Copyright Law

New Label Will Partner with Artists for Digital Distribution

By soulxtc

Polyphonic looks to help musicians bypass traditional record labels, focusing on digital distribution and allowing artists to retain ownership of their work.

Brian Message, manager of alternative rock band Radiohead, is helping to launch a new record label where digital distribution is the focus and artists retain the copyright of the music they create.

The new label, called Polyphonic, will be a partnership between ATC, of which Brian Message is a partner, MAMA Group, and Vancouver-based artist management firm Nettwerk Music Group,

“We will do whatever is most effective to get an artist noticed,” said Adam Driscoll, co-chief executive of the MAMA Group. “Giving an album away for free may get one million people listening to a new artist.”

Giving away an album for free is of course what Radiohead is famous for, having offered it’s album “In Rainbows” for whatever price fans wanted to pay.

Driscoll also said the label would offer newer artists a 50/50 split on profits with more established artists getting a bigger percentage.

?It has been apparent for some time that there is a real barrier to artist development – and that is a lack of available investment capital,” he added. “The launch of Polyphonic will enable us to make many more such investments in both emerging artists and those further down their career path. The contract that we have structured brings more business and creative freedom to artists and managers than has ever been offered before.?

The label is sure to be a hit with music fans looking to support artists and not greedy record labels, especially knowing they still own their work and get at least half of the profits.

Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk said, ?Over the last few years we have found new ways to enable our management clients to take more control of their careers. We launched a number of artist imprints to allow bands to take a bigger stake in their recorded music and have engaged fully with digital distribution platforms to ensure that we get their music to their fans in as many ways as possible. Polyphonic will enable us to make further strides in enabling artists and managers to build businesses that control all aspects of the artists? career and their assets. Having shared objectives is paramount if any business in any sector is to work. That hasn?t been readily delivered by the old industry investment model ? it will be through Polyphonic.”

Hopefully it’ll be successful and serve as a model for traditional record labels to follow.

Stay tuned.

jared@zeropaid.com

Full post as published by ZeroPaid on July 10, 2009 (boomark / email).