Correct. Indie labels are beginning to realise this and the good ones are bringing huge returns - and in turn being bought up by the majors. The majors also do it very well - you just don’t always see it so clearly because they are able to invest so much more broadly. But all the majors have numerous sub-labels/imprints with their own experts. The biggest strength of the majors is that they are now aggregating so much audience data that they can jump on trends way in advance of wider awareness.
That doesn't seem to be a core strength of current big 3 labels. Their approach is using radio and mass exposure, getting a top 10 hit etc. We should see a big disruption in their business then.
Radio is a smaller part than it used to be. But this is definitely an advantage that the majors have. What gets you radio play?[!] Good numbers elsewhere. What gets you good numbers elsewhere? Great marketing. What gets you great marketing? Cash.
It’s really difficult for indies to compete on the “big media” arena. But that’s been the case for decades, so they don’t. Also - majors tend to go after “guaranteed mainstream” which is “major media” friendly. Indies don’t - but that’s not to say that there’s not a very healthy business to be made out there in the lesser known climes.
[!] You need great songs too, but that’s pretty easy for major labels because their A&R teams can pay lots of songwriters and producers to work up tracks and really polish them.
But yes, the model has been disrupted significantly over the past decade and as a result the majors have invested heavily in harnessing expertise from outside the traditional “music industry” pool of talent. If you’ve got consumer brand experience or have run data at a tech company you’re probably more likely to be in demand by a major record label than if you’ve got 10 years doing something inside of music.
I wonder if youtuber/tiktoker have replaced musicians as the personalities young people connect to.
In terms of name recognition I wouldn’t be at all surprised. I worked with some YouTubers - not A league, but significant - a few years back. They wanted to do a single. I was ASTOUNDED by the numbers they got. Most early recording artists could not come close. All their sales & streams were driven through YouTube & Instagram. To have a fanbase who care enough to go from one channel to another and actually transact is the stuff of dreams for most musicians. What was most astonishing was the promotion of sales to streams - sales were way way higher than a “normal” musical release.
There’s been heavy investment from music companies into influencer agencies - and it’s no mistake (as seemingly negatively referenced in this article) that musicians and their execs are looking to this space for inspiration.
