strong enough to write

A+ on my rock music paper.
I could have published this a month ago, but where would the fun be in that?

Anyway. It's on Hanson and their struggle with their record label.
I impressed some people. Maybe you'll be impressed, too.

Independence Over Majority: Facing the Music Business the Hard Way

Musicians are entertainers, business people, but first, they are artists. Putting musical notes, instruments and, in some cases, words together is their way of personal expression. Creating something that sells is not their main concern, whereas that is exactly what many major record labels are looking for. In 2001, Hanson faced this clash of interests and dealt with it by creating their own record label. As record labels work to package music that sells, recording artists seek new ways to release their music; this has always been a motivation for the “Indie Movement.”

It is generally assumed that it is a necessity for a musician to be on a major label to be promoted to and well-received by the public (Caves, 83). Although the labels are meant for musicians to produce their music, they are also businesses which have to make decisions for their own benefit. Many contracts are one-sided and typically to the advantage of the label (79).

Record labels primarily rely on radio to promote their artists. In 2004, it was still the top promoter of mainstream music (Hull, 184). Since popular songs get the most airplay, labels are pressured to produce something that will get played (231). This is the conflict. True musicians create music for the love of the art rather than the money and do not consider what would be likely to get played. “Art for art’s sake” is a phrase used to describe the fact that artists profit from doing something creative (Caves, 74). Labels take advantage of this through artists who accept money for making music the labels want rather than what they would like to create (74).

Musicians also have the right to choose the label that they would like to sign with – depending on the offers given. Whether they would like to be on a big label or a smaller one can sometimes be the same decision as whether they want to record their own music over recording a record that is guaranteed to sell (Hull, 144).

Before recording, artists are granted an advance, which includes royalties the album is expected to make (Caves, 79). The money given is to encourage the artist to record efficiently, rather than have the end result the way they would like it (79). In some cases, labels can decide to stop artists from recording if they find another that is more exciting, or they can decide not to record at all (Hull, 143).
Labels are responsible for obtaining master copies of musicians’ recordings and to market them (Hull, 121). Once received, they can choose to accept and promote them or reject and drop them from the label (145). Labels have proven to be conservative in choosing what to release and tend to follow what has been successful in the past (137). Should they choose to sell the album, the artist is then expected to release another, and the cycle begins (Caves, 79). The royalties that the album initially makes are set to cover the advance supplied to record and the artist only sees the royalties after the advance is covered (79).

Hanson, who achieved huge success in 1997 with their song “MMMBop” and their corresponding album Middle of Nowhere, was a victim of their record label. The recording process of their third album took over 40 months and involved over 80 songs (Greyson). If they had not stood up for what they wanted the album probably never would have been recorded.

Placed on Island Def Jam after the Big Six (conglomerate labels) merged into the Big Five, this was to be Hanson’s first record with the label (Boehlert). Jeff Fenster and other producers at Island Def Jam did not believe that the proposed songs for the album included a profitable single and continually delayed the band from recording (Greyson).

Displeased with the sales results of Hanson’s second album compared to those of their first, Fenster continued to dismiss their songs saying they did not have the “Hanson sound” (Greyson). It had been four years since the release of their first album; the boys had grown physically and mentally and they were each at different points in their lives. The band was going in another direction and as a result, their music was changing (Greyson). Dan Keyes, of Young Love, describes the change well, “It’s growing and changing. You don’t listen to the same music forever – as a musician, or artist, you don’t write the same music forever” (Keyes).

Looking back, drummer, Zac Hanson, said, “It was like we went from trying to make a record to trying to get a record made.” In the summer of 2001, Hanson had produced 23 songs, but, according to Fenster, none were good enough to be on the album (Greyson). Tired of the struggle they were facing with the label they decided to put their foot down. Two years after beginning the process of recording Underneath, they left Island Def Jam and formed their own independent label, 3CG Records (Greyson).

“We felt that 3CG was the right artistic decision for us,” Isaac Hanson said. “We just wanted to be in control of the way our content was delivered” (Dansby). They produced an album that probably never would have been released under the major label and debuted at number 25 on the Billboard charts (Greyson).

The effects of this struggle show in their album Underneath. “Strong Enough to Break,” with lyrics such as “just a figure in a monopoly game,” and “I start feeling the walls close in,” provided an outlet for how the industry made them feel (Hanson).

In addition to their label, Hanson created an organization supporting music and independent artists called “Are You Listening?” The website’s message reads, “Great music is out there and people are finding it. … It is time for us as fans of quality, choice and trust to step up and say ARE YOU LISTENING? ... We need to say it to radio, TV, press and record companies and also to bands, because they need to know you want music that speaks to you.” (AYL).

Indie rock has several definitions – some confining it to being an obscure artist, others describing it as music that is not produced on a major record label (Hibbett, 58). It is the musical counterpart to mainstream, and is all-inclusive when it comes to subgenres. Indies view mainstream production as music that “masks a lack of substance or artistic creativity” with technology and what has proven to sell (Hibbett, 62).

As of late, independent record labels only account for 16% of all record sales, but are host to 66% of all artists (Hull, 136). Indie labels are smaller, self-sufficient labels which are not owned by any of the major corporate labels (Hibbett, 58). Some include Thrill Jockey, Victory Records and Hope Division Records. Unlike major labels, they provide more creative freedom and have a much better connection with their artists (Sprague, 1). Indies allow for musicians who do not follow the format perceived popular to produce records (Hibbett, 57).

Major record labels tend to produce what is popular, while independents create the opportunity for musicians to be heard. Hanson is a prime example of an independent group. Although their sound is not anything out of this world or “under-produced,” it is what they wanted it to be. They abandoned what would seem like an exclusive spot on the roster of a major record label to achieve that. They and many artists who “miss out” on the opportunity to be featured on a major label form a musical union (the independents), which gives every musician the chance to have their music heard.

References Cited:
Boehlert, Eric. 1998. “Industry: new owners for Hanson, Hole and Beck?” in Rolling Stone.
Caves, Richard E. 2003. “Contracts Between Art and Commerce.” in The Journal of Economic Perspectives.
Dansby, Andrew. 2004. “Hanson Leaves the Garage,” In Rolling Stone.
Greyson, Ashley. 2004. Strong Enough to Break. 3CG.
Hanson, Isaac, Taylor Hanson, Zachary Hanson. 2004. Underneath. 3CG Records
Hibbett, Ryan. 2005. “What Is Indie Rock?” in Popular Music and Society.
Hull, Geoffrey. 2004. “The Recording Industry.” New York: Routledge
Keyes, Daniel. 2007. Personal Interview.
Sprague, David. 2001. “Thrill Jockey’s Artistc Intimacy: Label Earns Identity as ‘Redfined’ Indie,” in Billboard.
n.a. 2004. “AYL: The Message,” on the Are You Listening Website.