So, in my hunt to find good examples of free culture/remix culture, I’m kind of struggling. However, Gorditamedia’s comment on my summary post about buying music because she wants artists to receive profit for their work reminded me of a record label that gives away all of their music for free: Quote Unquote Records
I’ve copied their “About” section, which explains their reasons for running a donation-based record label:
There’s no way to say all of this without sounding preachy, so just try to keep in mind we are not under the impression that we are better than anyone. In fact all of our artists generally have something to sell at live shows, whether it be limited edition vinyl or a t-shirt. We are just trying to do something different because different = fun. Quote Unquote Records is a donation-based record label. We have simple goals which is to put out good music, put out fun music and help our artists get heard. Record labels are failing miserably right now, and I’m pretty sure that is because they are trying to sell CDs. Aside from maybe the latest NOW compilations and that Red Hot Chili Peppers double disc (that was a shocker!), CD sales ain’t doin’ so hot. That’s because people just download it anyway.While some people who are very uncomfortable with embracing a new technology swear that this is going to kill rock and roll, I have seen first hand that it helps bands increase their audience and allows fans to discover tons of great bands. Then, usually at a show, people will buy a CD or something if the band is really good.
if you are diggin’ what we’re doing, please toss us some money so we can continue to grow and maybe start something new. I mean seriously, a million labels selling CDs, there’s gotta be one that’s giving them away, right? To download our catalog, click on the little albums link on the left and if you like an artist, please donate the suggested price. Even though we all try to record these albums on our own, your donations help us to eat on tour, pay for promotion and hopefully one day, allow us to do some cool stuff that “real” bands with “labels” do – like recording and packaging records. Fuck, with your help, maybe we can even change this stupid stupid underground music industry from fashionista indie labels back to friendly songwriters and nerds.
Thanks a lot for stopping by. Hope you enjoy.
They operate under a CC license, too. Pretty cool, in my opinion.
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4 Comments
I can attest that listeners are more likely to donate to bands who they feel deserve their admiration. But, this “model” (quote unquote model heh heh), however alternative, doesn’t supplant the incumbent model. Can you supply examples of players in the industry that have generated a substantial revenue stream without relying of the exclusive right to music via copyright (directly and also in the form of royalties)?
As you can probably surmise, I’m on a total Benkler kick!
I don’t think any of the artists on record labels like QUR would ever make money off of royalties, but I’m sure I could probably send the founder to QUR an e-mail. A big part of this genre of music (whatever you’d like to call it, some sort of bastardization of punk rock, I guess) is festivals like The Fest in Gainesville, FL and Insubordination Fest in Baltimore. Fans pay a small price to see tons of bands, buy their merch, etc. If I go to a show, they wont give me a record for free. That record cost money to make, and I’m sure they’d like some of that back. I’d guess that this is where a lot of bands on QUR make their money, in addition to nation-wide tours. Most of these bands, because of their lack of popularity, don’t sell their music in stores, either (but you can usually purchase it online). Most of these musicians have jobs to supplement their music careers, and do not make music for a living. I’m assuming they make it because they enjoy doing so.
Like I said, I can only speak from personal experience. The shows that I’ve been to that featured bands on QUR (aside from big festivals) were usually in someone’s basement, and they were almost always packed. I doubt QUR is a good model for the question you’ve asked, and I’m sure if Kanye West decided to stop selling his music (lol), the results would be quite different.
Also, I think bands on labels like QUR can get away with making money without selling their music because of the values the rock community (re:fans) creates (i.e. the importance of live performance). I could totally dive into this, but wont, because it’d be pretty off-topic.
Some of the larger acts like Coldplay have given away free CDs at their concerts. That speaks to the fact that most artists make a lot of money touring and not by album sales–especially in past years. Live Nation making huge deals with artists like Madonna are a sign of the times. Songs are becoming a promotional tool more so than a money generator. Merch, live performance, ad campaigns are how people make money.