Posted on 
Apr 17, 2009 11:51 pm I've read many articles like that one before and have thought about the situation many many times. Im in an independent band and i know the whole back and forth of sign or no sign, big evil labels and such.
i think wat it comes down to in the world of "sellout this and sellout that" is the intention. if u end up a slave to a label coz u owe them tons of money and u have to play forever to pay it back, wats the difference between incurring that debt urself and having to pay it back if ultimately wat u want to do with ur life is play music. i know a bunch of bands here who got signed and i dont call them sellouts becoz they genuinely seem to enjoy jsut playing music watever the music is and they enjoy entertaining crowds. sure, there is the art factor but part of professionally playing music is entertaining ppl, and if u can have someone handle the bill for that in exchange for some of ur freedoms as an "artist" i dont see a huge problem with that. i think the sacrifices r the same in the long run if ur intention is to JUST PLAY MUSIC. if ur intention is to create art and make a difference then yes signing to a label is murder 9 times out of 10.
id like to make art for now, my band has not sought label support coz we enjoy our freedom. but i wont turn down financial support; support that will allow me to play and record without worry for years, if one day i decide that yeah i just enjoy playing music.
