"Where Independence Lives"

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WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF WE WERE TO STATE THAT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IS DEAD ? WOULD YOU THINK THAT WE WERE OUT OF MINDS ?
OR THAT WE WERE JUST OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY. WELL REGARDLESS OF WHAT CONCLUSION YOU MAY DRAW, LET ME STATE THAT IT IS NOT TOTALLY DEAD AND GONE AT THIS POINT AND TIME. HOWEVER, IT IS ON A LIFE SUPPORT MACHINE AND IF SOMEONE DOESN'T DO SOMETHING FAST, IT WILL DEFINITELY BE EXPERIENCING A MAJOR ELECTRICAL BLACKOUT.   

NOW, YOU MAY SAY HOW COULD THIS BE, EVERY TIME YOU TURN ON THE TV OR RADIO YOU HEAR STORIES ABOUT HOW SUCH & SUCH IS BRINGING IN MAJOR BUCKS. HOW ARTISTS ARE MAKING MONEY LIKE NEVER BEFORE. LET ME ELABORATE ON OUR STATEMENT. FIRST AND FOREMOST, YOU MUST UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY THIS STRANGE ANIMAL THAT WE CALL THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS ALL ABOUT, WHAT IT'S GOALS ARE, AND WHO CONTROLS, OR BETTER STILL, WHO HAS ALWAYS CONTROLLED IT.

THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS, WAS AND WILL ALWAYS BE ABOUT THE SIGNING OF ARTISTS, THE RECORDING OF MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS, AND THE SELLING OF THOSE MUSICAL WORKS FOR A PROFIT. NOW IN BETWEEN THOSE LINES IS THE CONCEPT OF ENTERTAINING PEOPLE AND THE SPREADING OF JOY, GOOD TIMES AND HAPPINESS THROUGH PRODUCT SOLD. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES IT JUST DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. (A POINT THAT WE WILL TOUCH UPON IN ANOTHER ARTICLE AT A LATER DATE).

NOW, REGARDLESS OF THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN CONTROLLED BY A VERY SMALL AND POWERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE. PEOPLE WHO WHICH HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB UNTIL RECENTLY WITH THE TURNING OF THE TIDE. YOU SEE, WITH THE BIRTH OF THE INTERNET AND WEBSITES SUCH AS YOUTUBE, MYSPACE, AND THE GRANDDADDY OF THEM ALL, ITUNES; FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MUSICAL HISTORY, THE FORMULA HAS CHANGED.

IN RECENT TIMES, WHILE MANY OF THE MAJOR OUTFITS HAVE STRUGGLED TO GET THEIR BALANCE SHEETS IN ORDER, THE INDEPENDENTS HAVE BEEN MAKING MONEY; MAD MONEY. IN ONE RECENT SITUATION, A MAJOR OUTFIT REPORTED A 74% DROP IN IT'S SALES FIGURE FOR THE FISCAL QUARTER. YOU MAY ASK HOW COULD THIS BE ?

WHILE THERE ARE MANY FACTORS THAT LED TO THIS CONCLUSION,
THE OVERALL ANSWER IS SIMPLE "BECAUSE IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE". ONE OF THE MAJOR FACTORS IS THE COSTS OF OVERHEAD. WHEREAS, THE MAJOR OUTFITS HAVE TO SPEND MILLIONS IN OVERHEAD COSTS, THE INDEPENDENTS HAVE MANAGED TO KEEP THEIRS RELATIVELY SMALL.

AS SUCH, WHEN A MAJOR OUTFIT RELEASES A RECORD THAT SALES 100,000 COPIES, IT IS CONSIDERED A FAILURE. WHILE ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN AN INDEPENDENT RELEASES A RECORD THAT SELLS 10,000 COPIES, THEY WILL BE BREAKING OUT THE CHAMPAGNE.

ANOTHER FACTOR IS THE PRICING SCHEME. HERE, IN THE RECENT PAST CD'S WERE GOING FOR ANYWHERE FROM $14-$18 DOLLARS. HOWEVER, THANKS TO THE GOOD FOLKS OVER AT ITUNES, THE PRESENT GOING RATE IS ROUGHLY $10.00 DOLLARS. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO PURCHASE THE ENTIRE CD YOU CAN PURCHASE THE SONG THAT YOU LIKE FOR ABOUT A BUCK. WITH THIS FORMULA IN HAND, THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO OUTSELL THE MAJOR OUTLETS ON A REGULAR BASIS.

DON'T GET ME WRONG, WE ARE NOT ANTI-MAJOR, BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY ANTI-MONOPOLY.
I MEAN, ISN'T THAT WHAT THE AMERICAN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IS ALL ABOUT. FREEDOM, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY FOR ALL. IN FACT, LET ME GO ON RECORD AND STATE THAT WE LOVE THE MAJOR LABELS AND ALL THAT THEY HAVE DONE TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN THIS WONDERFUL INDUSTRY. WHAT WE ASK FROM THEM IS THAT THEY REALIZE THAT TIMES HAVE CHANGED AND THAT IT WOULD BE BEST FOR ALL IF WE WORKED TOGETHER TO CHANGE WITH THE TIMES. WHAT WE WOULD ASK FROM YOU IS THAT YOU KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUCCUMB TO THAT WHICH IS CONTINUALLY PUSHED IN YOUR FACE. AS THERE ARE MULTITUDES OF INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND LABELS WITH TONS OF TALENT JUST WAITING TO PLEASE YOUR EAR. IN OUR QUEST TO DO OUR PART TO HELP IN LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRESENT THE MANY TALENTED MEN AND WOMEN WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT MUSIC COMMUNITY WHICH WE COME ACROSS. IF BY CHANCE WE HAVE NOT SHOWCASED SOMEONE WHO YOU FEEL SHOULD BE LISTED, SIMPLY SEND US THE LINK, AND WE WILL INCLUDE THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

WE ALSO ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL MOM & POP RECORD SHOPS WITHIN YOUR VICINITY, AFTER ALL, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO WHICH HELPED IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER,
TO LAUNCH THIS CURRENT CRAZE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY.

WITH THAT SAID, WE ASK THAT YOU SIT BACK, RELAX AND ENJOY THE BEST OF THE INDEPENDENTS. AND THAT YOU DON'T FORGET TO VISIT OUR FRIENDS!

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