Big Sound program director Stephen Green sees that the balance of power within the music industry has reverted back to the artist.
Artists are asking the questions these days he says. “Go back 10 years ago and the big question was “how do I get signed to Sony” or how can I get signed to a major label that can be the magic bullet that gets us to the top of the charts,” he tells Undercover News. “Now, no-one is talking about signing to Sony. No-one is talking about the top of the charts. It is a whole different ball-game and the ball is back in the artists court to get a number of service providers together who can do what they want rather than sign with a record company to do everything for them. They can cherry-pick”.Green says artists no longer need a major record label if their revenue streams are coming from outside of retail. “If they are touring successfully and don’t need a record company, they can go to a touring company,” he says. “If their merch is bringing in the money, they can go to a merch company. If they are selling records with a major label, they don’t need a major label either. They can pick and choose the different partners that they want to work with”.
Big Sound has been running now for seven years. He has witnessed a change in attitude over that time. “I think it is about business models,” he tells Undercover News. “Now that CDs are not selling in the numbers that they used to be selling in, where is the money coming from? There are still a million fantastic artists out there and hopefully some of the showcases here will uncover them. But when it happens, where does the cash come from?”
Watch the Stephen Green interview here:
