Editorial: Can unsigned bands go it alone?

Remember what music was like 'B.I.' (before internet, pictured right)? Before file sharing, iTunes, MP3 blogs, Last FM and Spotify, not to mention social networks like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

A time when the only outlets for new music were record shops, radio stations and gigs, and when bands were reliant on the music magazines and newspapers to spread the word on their latest single.

And what did these outlets have in common? They were easy to commercialize. CDs, radio playlists and gig tickets can all be quantified, controlled and monetized. Nothing slipped between the cracks, and the record labels were the custodians of the cashflow and the message, taking their sizeable cut of the profits.

How times change. In today's wired world a band can expose their first rudimentary recordings to the listening public within days or weeks of forming. Album sales have tanked, record shops have vanished and some of the best music magazines have ceased to exist (or remain relevant).

This would appear to indicate a power shift away from the corporations. But is it as simple as that, and is it really possible for a musician to achieve career-sustaining success without the backing of a record label?

Canadian band Metric decided to self-release their fourth album this year. Fantasies peaked at a respectable #6 in their native album chart, and guitarist Jimmy Shaw said at the time: "We might go down in flames, or it might be the best move ever. Either way it will have been on our terms, and that for us is success.”

And as The Guardian's music blog reported, London band The Boxer Rebellion recently self-released their comeback single 'Evacuate' and sold over half a million downloads on iTunes. That success led to a new kind of deal, not with a label but with retailer HMV. In effect, the high street chain invested in the band, paying for a physical release and funding the promotion in return for a cut of revenue and a string of exclusive in-store gigs.

The other side-stepping option is to set up your own label. The Futureheads' career may have gone off the boil, but a couple of years ago they set an example to other bands languishing on a major's roster by setting up Nul Records. True, they already had two records behind them, and most unsigned acts can't just summon such finance, but at least they showed that labels can be bypassed with a bit of hard work and self-belief.

Or can they? A popular path for many unsigned bands these days is to record a self-financed debut LP or EP, send it off to carefully chosen shops and journalists, and secretly hope that the word-of-mouth buzz reaches a label scout. Frightened Rabbit's Sing the Greys led to a deal with Fat Cat and the album's reissue, and it's doubtful whether the Scottish indie-rockers would have been able to achieve the transatlantic success they now enjoy without the marketeers, gig bookers and miscellaneous hype stirrers that a label can provide.

Chemikal Underground founder and former Delgados man Alun Woodward (now flying solo as Lord Cut-Glass, pictured right) was pragmatic when we asked him whether bands can really do it themselves:

"I think the answer to the question is yes but only if you had a management company acting like a record company, in which case the answer is actually no, because you have basically started a new record label. As for a new band making an album, putting it up on iTunes and generating a career, I don't think it is feasible."

Another argument against self-releasing is based on perception. Often it's the most hard-working, self-promotional bands who become the most wearisome. We don't necessarily want to hear musicians tell us why we should buy their album. We just want them to get on with making music and let the media take care of the hyperbolic chatter.

It's something to do with protecting music's status as an artform, not an enterprise. Bands who ceaselessly promote themselves might attract the right kind of attention, but they also risk becoming public irritants.

Today there are more ways than ever of making a living out of music if you're good enough...

1. You can remain unsigned and retain complete independence, although you'll need to have a dedicated online fanbase and put in some hard graft of your own.

2. You can pay to record your first release with the hope that a discerning indie label comes along and sends you on your way to a wider audience.

3. If you have a blatantly commercial streak, you can hold out for one of the 'big four' (EMI/Sony/Universal/Warner) and sign away your credibility in exchange for corporate muscle and a fast track to the mainstream.

There is fourth option however. Forget the money, make the music you want to make, and to hell with the career plans.

Words: UtR

Can a band forge a career without a record label?
Are record labels hopelessly clinging on to an outdated business model?
Can endless self-promotion put you off an artist?

Discuss...