Pearl Jam Ditches Music Label, Goes With Internet Strategy

from the is-this-the-beginning? dept

I'm somewhat surprised this story hasn't been making more news. Plenty of people who realize what's happening have pointed out that the music industry is going to be forced, kicking and screaming, to realize that their old business model just doesn't cut it any more. The latest sign in this ongoing process is that a big name band like Pearl Jam has ended their contract with Sony, and decided they don't need another deal with a major label. Instead, they're fully embracing an internet distribution strategy - and so far, it appears to be working. It's stories like this one that should "worry" the music industry. Their old business model is being swept out from under them. Instead of adjusting they're just whining. That's never worked in the past, and it doesn't look like it's going to work this time, either.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Jun 2003 @ 6:23am

    No Subject Given

    This should work well for established bands but new artists trying to break in will probably still need a label in order to get the recognition from the public. Once known though, they should try to route of the free agent.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Jun 2003 @ 1:14pm

    No Subject Given

    I disagree. The RIAA has embraced an exciting new business model. Extorting children. Yes, just like the bullies at the playground the RIAA will beat up any college kid that writes a search engine. So far this year, out of court settlements alone have yielded $40,000 and some bubble gum. And the cost of this madness is of course passed on to the consumer. I love America!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Joe Black, 19 Feb 2004 @ 8:07am

    Free to all

    Established bands should be able to switch successfully to the new model in the same manner as Pearl Jam without too much hassle.

    New artists will also benefit from a similar model as they can cheaply and easily make their music available online without requiring access to huge budgets or needing to kow-tow to the mighty monolith that is the music industry.

    At the end of the day, any band worth its salt will be making the majority of its money from performing live. And, until you can download the experience of being at a live gig, that's the way it's going to stay so record companies might as well get used to it and charge a fair price for music.

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.