Established Artists Begin New Era
If you were a fan of rock music (hell, if you listened to the radio) during the 1990s, the odds are that you know one or two songs by the band Collective Soul. The odds are also pretty good that you do not know that you know them.
If that sounds pretty confusing, you can chalk it up to yet another mistake by the big record labels. Collective Soul is one of the many bands that have a high sing-along quotient, but no overall recognition. For that, they place the blame squarely on their former label, Atlantic Records.
What sets Collective Soul apart from the many bands that create meaningful, appealing music that fails to get out to the masses due to the poor management of the label is that they decided to do something about it. Shortly after releasing a Greatest Hits album, the band parted ways with the label and began their own project, the El Music Group. In the fall of 2004, the band released the Indie label’s first album, entitled “Youth”.
The mission statement of El Music Group is clearly in opposition to the principles of the big name labels. The band’s goal is to create an integrated approach to music production while also distributing the profits generated by the music equitably. It’s a project where success will only be determined by time.
collective soul is a great band. and i believe that labels really have something to do with an artist’s recognition. the labels should be the one to create the name of the artist and promote it. some good artists are not recognized because they have chosen or they are in a not so popular label.
I loved Collective Soul. Their first album really got me listening. Last I heard of their song’s David Cook’s cover of “The World I Know.”
I still believe Independent Label’s the way to go and more popular bands should support it. Thanks to the internet, Independnet music is no longer as obscure as it was years ago.
Yes Froix, i agree with you. I also used to listen to Collective souls’ music. and many bands will really have their success if they will support it. and the internet has also a big help in promoting these artists and bands.
well, i really think that the label has a big role in the recognition of the bands. just like what happened to collective soul, they are great musicians but they were not recognized because even if they were handled by a big label, the management was was a flop. so i think great bands and artists should really choose what is best for them.