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Band vs. record company: the hits


Jahfin

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From the Raleigh, NC News & Observer:

BY DAVID MENCONI, Staff Writer

While it's not as noble as protesting war or racism, artists have fought the music industry's powers that be for as long as there has been a music industry -- on-record as well as in real life. So when Spoon blasted its former label representative on "Laffitte Don't Fail Me Now," (see page 18) the band merely followed a rock-era tradition.

But with the old-school music business in free fall, songs about record companies are fast becoming a quaint anachronism -- which can only mean that it's time for a hall of fame:

The Byrds, "So You Want To Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" (1967) -- In a shade over two minutes, this traces one's path from zero to stardom, after you "sell your soul to the company/who are waiting there to sell plastic ware."

Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Workin' for MCA" (1974) -- Apparently, Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant paid attention to that Byrds song. This one concludes, "I want you people to know/That every penny I make/I'm gonna see where my money goes."

Sex Pistols, "EMI" (1977) -- After taking EMI's money and running, the Pistols put this kiss-off on their debut album, which was released on another label: "Blind acceptance is a sign/Of stupid fools who stand in line/Like EMIIIII!"

Graham Parker, "Mercury Poisoning" (1979) -- In which Mercury recording artist Parker laments his status as "the best-kept secret in the west."

John Fogerty, "Zanz Kant Danz" (1985) -- The title refers to Saul Zaentz, Fogerty's old label boss, who "can't dance but he'll steal your money." Legal unpleasantness ensued, and the title was changed to "Vanz Kant Danz." Another song on the same album is called "Mr. Greed," and there's little doubt as to its subject.

The Smiths, "Paint a Vulgar Picture" (1987) -- Describes a record-company meeting where the agenda is how to sell a pop star, recently deceased.

Tom Petty, "Into the Great Wide Open" (1991) -- This traces the same trajectory as the Byrds song above, but it also foreshadows the stardom arc's downward side after the subject's "A&R man said, 'I don't hear a single.' "

A Tribe Called Quest, "Show Business" (1991) -- "You're a million-dollar man that ain't got no dough" pretty much sums it up.

Alanis Morissette, "Right Through You" (1995) -- Revenge is sweet indeed when delivered from the perch of an album that wound up selling 16 million copies: "Now that I'm Miss Thing... You scan the credits for your name and wonder why it's not there."

Chuck D, "Untitled" (1996) -- On this unlisted bonus track from the Public Enemy rapper's solo album, he unleashes fury at the record industry: "Can you imagine if the airline industry was run like the music business? You would have daily multiple disasters."

Prince, "Jukebox With a Heartbeat" (2001) -- No matter how successful you are, you're only as good as your latest chart placement. Just ask Prince: "Who said I don't fit the format no matter how many I sold?"

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Thanks for that, neat list.

It's worth noting that most of the people on that list are successful and many of them millionaires who haven't exactly had to work day jobs to get get by in the last 30 years. Prince especially has worked the system for every dime.

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I would add the songs

"Cut Your Hair" by Pavement, basically about bands being signed merely for their image

as well as "Hooker With A Penis" by Tool, a quaint analogy about how there is no such thing as a band that has not sold out.

What I find ironic is that the label basically *chooses* what songs will and will not be hits when an album is set to be released, there's no chance of a song becoming a hit unless it has been marked as one previously by record execs.

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I would add the songs

"Cut Your Hair" by Pavement, basically about bands being signed merely for their image

as well as "Hooker With A Penis" by Tool, a quaint analogy about how there is no such thing as a band that has not sold out.

What I find ironic is that the label basically *chooses* what songs will and will not be hits when an album is set to be released, there's no chance of a song becoming a hit unless it has been marked as one previously by record execs.

Excellent point, and to take it one step further it's criminal how the government has been willing to look the other way for the criminal corruption of radio (in the U.S. that is). In this country radio and television belong to the people and is leased to the networks/communications corporations but you would never know it from the narrow programming. That's why I love the internet, it's crashing every single part of the traditional record company system. Unfortunately the new MySpace records deal seems to favor the label system but they are only delaying the inevitable. They don't seem to grasp that the internet is an unlimited opportunity for everybody and that social networking is infinitely more powerful than and much deeper than a featured artist when you click on your homepage.

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What I find ironic is that the label basically *chooses* what songs will and will not be hits when an album is set to be released, there's no chance of a song becoming a hit unless it has been marked as one previously by record execs.

Can't say I agree with this. If it was that easy then everyone that released an album would have hit songs. It's more like the cookie cutter mold Clear Channel has created for airplay that determines what gets played and what doesn't, it doesn't have anything to do with the labels choosing which songs will be hits.

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Excellent point, and to take it one step further it's criminal how the government has been willing to look the other way for the criminal corruption of radio (in the U.S. that is). In this country radio and television belong to the people and is leased to the networks/communications corporations but you would never know it from the narrow programming. That's why I love the internet, it's crashing every single part of the traditional record company system. Unfortunately the new MySpace records deal seems to favor the label system but they are only delaying the inevitable. They don't seem to grasp that the internet is an unlimited opportunity for everybody and that social networking is infinitely more powerful than and much deeper than a featured artist when you click on your homepage.

A few years back the "pay for play" thing was done away with which was basically legal payola. The record companies would supply radio stations with all kinds of artist merch to give away on the air in exchange for airplay. Still, it's not any sort of level playing field. Just look at the difference in playlists on terrestrial radio and what gets played on satellite and progressive stations.

I agree with how the industry refuses to embrace the new technology and the infrastructure is collapsing all around them. It's a very interesting time to be a music fan.

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I have to respectfully disagree here. Pay to play is still very much alive, they just change the way it's done. After Alan Freed, they switched to indy promoters for decades and while those guys are still around and the exchange of gifts, merchandise nad favors in exchange for radio play is still in place. I had a friend who was a regional program director for clear channel not that long ago and he would get offers for vacations, flat screens, some label guys flat out told him tell me what you want to get this record played. The Elliot Spitzer thing shook things up a little and allegedly Clear Channel isn't allowing allowing their employees to receive gifts but it's an honor system among a group of people with no honor. Another nice trick is to use your established artists as leverage against an act your trying to break. As in if you don't play *insert terrible song you won't get an on-air appearance from *insert big name act.

The funny part about Clear Channel's directive to not accept gifts or money or let the radio promoters in was many of the Program Directors didn't know what to play! On the one hand it makes sense because there is security in knowing your Top 40 format will be competitive with everybody elses because your all playing the game but it's like a free pass to start over again!

That's why JarlAxle is mostly correct, the label does choose what songs are hits in as much as they can. Their the ones that allocate the promotional dollars to decide what their going to pressure the stations into playing.

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I'm not saying the enforcement of the supposed banishment of "pay to play" worked but it was brought to everyone's attention. I also have to disagree that labels determine what songs will be hits. Again, if that were so, every artist that releases a single would have a hit. That simply isn't the case. What gets played all depends who the latest flavor of the month is. If a new release resembles what is currently popular then it is pretty much assured airplay. Anything that's different or deviates from the norm won't see the light of day in today's musical climate.

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