The music industry is a rich and vibrant industry that operates on a variety of different levels. Thanks to digitally convergent technologies it is now possible for individuals to bypass the usual audience/producer binary and to create and produce and distribute and sell music, all without the use of a traditional record label. On the much larger, independent arm of the music industry, we have Soundcloud rap, vaporwave netlabels, DIY grindcore shows, and modest indie labels . However, what we are thinking about today are the big ones. The major labels.
If you are submitting coursework in 2024, you will be working for a major label. Your band is young and upcoming, but they are also HOT STUFF and they're going to make MILLIONS.
How can you make this happen? By understanding what makes major labels MAJOR and the aesthetic, ideology and iconography applicable to a major music label!
The big three
The number of enormous, multinational music labels keeps shrinking over time. Frankly this is because they keep buying each other. This process is called conglomeration. As of 2023, we only have three major labels!
Universal Music
Sony Music
Warner Music
Case study - Polydor
Check out the Polydor website. Please note that this is a corporate site. It's not really for the general public.
Why does this website even exist? - This corporate exists to promote the label’s brand identity, and to appeal to shareholders
What kind of label is Polydor? - A mass market label appealing to a mass market audience
What is this label's brand identity? - Big budget, big recognisable artists, emphasis on modern music, a diverse range of music, and an involved and approachable mode of address
How is this label appealing to it's target audiences? - By presenting an extremely diverse range of music, with high production values
Case study - Epic Records
Check out the Epic Records website. Please note that this is a corporate site. It's not really for the general public.
What kind of label is Epic? - Epic music focuses on popular music with a wide range of artists
What is this label's brand identity? - A neutral and wide reaching mode of address
Criticisms of aggressive conglomeration
Free market liberals would argue that competition is good and might makes right. If a label gets eaten, that's just the market working according to plan.
But in media studies we tend to be critical of literally EVERYTHING. Both Curran & Seaton and David Hesmondhalgh are deeply critical of the media industries and aggressive conglomeration. What are some issues with these practices?
Conglomeration leads to a lack of diversity. Producers produce and sign the same over and over again, and the same artists, directors, producers etc tend to work on everything
Additionally, media products are only produced if they are guaranteed to make money
Aggressive conglomeration is anti-competitive. It means that other labels cannot compete on the same level
Neoliberal and ultracapitalist business practices end up giving too much power to single companies. This is uncompetitive and highly unfair to smaller companies
If large private companies gain too much power, they can impose discriminatory and unfair working conditions on their artists
Conglomeration leads to less choice for consumers as they focus purely on power and profit
Digitally convergent production and distribution practices
Digital technologies are any technologies involving computers. Convergence is the coming together of two previously separate media industries. Basically, digital technologies have allowed convergent media practices to flourish to such an extent that it's now not only completely accepted, it's so normal you probably don't even think about it