‘It Seems Like Major Labels Are Run by Pedophiles.’
Quotes from the 2011 EMP Pop Conference:
"Don't be under the impression that [major labels] have any concern for what anyone on this panel, or most of the people we know, do. It seems like it's run by pedophiles trying to push the next ring tone."
– David Sitek
Moby: 'Major Labels Should Just Die':
"I truly believe, as an institution, most major labels should just die…
There was a time when the music business was incredibly monolithic and there were only two ways to get your music heard: sign to a major label, get your music played on MTV and get it played by big radio stations…
Thank God, that period has come to an end…
"Signing to a major, for 99.9% of the musicians on the planet, is the worst thing they could do… They've treated musicians badly. They've treated fans badly. They've treated the music badly, most importantly. For that reason, they either need to reinvent themselves or die quietly." – Moby
(via Hollywood Reporter)
Really douchy and simplistic quotes. What exactly do people mean when they say “major labels” ? Do they mean the transnational corporate power centers that own them? The retrogressive and impotent lackeys that manage them at the top?. They know how to succeed, but are constrained often.
… because I sure as hell hope they don’t mean hard working, underpaid, passionate and often REALLY KNOWLEDGABLE folks who actually run things at the sub-VP level. My time at WMG and EMI opened my eyes to this. There are tons of incredibly talented, bright, friendly people who are trying like hell to make the best of a bad situation – much of which was mucked up by the likes of
So maybe let’s stop slagging on all majors in such a moronic manner. What is this, seventh grade?
What people should be advocating for is not the death of the majors, but the hastened transition of older, less-skilled management to younger, more courageous and adept people.
We NEED a major label system of some kind operating along side the indies. And we probably always will.
Very well said… in 2011, major labels are akin to typewriter companies!
It is the constraints that lower management faces within the traditional “Major Labels” that makes that system antiquated and irrelevant with respect to innovation and creativity.
CO-SIGN. There are some damn good Sub-sidary labels out there with a talented and artistic roster full of artists. Not every record label works the same. If you want the death of anything, look to “the transnational corporate power centers that own them” or the president of the RIAA and previous executives who are selfish and cannot adapt. Get rid of them. We need new blood, have a balance of power for ALL RECORD LABELS, both major and indies, so we can promote talent. It’s that simple.
Go Moby!!
When the record labels chose to sue individual music fans for filesharing, the labels did a great evil which they refuse to undo. They may have stopped suing individual fans, but they remain the companies which have done evil.
Not buying new releases from the major labels has become a moral duty. Every cool major-label release you buy is kicking dirt in the face of Jammie Thomas and all the other victims. So no, I won’t buy the new Diana Damrau album, and I won’t buy the new Carolina Chocolate Drops.
If I have to have it, I’ll hunt down a used or promo copy. But you’d be surprised how little you really need to have.
Signed, a former very good customer. I know quite a few more like me.
Did everyone forget about Lou Pearlman already?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Pearlman
Hmmm
Moby was fine when Mute had a major deal? Hypocritical?
Moby didn’t cry when he sold a ton of albums.
Radio today is about 10 songs that get played over and over each hour for days on end.
Of these 10 songs most of the artist don’t even write the songs themselves. The label serves this model well. Nobody is better than the major labels at this game.
This is such a word of mouth business. Everyone likes to hate the “Major Labels”. If you are an artist, you should be praying for a major record company to pick you up. Majors take care of business. They are professional and efficient. They are also well known and have reputations to protect, so they will not F***k you over as easily as an indie label that has nothing to loose. It is so funny how it is considered “cool” to bash on major labels.