Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda on whether musicians will benefit from being on a major label these days: “if you want to make a living making music, and you don’t need the ‘fame’ aspect (you don’t need to ‘blow up’), then you don’t need to go with a major. it’s more complex than “avoiding majors” though. AND, to be perfectly clear, i’m also not saying the ONLY other option is an indie label (you could distribute it and promote it yourself, for example). i’m saying that there are many ways to be a self-sustaining musician these days. recording is easier and cheaper than ever, distribution can be nearly as simple as setting up a paypal account, and online fanbases are out there for you to find and connect with. the key still is, and will always be: is your music good? do i, as a fan, like it? to what degree am i interested in being a part of what you have to offer through your recordings, shows, or merchandise?” Yes, yes, the arguments over whether or not Linkin Park’s music is “good” are still wide open for debate, but his perspective on signing to majors–and how the climate for musicians has changed since the ’90s–is pretty interesting nonetheless. [mikeshinoda.com]
Quotable
September 26th, 2008 // 5 Comments
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I have to admire the intestinal fortitude on display here at idolator: slogging through Linkin Park’s blog?
Yuck.
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@Thesemodernsocks: I live to serve.
Well, not just to serve. But I do try to go that extra mile!
Mike is someone who knows how to make money. One of the most important thing that the indie/alt-rock crowd learned by embracing and incorporating hip hop (as aesthetically detrimental it’s been in many cases) is how to monetize. It was much more common in the late 80′s/early to mid 90′s for bands to suddenly lose tons of fans when they finally started making money because they’d ‘sold out’. I still hear it today, but not nearly as much.
I agree with a lot of what he says. And it’s good to remember that making good music is ALWAYS the key to being successful, at least at the most basic level. I would say that it doesn’t matter too much how good your music is if you’re getting $1/album split 3-5 ways on a major; it’s gonna be exceedingly hard to make a living. He’s right on point about cheap, high-quality recording technology and distribution methods being widely available. Nice.