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More opportunities for newer artists following pop stars lead
July 31, 2007
Stephen Abbott

Madonna has just finished her contractual obligation with Warner Music Group, and rumour has it she will exit from that relationship. Unless you're a shareholder in WMG you probably don't care. However, it was a quote from Grayson Brulte, a media entrepreneur, that caught my attention in this story.

"The loss of Madonna is not an isolated situation, it's part of a growing trend. Superstars have more options than ever, and they will continue to exercise those options."

Superstars do have other options available to them, just as every independent artist has plenty of options available to them, too. Building fan base, recording and promoting, distribution and airplay, touring and live events, even the concept of singles vs albums is open to being redefined - boundaries that local artists have been pushing for for years.

The alternative options always seem viable, but the "superstar" dream has always held its place as the pinnacle of acheivement. Being signed by a label defined success, and the grand allure of the deal often left the artists in poor bargining positions. For some reason the alternatives are considered a compromise, or left for the fringe artists. Until lately.

The trend that Brulte was referring to was how many prominent artists are doing things differently, but not doing it the same way as each other. Finally, there is no longer one single measure of success. Madonna is probably going to sign a deal with Live Nation, a massive concert promoter. Barenaked Ladies formed their own record label. Prince made deals with newspapers to give away his latest CD. Starbucks is forming a label that adds ambience to their coffee houses. The list of options is growing continuously.

As long as the artists stayed with the record labels, the alternatives were always going to be viewed as experiments. Today, as more and more popular artists say no to the traditional deals and look for better options in different ways, local artists can take a cue from them and define a clearer picture of success for themselves. So while you may not care that Madonna is leaving and WMG's stock is at a yearly low, feel free to get excited about the new opportunities that gives to the local artist.