The Modern Label

How far have we come since the birth of pop music as we know it?

Fifty years ago, somebody looking for recorded music in his or her life had limited options: the radio, the record store, and the jukebox - all of which were fueled by the only practical musical medium, the vinyl disc. Thus, those who controlled the means of vinyl production and distribution had an effective monopoly of music production. Businessmen and music enthusiasts jumped at the chance to be at the top of the pops, starting labels and production companies.

Since the record industry was still far from an exact science, there was great parity within the nascent market. On one hand, there were moguls in the charts - amply-equipped men like Berry Gordy (Tamla/Motown), Ahmet Ertegün (Atlantic Records), and Sam Phillips (Sun Records) who built their early success on impeccable taste, musical experience, and business sense. On the other hand, there were also independent dark horses experiencing their own chart success. Perhaps the finest example of such an individual is Joe Meek, an Englishman who cut several #1 records (the most famous of which is 1962's "Telstar") from his apartment above a leather store. It is no surprise that the 1960s are considered the golden age for pop music - a competitive marketplace is a productive one, and at no time was the marketplace more saturated with talent.

We know the rest of the story. The big fish ate the littler ones, labels consolidated, and the parity that characterized the early pop market gradually eroded. Today, the "Big Four" - EMI, Warner, Sony BMG, and Universal - enjoy a stranglehold on mainstream production and distribution.

But the market has fundamentally changed. The consumer is no longer bound to the vinyl disc as the exclusive musical medium. In the digital age, the consumer is no longer bound to a physical musical medium at all. It has caused problems for an industry whose business model was solely based on its ability to produce, distribute, and market this precious media. CD sales and radio audiences have plummeted, major labels are slowly collapsing, and litigious fingers are pointing.

At the same time, a growing number of modest independent labels flourish. The bulk of them capitalize on a shifting trend in the marketplace: as more and more consumers switch from physical to digital media, they inevitably turn to the Internet as their source - be it legal or illegal - for music. Since any label or artist is free to distribute music on the Internet as they see fit, the digital movement has redemocratized the music marketplace to a large extent.

But if the traditional role of the record label is obsolete, then what service do labels provide to the consumer in the modern era? Furthermore, why do new labels continue to spring up despite the rapid disappearance of the traditional record market? A crowded marketplace is also a confusing one. Telling a consumer to search for new and exciting music on MySpace is about as effective as telling an oil prospector to search for his fortune in the ground. In the past, labels proved their mettle with branding. The bulk of consumers require guidance - a voucher for the quality of the music they listen to - and it was the role of labels to provide consumer confidence in the music they released. Blues fans knew, for example, that anything released on the Chess label was bound to be golden. Soul fans grew to trust anything on Staxx/Volt. Jazz-heads were acutely aware that anything on Blue Note was the best of the best.

These days, the monolithic Sony BMG, EMI, Warner, and Universal mean nothing to the consumer. Major labels simply do not inspire confidence in their wares any longer. Meanwhile, serious music outlets (and casual music consumers, for that matter) are taking increased notice with every new release by Matador, Sub Pop, Saddle Creek, Touch and Go, Load, Dischord...

The writing is on the wall for major labels - their numbered days dwindle with every generic pop album they release. Soon they will all implode, leaving a vacuum in their wake. How far have we come since the birth of pop music as we know it? Far enough that we're back where we started from.