It’s quite the ironic twist on the current state of tunes: Major labels hacking jobs and budgets just to stay afloat while tiny independent labels and artists with pea-sized bankrolls are seeing increased sales, exposure and critical recognition.
Granted, this success isn’t what most dreamed of while air-guitaring atop their childhood beds. There are no million-dollar tour buses, no lavish after-show parties and no massive pyro or lighting displays. There’s just pure, straightforward music.
But in a faltering business, this formula seems to be the adrenaline injection into music’s aorta.
“Bands are looking to make a good, solid album that you want to buy rather than an album with two singles and the rest is filler,” said Andrew Katchen, a music writer for the Boston Globe. “There’s less of an expectation and money funneled into an indie record, as opposed to say a Nelly album that has to sell millions of copies just to recoup marketing costs.”
Another reason the independent music world is seemingly bulletproof is because of the relationship between the artist and the fan, which weaves a closely-knit community.
“There’s such a sense of community between the fans and the band — you know who the artist is, even though you may not know the musician personally,” said Katchen. “After the show they’ll go to their own merch table and sell their own disc and you can talk to them, so you know you’re supporting them more than the record company.”
But why not go directly to the horse’s mouth?
More: Here
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