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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Independent VS Signed

There are two kinds of artist in the music industry, independent and signed. Independent artist or music also known as indie or indie music, are artist that make music independently without the support of a major record label or their conglomerates.  This process is very hand’s on for the artist because most of them have little or no staff. Signed artist on the other hand are artist that are signed to a label. These artists are giving the delight to make the music while a team works to make them a star. An artist can be signed to an independent label or a major label. The perks of being signed to an independent are more control over your music, less money to pay out if you are a successful artist and the ability to release music at your own pace with so many distribution outlets at little or no cost.  The average cons of being an independent artist are, no or minimal budget, no or minimal staff, limited resources and no creative team.

The pro’s of being a signed artist are, advances when signed to a major label, an abundance of resources, a full staffed company dedicated to your success, access to the best quality services in the industry, and a fast-track to success. The cons are, you have little control artistically in most cases, and you have to give up a lot of your income if you are a new artist.


The decisions to pursue an independent career or trying to pursue a record deal all dependents on the artist and the artist’s career goals. “Many artist choose to go from an independent label to a 
major label if given the opportunity as major labels have considerably more power and financial means to promote and distribute product; thus increasing the chances of greater success. Some acts, however, may choose not to go to a major label if given the opportunity as independence generally offers more freedom. Similarly, others become independent label acts after having already experienced recording on a major label, either due to their own accord or having been dropped from a major label. Bradley Joseph requested to be let go from his major label deal with Narada/Virgin Records and subsequently became an independent artist. He states "As an independent, business is a prime concern and can take over if not controlled. A lot of musicians don't learn the business. You just have to be well-rounded in both areas. You have to understand publishing. You have to understand how you make money, what's in demand, and what helps you make the most out of your talent. But some artists just want to be involved in the music and don't like the added problems or have the personality to work with both”(wiki,2013)

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_music#Going_major_versus_staying_independent
http://www.virgin.com/music
http://www.narada.com/

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