Thread: SOPA
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Re: SOPA
Old 01-19-2012, 07:34 PM   #29
The Germanator
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Default Re: SOPA

Quote:
Originally Posted by Typhoid View Post
I think the only thing this will do for the music industry is destroy record labels. Bands can still put their music on the internet without getting sued, if they don't belong to a label. If they own their own shit, they can do whatever they want with it. If ANYTHING, this is the worst business move those mega-companies could hope for.

because if I have the choice of signing with Sony, and having them take my money for distributing it on the internet, and also paying to put it there;
and
Hosting it myself and not risk getting sued by anyone considering I'm not signed to a label

I think I'd go with option B, and I'm pretty sure most others would, too.
What's the point of signing to a record label, when pressing records is becoming obsolete. It's all about putting it on the internet. Digital copies. I don't need a record label to put my video or song up. I can do that for myself.
You're right on some of this, but you can't completely diminish a record label's clout. We're actually self-releasing our next album and I'm excited about doing in that way, but there's some hardship that comes with it.

The main thing a record label can do, whether or not you're still physically printing CDs or not, is having money upfront and the experience to make that money work. A label can pay an advance for recording, press, radio plugging, videos, advertising, etc without the band having to pay this cost up front. Of course that means they recoup those costs before the band sees anything, but those things have a ton of value, and if the label doesn't make that money back then it's their problem, not yours.

With self-releasing, of course you can just upload your stuff and hope for the best, but without paying for some of that stuff (press most importantly), it's going to be tough. Of course Radiohead can do it, they don't need press to remind people to buy their music at any cost, but it's tougher when you're say...The Spinto Band.

That said, I'm excited about the self-release prospect. We've gotta put some of our money upfront, but it also means money will be going directly to us when someone buys it from us online, and theoretically we make that money right back and hope to profit on touring/merch/commercials, whatever.

Anyway, this is kind of just an off-topic music industry rant, but I still say that you can't completely disregard labels. They still can be useful in situations.
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