Independent Record Labels Missing From MySpace Music
Date : 26 Sep 2008 Category : Business
Techdirt
The success of MySpace was helped along quite a bit by independent and non-major-label musicians using the site as a distribution mechanism and way to reach out to and connect with fans. So that's why we were surprised, earlier this week, about reports claiming that the new MySpace Music subsidiary was blocking out some indie labels and focusing mainly on just the major labels (most of whom own a piece of MySpace Music). After posting that message, we received a frantic phone call from someone at MySpace, angrily insisting that the story wasn't true. Our response to that, as always, is that they are free to correct any misconceptions in the comments, and if there were factual errors, we would correct them in the post. Unfortunately, no one at MySpace took us up on that offer.
Yet, now the Financial Times is also reporting that a number of well known bands and independent record labels are complaining about being locked out of MySpace Music -- including the Arctic Monkeys, a band who has been considered one of the poster children for using MySpace to become big. It looks like MySpace has become infatuated with the big labels, and the folks who made MySpace the success it is are being left out in the cold. MySpace, undoubtedly, will claim that it offered the independent labels fair terms which they rejected, but when the site itself is owned in part by the major record labels, it's not hard to understand why the indies might feel that they're not getting a very fair deal.
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Yet, now the Financial Times is also reporting that a number of well known bands and independent record labels are complaining about being locked out of MySpace Music -- including the Arctic Monkeys, a band who has been considered one of the poster children for using MySpace to become big. It looks like MySpace has become infatuated with the big labels, and the folks who made MySpace the success it is are being left out in the cold. MySpace, undoubtedly, will claim that it offered the independent labels fair terms which they rejected, but when the site itself is owned in part by the major record labels, it's not hard to understand why the indies might feel that they're not getting a very fair deal.
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