So name some bands that have abandoned their labels to sell records direct to the pubilc via their websites

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...because I'm trying to think of some but can only think of bands/artists who have been dropped by labels.

― Cat, Friday, 7 March 2003 13:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Dodgy? I don't think they'd say they were dropped, since A&M shut down in the UK & that released them from their contract. The band just never signed to another label and went direct to their fans instead.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Friday, 7 March 2003 14:02 (twenty-three years ago)

were Marillion dropped?

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 7 March 2003 14:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, I was wracking my brain trying to think of who it was, there's a very famous prog band (no, that is not a contradiction) who did it, and I, too, thought it was Marillion.

― kate, Friday, 7 March 2003 14:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Prince.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 7 March 2003 14:27 (twenty-three years ago)

I believe Steven "Level 42" King has been doing this, although whether he jumped or was pushed I don't know.

Weren't Marillion recording and releasing an album on some sort of subscription-only deal rather than offering a finished product for sale?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 7 March 2003 14:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Here's Marillion's story. I guess they didn't renew their contract with EMI.

http://www.marillion.com/news/newalbum/index.html

― Cat, Friday, 7 March 2003 14:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Uh, this might be obvious, but what about John Taylor? ;-)

― kate, Friday, 7 March 2003 14:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Hrm... John Taylor. Tough one. Duran wasn't doing anything so he released his album on his own label, but then he ditched B5 completely. And now he's back with Duran. Does that count, do you think? I don't think Duran was ever dropped and I doubt he'd drop himself from his own label, would he?

― Cat, Friday, 7 March 2003 14:48 (twenty-three years ago)

maybe his name is alive?
wire?

― john fail (cenotaph), Friday, 7 March 2003 15:26 (twenty-three years ago)

HNIA still on 4AD. Warren Defever just started TIme Stereo or whatever it's called to feed his vanity. :-P

― kate, Friday, 7 March 2003 15:27 (twenty-three years ago)

No, actually HNIA was just dropped, I hear. Meaning Time Stereo is now the way, truth and light.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 March 2003 15:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Public Enemy

Curve did for a bit

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 March 2003 15:42 (twenty-three years ago)

anyway, i'm pretty sure that warn doesn't "run" time-stereo, his roommate does and he's just pretty actively involved. not that it really matters.....

― john fail (cenotaph), Friday, 7 March 2003 15:56 (twenty-three years ago)

The Burden Brothers - the singer from the Toadies and the drummer (?) from the Reverend Horton Heat. Formed as a reaction to how much both disliked the music industry supposedly, so they're doing a direct-to-fans thing.

― miloauckerman, Friday, 7 March 2003 17:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Thomas Dolby, that's his story and he's sticking to it.

― largehearted boy (largeheartedboy), Friday, 7 March 2003 22:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Einsturzende Neubaten did this recently, getting their fans to fund the recording of their next album. i think Prince did it/does it too.

― Wyndham Earl, Friday, 7 March 2003 22:39 (twenty-three years ago)

They Might Be Giants gave it a pretty good shot.

― matt riedl (veal), Saturday, 8 March 2003 16:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Jane Siberry has been doing this for awhile. King Crimson has been selling a lot of their archival stuff over the net, but I think the new album is actually on a label.

― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Sunday, 9 March 2003 03:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Lou Barlow, kinda. He's self-releasing Sentridoh stuff whilst Fork Implosion's on Interscope and I think he'd have entre (if not contractural obligation) with Sub Pop for more Sebadoh or even solo stuff.

Pernice Bros.--I don't think they were dropped, but so disaffected with Sub Pop that they/their manager started Ashmont Records.

Wasn't Todd Rundgren doing a subsription service through his web site?

― wl (wl), Sunday, 9 March 2003 03:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Grant-Lee "Buffalo" Phillips

― summerslastsound (summerslastsound), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 16:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Bob Mould

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 17:03 (twenty-three years ago)

There was just a segment on Morning Edition today about Aimee Mann. The piece (Morning Edition, not Aimee Mann) said that she gets $4 per unit sold, as opposed to major-label acts who get $1 per unit *after* all the expenses are recouped. (Didn't say what the break-even was for her in order to make the remaining revenue cover recording, marketing & production.)

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 17:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Fishbone - bitter battle with long-time label Sony, ending with them being removed from the roster. Signed with Rawkus, released one record before Rawkus went out of business. Signed with Dreamworks, released one (highly compromised from what I hear) album, parted ways quickly. Started their own Nuttsactor 5 label, where they have released their own most recent EP and full-length, as well as albums from bands such as Weapon of Choice and Deadweight.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 17:58 (twenty-three years ago)

mu-ziq's latest album was rejected by Virgin UK, so he's releasing it on his own label Planet Mu, which he's been running for several years.(according to the man himself)

― jodi shapiro (burun), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 21:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Lewis Taylor was dropped by/left Island (not sure which, thought it was probably mutual) and now releases his stuff on his own, though he's set up a distribution thing with HMV as opposed to selling his latest album through a website.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 13 March 2003 10:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Aimee Mann springs to mind. I think she has given up on record labels after the disaster with "Bachelor #2" which turned into a success later.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 13 March 2003 11:20 (twenty-three years ago)

The Pumpkins released their last album, Machina II, on a label of their own (after Virgin refused to release it), made 20 copies in vinyl, and distributed it through the internet on Mp3; does that count?

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Thursday, 13 March 2003 16:06 (twenty-three years ago)

There's an article in the NY Times today about how Natalie Merchant is doing this. Her manager claims Elektra offered her "a sizeable amount of money to stay," but she chose not to. Instead, she's releasing a new album of traditional songs on her own label (sold first on her website, then in stores).

Ms. Merchant has little to lose. "I'm beyond financially independent. I had a lot of success, and I gathered together a very large audience. And I was in a rare position, because my material was unorthodox as the pop-hit mold went, but I was able to sell multiplatinum albums and have relatively large hits... I've been writing things that are much more obscure and sort of shelving them, thinking I can't get this past a corporate boardroom and I won't even try."

― Sam Jeffries (samjeff), Thursday, 13 March 2003 17:59 (twenty-three years ago)

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