Well, I'm not totally sure WHEN the major labels going to suck it(thank you Kathy Griffith) but they are definitely feeling the sting in a big way already. I think the change started in the mid 90s when the huge series of mergers happened, culminating in the Seagrams conglomerate and others. It was then they seemed to begin weeding out those who weren't shifting the right amount of units. Bands and artist were getting dropped left, right and sideways-stranding quite a few well known entertainers in what may have been the peak of their career. I remember listening to Love Story by Lloyd Cole and thinking "Wow, this is so good, a career highpoint." Still, they dropped him. Now Lloyd, as much as I love his work, hasn't ever troubled the top of the charts for long nor has he sold silly amounts of albums. However he's always had a sizable following-who continue to buy whatever he puts out, myself included(Good god, buy his new album-another career highpoint-great songs...I'd do a seperate review another time-but Antidepressant is wonderful).

I think what is happening now is that that those who survived that slash and burn experience are now coming back and embracing the growing trend of the self-sustaining artist. But its going to take a while for the new model to show or develop in to the same ways that the current system has. Some of the artists now taking advantage of this new wave of self management are doing reasonably well. Its probably not all smiles to be sure-being an artist in this culture never has been, but at least there is a ray of hope that a future without the big boys is at once possible and even desirable.

I should probably post something on my take on the "indie" record scene-which is no angel either-and then get off this jag about the "industry." I really need to reveiw the new Sigur Ros dual EP.