Here’s an article (click) on the breakup of eMusic and certain independent labels (including those who have Arcade Fire, Spoon and Yo La Tengo on their rosters)  which stemmed from eMusic signing a deal with Warner Music earlier this year.  Apparently,  eMusic will be changing the way it deals with music labels.  It sounds like the changes will be more in favor with the major labels than the indies.

I found an article (click) that conveniently lists the different types of independent labels concerning their relationships to major labels.

I am starting to realize that differentiating a “real” independent label with one posing as one or one that used to be but was swallowed up by the major labels is very confusing.  After reading Ed Christman’s article Defining A Sector, written for Billboard, I believe that not even he fully understands what constitutes a label as an independent.  Once the major labels starting buying independent–or “other”– labels everything became muddled.  In the past, it was quite simple (at least compared to today) to distinguish the “indies” from the majors because the majors sort of stayed away from the other type of label.  But once the independent labels started to gain some recognition for the artists/bands they were producing, the majors quickly became interested.  However, some indies wanted the money that came along with being purchased by a major but wanted to still have their indie roots when it came to creating and distributing music.  The indies allowed themselves to be partially sold to the majors but not fully.  This when the confusion starts.  An independent label that is only partially independent?  Should it still be considered independent?  I believe that this is what Christman intended to answer with his article but never really does because, nowadays, the term “Independent” is so ambiguous. 

I recently read an interesting article that posed the question, “What Is Indie Rock?"  The author not only gives his definition but others.  He compares how certain people view Indie rock having more to do with politics (labels) than aesthetics and lifestyle and visa versa.  This term is so broad nowadays that I believe it’s impossible to settle on a single definition of the genre/lifestyle/association with labels/all of the above.  However, in my research paper, I am not going to use the term in its broad sense but as it reflects the relationship between a band or artist and a record label: whether or not the band or artist is signed to an independent–or indie–label or to a major label (EMI, Sony BMG, etc.).

The type of writing I intend to do in the future most likely pertains to human behavior and possibly marketing.  It is just recently that I’ve decided to go in that direction after I graduate.  Even though what I’ve done in the past few years is in a totally different field than what I intend to do in the future, I believe writing will always play a part in whatever I end up doing.

This website (consumerpsychologist.com) is part of USC’s business school, USC Marshall.  Located within the site is an entire page on the psychology of marketing which is written by Lars Perner, Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing.  This may not be the exact type of writing I plan on doing but it’s close.

The resources it offers are ones that give information on consumer research methods; the importance of culture and subculture; demographics; segmentation, targeting and positioning; information searching and decision making; group influences; perception; learning and memory, and many other topics I found interesting.