creativity. While the bureaucratic heads try to attach to the latest version of cool, a more eclectic set is making its way past the sensors and we are benefiting with a more diverse listening pallet from which we can choose.
