The Majors:
- all successful business ventures are based on the concept that money invested is recouped with a profit and various strategies need to be employed in order to maximise profits
- it is claimed that 90% of music companies' products fail to make a profit, so they will rely on the 10% that incur a substantial income -> these few artists wil subsidise the losses made by the majority
- companies therefore prioritise a small group of well-established artists on their labels
- repackaging the familiar is apparent in major companies' preoccupation with easily-identifiable genres of music
- music genre allows a product to be promoted easily based on familiarity (it explains certain musical trends for particular genres like Metal, Grunge, EMO etc.
- symbiotic relationship with other media industries; genres are marketed to existing audiences via 'niche' advertising strategies; the identifiable target audience are given access to artists via radio, the music press and TV channels that 'specialise' in similar genres e.g. a Goth/Metal band would give interwies in Kerrang! magazine
- prioritising the commercial over the creative within the multi-national companies can result in tension between artists and their labels; commercial pressures can result in artists being dropped from their labels when their product fails to sell the required number of copies! a guaranteed seller music has to be produced -> replicating a certain style and sound
The Indies
www.emusic.com
- The term independent refers to companies that are independently owned and completely separate from the majors
- some indie companies are much smaller consisting of one label only
- whatever the size, a range of artists are signed and the production, distribution and exhibition cycle exists in generally the same manner as the majors
- often independent companies are amalgamated with the majors such as Virgin, Mute which are part of EMI now
- significant independent players are Martin Mills' Beggars group which consists of individual labels (XL - The Prodigy); a recent addition to the sector is Domino Records (Arctic Monkeys)
- ideology - contrary to majors - privileges music as a creative art form, risk taking ventures;
- artists sign under the impression that they will be given artistic freedom (Arctic Monkeys rejected offers from major labels in favour of Domino)
- it cannot be assumed that bands/artists on indie labels produce 'alternative' non-mainstream style music that will not attract a mass market (Arctic Monkeys)
Majors vs Indies
- not everything is 'ground-breaking', how alternative are actually these bands?
- it is wrong to think that the majors only produce formulaic material - Radiohead are on Parlophone (EMI owned) and have indie image -> this challenges assumptions that the majors are interested only in manufactured bands and the Pop Idol brigade, major labels encouraging diversity; more likely to allow creative control because they are securing the coffers with the mainstream pop arm of the company
- they also have a secure destribution network in order to promote less formulaic albums from e.g. Radiohead -> diversity is available within the mainstream and within easy access of a wide audience
- indie labels lack of money is problematic when competing with the economic weight of the majors
- records that have an expensive marketing campaign to accompany the release will attract a wider audience, complete with numerous TV appearances, radio etc
- The majority of entries in the charts and recognisable artists in music all belong to the most successful record companies
- The music industry is dominated by four major companies: EMI, Universal, Warner Music, Sony BMG, who own a collection of smaller record labels
- Each label has a roll-call of artists who have signed a recording contract. Universal Music Group have signed: Bon Jovi, U2, Eminem, Elton John etc.
- The record companies are responsible for an eclectic mix of music artists and production. No company specialises in one style of music
- AOL Time Warner (parent company of Warner Music) own a substantial slice of Hollywood film production + CNN, HBO etc. -> this synergy assists in the promotion of music within other media formats
Characteristics of major companies' strategies:
- it is claimed that 90% of music companies' products fail to make a profit, so they will rely on the 10% that incur a substantial income -> these few artists wil subsidise the losses made by the majority
- companies therefore prioritise a small group of well-established artists on their labels
- repackaging the familiar is apparent in major companies' preoccupation with easily-identifiable genres of music
- music genre allows a product to be promoted easily based on familiarity (it explains certain musical trends for particular genres like Metal, Grunge, EMO etc.
- symbiotic relationship with other media industries; genres are marketed to existing audiences via 'niche' advertising strategies; the identifiable target audience are given access to artists via radio, the music press and TV channels that 'specialise' in similar genres e.g. a Goth/Metal band would give interwies in Kerrang! magazine
- prioritising the commercial over the creative within the multi-national companies can result in tension between artists and their labels; commercial pressures can result in artists being dropped from their labels when their product fails to sell the required number of copies! a guaranteed seller music has to be produced -> replicating a certain style and sound
The Indies
www.emusic.com
- The term independent refers to companies that are independently owned and completely separate from the majors
- some indie companies are much smaller consisting of one label only
- whatever the size, a range of artists are signed and the production, distribution and exhibition cycle exists in generally the same manner as the majors
- often independent companies are amalgamated with the majors such as Virgin, Mute which are part of EMI now
- significant independent players are Martin Mills' Beggars group which consists of individual labels (XL - The Prodigy); a recent addition to the sector is Domino Records (Arctic Monkeys)
- ideology - contrary to majors - privileges music as a creative art form, risk taking ventures;
- artists sign under the impression that they will be given artistic freedom (Arctic Monkeys rejected offers from major labels in favour of Domino)
- it cannot be assumed that bands/artists on indie labels produce 'alternative' non-mainstream style music that will not attract a mass market (Arctic Monkeys)
Majors vs Indies
- not everything is 'ground-breaking', how alternative are actually these bands?
- it is wrong to think that the majors only produce formulaic material - Radiohead are on Parlophone (EMI owned) and have indie image -> this challenges assumptions that the majors are interested only in manufactured bands and the Pop Idol brigade, major labels encouraging diversity; more likely to allow creative control because they are securing the coffers with the mainstream pop arm of the company
- they also have a secure destribution network in order to promote less formulaic albums from e.g. Radiohead -> diversity is available within the mainstream and within easy access of a wide audience
- indie labels lack of money is problematic when competing with the economic weight of the majors
- records that have an expensive marketing campaign to accompany the release will attract a wider audience, complete with numerous TV appearances, radio etc
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