To anyone who loves music and is disillusioned with the current state of th=
e music industry, I urge you to read this. I'd like to express some of my
own concerns and offer what solutions I can.

As you may know, in the last few years major record labels have consolidate=
d, leaving a huge chunk of the music industry in the hands of just a few
corporations. And these corporations are more money-hungry than ever. It's =
no longer enough for an artist to sell 100,000 copies of an album. In
many cases, platinum status isn't even considered exceptional anymore. Arti=
sts are getting picked up, thrown around and dropped like toys by these
labels.

That's not to mention the fact that major labels seldom sign artists who do=
n't pander to a particular musical trend that's popular at the moment.
Apparently, musical innovation has little or no place in matters, as far as=
these labels are concerned.

I'll be the first person to acknowledge that a record label must make money=
to survive and prosper. But when it comes to the major labels, trust me,
they're making plenty. When you hear reports of these labels saying that mu=
sic sales are down and spinning their "whoa is me" story, it doesn't mean
that the companies are about to go bottom-up. It means their massive profit=
s — almost none of which ends up in artists' pockets — are just a little
less massive than the previous year.

"But what about independent labels?" you might be asking right now. Yes, th=
ere are lots of independent labels out there that don't sell artistry short =

for profit. But most are very small companies with very limited financial r=
esources, and they usually can't sign all the artists they'd like to because=
of
these limitations.

Let's face it: Major labels do what they want, and independent labels do wh=
at they can. And there's not much that listeners or artists can do about the=

problems that both present.

So let's talk about artists, then.

Are you sick of seeing a handful of artists get all the attention in the me=
dia, make all the money, get all the airtime on radio and MTV? This, to me, =
is
probably the most bothersome aspect of the music industry.

Don't you hate it when you find an artist you really like — who you believe=
truly has musical talent — and that artist is barely making ends meet?

Or maybe you don't know how bad it is.

If you didn't know, a lot of artists never break even financially with thei=
r album sales. Basically, an artist has to borrow money to pay for recording=
,
production and promotional fees, and royalties from album sales are what pa=
y back those fees. Many artists have been left in the cold with several
hundred thousand dollars of debt. And I'm not just talking about artists yo=
u've never heard of; I'm talking about artists who you would probably
consider at least somewhat successful and well-known.

Well, I've personally heard too many music-industry horror stories, and I'm=
sick of it. I love music more than anything in the world, and nothing
pisses me off more than great music being suppressed or — in many cases — n=
ever heard in the first place. And I'm sick of major record label
executives getting filthy rich while talented musicians struggle to make a =
living.

So I'm going to propose a few things. If you agree with the things I've jus=
t said, you ought to give my suggestions a try. This isn't for me. This isn'=
t
for any organization. This is for the sake of good music and the people who=
make it.

— If you like an album, buy it, don't download it. This is especially true =
for artists who are not well-known and who probably haven't sold a large
number of albums. Musicians work hard and put a lot on the line to record a=
nd release albums. They deserve to get paid for that work, so put some
money in their pockets.

— If there's a new single out by an artist you love, request the hell out o=
f it. Call your local radio station. E-mail MTV. Let them know that you want=

to hear more than just the same 15 songs repeated over and over 24 hours a =
day.

— Support independent artists. There's a ton of great music out there that =
relatively few people hear about. If you like it, buy it and spread the word=

about it. A lot of independent artists probably make less money a year than=
you do (for those of you out in the working world), but they're still out
there doing what they love despite that. Lend them a hand.

— Support totally unknown artists. You know that local band that you've see=
n at the bar a couple times? Do they have a demo CD for sale for $5?
Pick up a copy. Believe me, it'll mean a lot to them.

— Spread the word about your favorite music. Often, word-of-mouth can be an=
equally or more effective promotion tool than advertising. Tell your
friends. Tell people in chat rooms and discussion groups. Tell whomever you=
feel it's appropriate to tell. I'm not advocating spam, by the way, just
tactful expression of your enjoyment with music.

— Forward this message to individuals or groups who might be receptive to i=
t. Again, I'm not at all telling you to spam anyone. But spread the word;
the only way to overcome the tyranny that major record labels are exercisin=
g on the music world is through a grass-roots movement. Let's start it
now.