Extra Notes on Music Industry Development

1. Independent Music, is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries.

2. The punk rock era is seen as the birth of the independent music scene, as it created this 'do it your self' attitude that inspired other companies to build independent music companies.

3. Web 2.0 is having the same effect as the punk era, as it is allowing companies to advertise on their sites, to a large audience, without creating a huge marketing campaign to advertise their products.

4. They may choose to stay as they feel they can keep to their own style of music rather than be told what to do by the major.

5. Hegemony in relation to independent vs major can be used to describe the leadership or predominant influence exercised over a label and artists.

6. Capitalism: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market
Commodity: a good or service whose wide availability typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (as brand name) other than price

7. Independent labels vs Major

An independent label

• Allow artists to retain their recordings rights
• Profit sharing on projects rather than fixing a royalty
• Making contracts based on projects rather than a period of years
• Larger Independent Labels may operate the same as a Major Label

Major Labels

• Focuses highly on unit sales
• Models the artists to what they think will sell
• Writes the songs for them to preform