The Power of Good-Bye

One of the big stories of the day so far is Madonna's decision to dump her music label (Warner) and sign a deal with an independent promotion and distribution company.

We're beginning to see many big names in music making similar decisions to strike out on their own. Lately, Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead have also decided to take control of their own destinies.

The RIAA frequently makes the argument that they have the artists' best interests in mind. But if that is true, then why are so many artists dissatisfied with the way they are treated by the RIAA's member companies? The truth of the matter is that the RIAA and the big labels are only looking out for the record company executives. The history of the music industry since the mid-20th century has been a history of large corporations abusing the creative talent that they employ and promote.

The big labels are irrelevant in this age of online distribution. The only possible reason why anyone would want to sign with a label would be a big label's ability to market and promote a new band that no one has ever heard of. But if you are a household name like Madonna or Radiohead, or if you have a large cult following like Nine Inch Nails, you don't need that same level of mass promotion--your music is going to sell no matter what. Today, it's easy--and relatively cheap--for a musician to record music independently. The internet allows for a wide variety of distribution models. And as Madonna has learned, you can hire an independent company to organize and promote your concerts and album releases. Artists don't have to follow the old model in which the labels took a huge cut from the profits of music sales. The new opportunities available today allow artists to keep more of the money that their music earns while also allowing them greater artistic freedom to pursue their own projects.