JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum MySpace talking to independents Posted by: "Derek at CD Baby"

But anytime artists sign something away, they never get it back later when the model improves. Giving away a piece of everything implies all merchandise, any commerce surrrounding their name, any commerce involving their copyrights, any commerce involving their live appearances and performances and will likely tie all that up into the future and in an exclusive way. Look how new MySpace is. Does anyone think for a minute that they are likely to be the model for the next 2 years, let alone the next 10 years or lifetime? Getting into bed with a struggling and oppressive major label system seems like exactly the opposite pathway to the future for the community.

Then I have to wonder how it will affect the ability of independent artists to co-exist with their major label peers on a site like that. If there's no major label to partner, how can any scenario be equitable and fair? Will indies be expected to give up their rights and ownership and control without even having the benefit of a major corporation media empires money and power behind them? That's sounds beyond disastrous. In addition, won't this insure that indies will once again be relegated to the farthest away back burners of the spotlight that will be fully thrown to MySpace's business partners, the labels?

This really sounds like the worst news to come out in years for the non major label community and it sounds like a whole new way for the same corporate entities to once again establish a firm stranglehold on the entire music world. Ack.

Brian