Quick Clicks
Major Labels | Independents | Shoppping | Events and Chat Areas | Other Resources | Music News and Reviews | Try it out!
A major issue faces popular music forms that test cultural boundaries: how to uphold a legacy of free expression while facing co-optation by giant companies bent on consolidating independents and maximizing profits. The major labels need resourceful independents to develop new talent. Ironically, successful commerce requires periodic infusion of the diverse sounds that come from ethnic communities, backyard garages, dance parties and neighborhood clubs. At the same time, musicians need the major labels if they want wide distribution or national popularity. Such an independent pattern is common in contemporary media economics. It is a pattern that needs to be monitored and criticized to ensure that new voices and sounds get heard.
Six companies control popular music today, producing over 80% of all American CD's. How are new, young artists to be heard? Independent Labels offer a voice, but with so much money riding on an artist's success, the investment in promotion and marketing is daunting and only a limited number of new artist are signed each year.. The Web, like small Clubs and college venues across the country may offer musicians another opportunity to have their voices be heard.
The Web sites of the Major Record Companies differ more in their "look" than in their content. As noted earlier, the Web is utilized as a means of self-promotion in most cases, with an emphasis on upcoming releases and special events; for example, concert tours, promotional interviews or appearances, book and film tie-ins and so forth.
Major Labels
Independents
Shopping
Shopping on the Internet has been promoted as a quick and easy way to shop for yourself or to take care of Holiday shopping. While the various television networks, film studios and radio stations have shopping areas, stores that sell a variety of products related to the media are found in the recording industry and book industry. If your computer has the ability, you can preview new releases. Shop for records at:- CD Now
- Global Electronic Music Marketplace
- Local Music Network
- RealAudio Offers live, on demand audio for the internet. Listen and preview CD's from all formats.
- Tower Records
Events and Chat areas
Several browsers and online services offer special events or opportunities to enter into a "live" conversation with musical groups, managers, producers, video directors, and others in the music industry.
Most services and browsers also offer bulletin boards where you can post comments or pose questions on a specific topic or show, and chat areas where you can enter into live conversations with other people from around the world. You may want to enter a chat area to discuss favorite artists, music styles, performance reviews, etc.
Other Resources
Information on music lives all over the Web. Go to a search engine and simply browse through the entertainment: Music area. You'll find a vast amount of information on a variety of music styles, artists and resources. Here are a few of the many different sites you might visit:- AMG All Music Guide A database indexing arts, biographies, discographies, reviews, shopping links and a rating system.
- Axiom
- Beef Stew’s Record Company Links
- BMI BMI operates as a not-for-profit organization representing more than songwriters, composers, and music publishers. bmi.com as a public resource where music enthusiasts can access valuable information.
- Cool Music Links
- Entertainment Network News/Music
- HitsWorld: Internet Charts Network
- Internet Underground Music Archive/IUMA
- Monsterbit Media Independent music, but still commercial
- Music Net Artists albums and reviews
- MTV
- Plug-In A new online magazine devoted to both finding exciting new music and art talent, and providing resources to help them in their quest for discovery.
- Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame
- The Grammy Awards
- The Totally Unofficial Rap Dictionary
- Tour Dates
- Webcast of the 39th GRAMMY Awards
- radio, magazines, and newspapers Explore our other links pages for information on reviews, commentary, and criticism.
Music News and Reviews
Try it out!
Since this list is nowhere near exhaustive, do some searching and create your own bookmarks of sites including:
Select one or two of your favorite artists or groups and conduct a search of the Web.
- How many sites did a search identify?
- Which of these are "official"`(i.e. sponsored by the lable) Web sites?
- If not "official" sites, who sponsors these?
- Are any of these associated with a fan club?
- How many have you found that are "personal" Web sites, or those belonging to a particular fan?
- From your observations of these sites, do you think the Web sites reflect the style of music of the artist/group you selected. Did your observations lead you to any additional insights on the artist/group and their music? What are they?