The Major Labels

Why the Major Labels are Major

Think about it…Do we as music listeners dictate what gets played on the radio? Do we really decide which songs top the charts? NO. The major record labels do. Can you just call your local radio station right now and have them play your favorite local band? NO. The major labels record, market, and sell the music they know we will buy. They push their label’s artists on the major radio stations, who in turn own the smaller stations. We hear it on the radio and think, “Hmm…it’s on the radio, so it must be good!”. And then we will call in and request that song again, and again, and again. Why can’t you take something down to the station and drop it off? Because that would take up air time for the major label artists.

Money is power. By giving them our money, we give them our power.

We pay their enormous paychecks…we fund their extended vacations to Rome…we pay the lease on their Ferrari…we pay the outrageous electric bill in their Malibu beach house.

There have been lawsuits and fights against the major labels…a huge organization fighting the common man…David and Goliath. However, if we were to rise as one unified voice and power, the common American music listener could bring the corrupt record labels to their knees.

How to Combat the Majors
My information comes from both research and personal instruction by credible people in the industry. I’ve learned how it has gotten this bad, why it hasn’t changed, and what must be done. There is a need for change; but, in order to start changing the industry, we need to first know why it is the way it is:The major labels have so much power simply because they are huge corporations with lots of societal influence, and they have plenty of (our) money, which they’re not unwilling to spend in order to get what they want. The record labels have a lobbying group to represent them and to speak on their behalf, known as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Whenever legislation or laws are being discussed in D.C. that effect the music industry (and believe me-it occurs much more often than you are aware of, which is something we will later discuss), these lobbyists are there to persuade the Congressmen. The Congressmen get fat and happy from the lobbyists’ money and other means of persuasion, which help convince our politicians to pass the laws in favor of the major labels. Because the average American is unaware of what goes on, and because the very few people who do know what happens don’t speak up, the major record labels are continuing to grow and monopolize the music industry with virtually no effort or consequence.
The average music listener probably thinks he or she has a choice of what he or she wants to listen to; to a certain degree, I suppose they do. But here is a staggering fact, literally straight from the RIAA’s website: “RIAA members create, record, or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States.”

If that doesn’t sound like a monopoly, I don’t know what does. The RIAA members don’t leave much room for the local bands, unless you consider 10% sufficient. As this blog continues, we will discuss other factors that contribute to the monopoly on music, but from this statement alone, it sounds to me like the major labels decide what is “popular”. Call me nuts, but I don’t think this is what the average music lover wants.