We came by this article today and it made us think about the 360 Music Deals, how they became a trend in the music industry and what do artists really think about it.
Tolu Olorunda - Lupe’s Lasers: The Death Sentence for Major Record Labels
(cultural critic and
a former AHH
editorial columnist )
Speaking last Tuesday at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg, on the night of his fifth solo release, Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang, legendary artist Raekwon listed a few pillars under which “real Hip-Hop” must fall—wittiness, slang, real-life value, lyrical worth, and a non-commercial edge. In case the concert audience had slumbered through the last item, he repeated with emphasis: “It’s got to be non-commercial!” On the same day, another prominent artist was living the reality of a music industry whose iron fist often tightens around the necks of those who refuse to submit and do as told. Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers dropped, following a tumultuous three-year delay no one saw coming.After two superb albums released in the winter months of 2006 and 2007, all eyes fell upon the Chicago native to invade a territory only few have ever trudged; and for most fans, this represented less a demand and more an expectation. The last ten years had produced in Rap no fresher voice, no wittier mind, and it just seemed inevitable—that time would do him justice, and the ladder of quality would stretch higher on his behalf (especially since the sophomore curse had so eluded him in an age of ephemerality), and that with a third album he might possibly accomplish in ways a predecessor had tragically failed (Illmatic, It Was Written… I Am), successfully dodging the deadly commercial darts flying his way: darts which pierce with determination, rendering great artists casualties of early success; more importantly, repeated success which upset the logic of cemented probability, which undo tried and true equations record labels have built castles upon: Street Consciousness + Social Courage + Lyricism = Billboard Disaster.Fans, it turns out, were wrong; and just like his predecessor, Lupe is now staring at an impasse, unable to reconcile his third effort with the two classics of a not too distant past. And his fingers have for the last few weeks been pointing in one direction—the record label, Atlantic Records, which signed him in 2004 to a rumored six-album deal. This is the label’s album, Lupe has been chanting to music websites for a few days now. Even when the success of his first official single, “The Show Goes On,” is raised, Lupe seems hardly moved, explaining to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Thomas Conner: “It’s their record. My words, their music. They forced this song to be a No. 1 single, and that's what they got. I can't take any credit for it.”Conner spoke with him earlier this month, and extracted some painfully brutal remarks from an artist half-ashamed of his work, which he says is “very abstract. I had to create this commercial art that appeases the corporate side. I had to acquiesce to certain forces. Hopefully within that I snuck in some things I actually wanted to say any way I can.” Lupe explained with the commercial success of his first two records an inebriating confidence overwhelmed him, so he walked into the boardrooms expecting a bump in the budget, to replicate on a grander scale the formula which had defied odds and proved viable twice in a row.Soon enough, however, he wised up to the chicanery at hand and canceled all other futile meetings. Atlantic one-upped and froze his budget, then began taunting his dignity, telling him not to “rap too deep on this record,” to play it safe. “That was a specific order from the top. ‘You're rapping too fast or too slow, or it's too complex’.” Atlantic also wanted the superstar, whose light was brightening each passing day, to sign a 360 deal, which would stick the label’s fingers into his pockets on any commercial venture. When he budged, the overlords, not used to unservile artists, struck harder: “I was told, ‘Because you didn't sign this 360 deal, we may or may not push your record’.”Sometimes, living in a world like thisIt’s pretty hard not to go insaneNot pretty if you don’t complyPretty easy if you don’t complainWhat a strange creature Lupe must have seemed—a young, Black artist who didn’t sign every dotted line put before him. The dregs of Atlantic dragged out this years-long process, as fans kept chasing down fleeting rumors about completed albums which might never see the light of day.
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Frederick Douglass was right about Power and Demand; and more than ever before it seems painfully evident that everyday people—fans and supporters—truly have the power to weaken the knees of corporate giants who need them far more than they care to admit, for without the hard-earned dollars of the multitude, which carelessly disperse their scraps on CDs, ringtones, concert tickets, and merchandise, the bottom line checks out. Regrettably, the great gods of illiteracy have so systematically humbled the masses that, these days, most blindly and gleefully accept s**tfor breakfast—gouging on recycled waste without a thought. Responsibility, then, falls upon the conscious to ratchet up the momentum, never letting up until all demands are met; only then would the scales fall from the eyes of the blind, and a true revolution of values sweep through the industry, setting free our many captive artists.
If you are curious to find out the entire story follow the link: http://allhiphop.com/stories/editorial/archive/2011/03/14/22610119.aspx
We also want to share 2 interesting video's on this theme with you. One from a music lawyer's point of view and one from the executive vice president of the Warner Music Group.
Jay Cooper
Kevin Liles
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