These are fun, because they're examples of how the music industry is restructuring. Trent Reznor is reportedly considering self-producing as an option now (he shares my hatred for the big four), Radiohead as of the last I heard is looking for a D&M deal and Barenaked Ladies already have a D&M deal with Nettwerk, who are known to be an 'artist-friendly' label.
People think these guys can do this because they're big names and they've got the cash, but the truth of it is with modern technology a band can self-produce without making huge investments. It's entirely possible to set up a workable home studio for $5000 or less, and with the internet providing a great way to distribute to worldwide audience for next to nothing.
One artist I've been keeping my eye on is Saul Williams. Trent Reznor produced his newest album and it can be downloaded from his site (it was originally offered for free with the option of paying $5, but it seems the free download has been removed). From niggytardust.com is the following:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Saul Williams
It is my greatest honor to present to you The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, my new album produced by Trent Reznor and mixed by Alan Moulder...
...Each label, like apartheid, multiplies us by our divide and whips us 'til we conform to lesser figures. What falls between the cracks is a pile of records stacked to the heights of talents hidden from the sun. Yet the energy they put into popularizing smut makes a star of a shiny polished gun. The ballot or the bullet for Mohawk or the mullet is a choice between new times and dying days. And the only way to choose is to jump ship from old truths and trust dolphins as we swim through changing ways. The ways of middlemen proves to be just a passing trend. We need no priests to talk to God. No phone to call her. And when you click the link below, i think it fair that you should know that your purchase will make middlemen much poorer...
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