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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Most independent labels are wannabe major labels who simply aren't as successful and for a reason. Because they sign artists that often times don't have mass appeal. "Brian and the Funky Fart Men" with their unique blend of old school funk mixed with acid jazz and a touch of rap will never sell a lot of records, major label or not, and exposing that music all over the Internet isn't going to change that.</font>


Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzt - wrong answer...For one thing there are a lot of Indie labels that are successful. They make themselves and their artists money. For another thing, major labels to a great degree influence taste and what people like because they control large scale marketing (radio) and distribution. If you play country over and over in front of someone, they are going to grow up liking country. And major labels sign artists whom they think they can mold into what they think people will like, based on what they have mass marketed already. And a lot if it is just guesswork anyway, because most of it is just throwing stuff out there and hoping something sticks. Major labels are major labels because they control mass marketing and distribution, and for no other reason - especially not because they have better taste than anyone else...And thirdly, there are TONS of indie artists, whom, if they had their music exposed on a mass level, would be just as successful as any major label artist. In fact, the indie artist like Jenny Devoe, David Wilcox, and the likes might be better off indie than with a major label, because they can make a good living while major label artists, whom if they don't cash in on their fame through touring IMMEDIATELY, may end up heavy in debt and their material buried in a vault.

Believe me, there are plenty of examples of JPFOLKS members who are just as good and just as mainstream as any major label artist. April Mclean, Sam's House, are but a few I have in my CD collection from here. And, there are many JPFOLKS members who are really good, but may not be in a mainstream genre, that if played in front of an audience on a mass scale like major label stuff, would do really well also.



[This message has been edited by Liszt Laughing (edited 03-07-2004).]

Boo...my name is Doug