I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Trent Reznor's decision to sign with a major label after years of being a DIY musician. He spoke with David Byrne this week and Alan Cross has the video (via Brent Chittenden):
The money quote:
"There are options now. . . I know when I was experimenting, I was catching some complaints that, well: 'that works for you because you came from the record label system'. . .you know. . .well. . .I'm trying to figure it out for me right now.
"I wasn't trying to say 'this was going to work for the unknown artist to do this'. . . I've tried to share every bit of information I've learned in the process. Maybe you can, as the unknown artist, new guy, apply some of that information.
"But really, I've just been trying . . .I haven't figured it out. I'm trying to roll with the punches. I'm trying to solve problems, primarily with my own interest in mind: how to get my music out, be an artist, explore different options, you know, but to that new guy. . .to that kid that's 20 years old or 15 years old or however old that starts down that path these days, the good side is there are options. . .there wasn't YouTube when I was a kid; there wasn't even MTV when I was a kid. . .
The takeaway? There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the music business anymore. It's up to you as an artist to find the path to success given your individual talents. To do that, you have to be creative, develop and manage a great team, and then experiment until you find what works.
Luckily, there are options now.