…It appears the industry really is having a shake-down.
To all those fans of the ‘Material Girl’ it will be common knowledge by now that speculation is rising over Madonna’s future with Warner Music Group. With 2 album releases left on her contract with WMG – her career-long label – her attention is now moving towards a more suitable representative, with seemingly more impetus being placed on the live shows and world touring. Speculation surrounds a new deal with venues and promoters company, Live Nation, which seems to hint at a growing disillusionment with diminishing record sales amongst major artists and labels. This all comes soon after Sir Paul McCartney signed to the Hear Music label of Starbucks, the coffee house chain, via which his music could be fronted to a captive audience within the Starbucks stores. Starbucks have gone on to strike a deal with Steve Jobs’ iTunes, granting it’s customers free access to the iTunes stores, via which they can purchase the likes of McCartney’s releases from the coffee house chain – in effect bypassing the current fall in solid state media sales. I have yet to see a hint as large as this that the major labels are in a downward spiral. When a, albeit glorified, promoting agency and a major coffee chain can out-maneuver and out-earn the major labels through their better placement amongst the market place – essentially modeling themselves towards where tomorrows money lies – i would speculate that, unless the majors soon spark into a frenzy of adaptive activity, a shift in the housing of popular artistes maybe just around the corner.
As for the slightly more modest world of unsigned music and amazingtunes.com things are just as exciting (relatively!). After a sizable amount of early media coverage over the weekend for ‘tunes on both television and paper, an influx of new talent and expectant ears have fallen upon the site. I’m trying my hardest to get through everything that is being uploading, fully impressed by the array of styles I’m hearing, though my penchant for breakcore dance music and doom metal is still to be fully realised…
I’ll leave you with one of the more unusual tunes that has been uploaded over the last few days titled ‘Maybe It’ by Jazz Headburn. An open soundscape of a track, akin to Four Tet with hints of Aphex Twin’s Drukqs, and even some early Jaga Jazzist. Enjoy…
And if you want a bit more Madonna…
