"When I tell y'all [not to buy my record], it's not because I don't want you to support me," the rapper said in an interview on Latina.com. "It's because I don't want you to support what this man [TVT President Steve Gottlieb] is doing to an artist that everybody knows is humble, a hustler and a grinder."

Despite having those at the label who support him, the root of Pitbull's discontent, according to the rapper, is TVT President Steve Gottlieb.

"My problem is with the president, and he knows that," said Pitbull. "When you don't clear me for a DJ Khaled album, when you don't clear me for a Janet Jackson record, hardly cleared me so I had to fight tooth and nail to get on the Gloria Estefan record...I bust my ass for [TVT].

"I'm out here working like a slave, doing things that other artists don't even know how to do," the rapper continued. "A label's there to further and promote your career, but it feels like they just keep holding me back."

Well, it looks like Pitbull won't have to worry about being held back anymore, although I suspect that this situation is going to turn into one of those "careful what you wish for"-type deals.

BREAKING NEWS: TVT Filing Chapter 11; Staff Fired [AllHipHop.com]

EMI managers will have to sing for their supper [Telegraph]
EMI plans to tighten support and make cuts to tune of 2000 jobs [Times Online]
EMI 'set to axe up to 2,000 jobs' [BBC]

Thanks everyone for all your kind words and support (save for the person above who still doesnt know the difference between there, their, and they're). It really means a lot to me to hear you all say such nice things about the artists on Stolen Transmission.

Stolen Transmission started IN MY BEDROOM as an indie label putting out hand made cds of bands that me and Rob believed in. We werent funded back then, and we were really happy. We did everything because of how much we loved music. Now that I've had my experience with Island/Def Jam, I know how to actually run a label, and I helped set up 9 amazing releases from Permanent ME, the Oohlas, Monty Are I, Bright Light Fever, the Horrors, Schoolyard Heroes, PlayRadioPlay!, Innerpartysystem, and the Photo Atlas. I'm so fucking proud that my label went from me and a bunch of interns sitting in my bedroom smoking and watching degrassi and eating guac i had just made to me sitting in meetings once a week with JayZ and now it'll just go back to being run from my apartment again. We plan on continuing with Stolen Transmission and are really excited to be returning to our indie roots.

I'm also glad to say that the Stolen Transmission party is coincedently starting in a new venue tonight! That means no more Angels & Kings, and now we're going to the Hanger Bar (3rd street btw B and C), which is also more aligned with the vibe the party hand when the label was run out of my bedroom. This is all very very exciting for me.

Anyway, thanks for all your love and support. Stolen Transmission is not over, we're just super duper indie again and now Absolutepunk can stop using the island def jam logo like we asked them to two years ago :P.

Now, we've certainly given Ultra her fair share of guff in this space before. But given the increasingly dire situation in the business, I have to say hats off to her for at least showing a little spunk in the face of what looks to be even rougher times for her chosen line of work (and from what I hear, those Fuse talking head gigs don't exactly pay well, either). Anyway, I have a sinking feeling that we'll probably have more layoff-related posts as the clock ticks toward holiday-party time—gotta save on those catering bills, after all!—so stay tuned.

Layoff Rumors Surround Sony, Island Def Jam [Digital Music News]
Stolen Transmission folds [absolutepunk]

As another 400 industry pros loose there jobs it's worth remembering that...

* major labels are no longer controlled by people who care about music. They are owned by stockholders who care about profits.
* l abels can no longer control what gets played on the radio. Thanks to Eliot Spitzer and the FCC payola isn't what it use to be.
* with the internet offering unlimited media sources radio no longer has the clout that it used to anyway.
* free file sharing has forever devalued music.
* single songs downloads have killed the album purchase and thus gutted the profits labels saw from them.
* digital delivery is eroding the labels' gatekeeper status in distribution.
* consumers have more diverse competition for their entertainment $'s and time than ever before

All good points, although we'd also add that the actions of the labels against those people who may actually buy records has also driven away consumers. As have out-of-touch executives, and wrongheaded attempts to rectify the digital-market surge, and ... well, you get the point. Whether or not top brass at labels will as well is still up in the air, but the fact that the layoffs will likely hit the rank-and-file, and not the executive suites, makes us think that there's a long way to go.

Warner Music Group To Layoff 400. Is The End Of The Major Label Near? [Hypebot]