Today Universal Music Group announced their partnership with the digital distribution system TuneCore. TuneCore allows unsigned artists to put their music up for purchase on iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and others, and doesn't claim any rights or profits from the music. They charge a 99 cents per song, 99 cents per album per store, and an annual fee of $9.99 to $19.98 per album.
In this new partnership, Universal Music Group opened up four digital distribution stores that are powered by TuneCore and use the same pricing model. The four stores are run by Island Def Jam, Interscope, Republic, and UniMo. Each store will have executives from that label that monitor releases from unsigned acts and the press release claims that "Artists may have the chance to be involved in label showcases, creating and producing proper studio demos, or receiving professional reviews of their music by an artist or member of the company’s A&R team."
There are a few eyebrow-raising items from this otherwise good news for unsigned acts. The first is the term "may" in that previous quote, which could be cynically construed to mean that the labels may monitor their stores for new artists or may not. The second is an apparent case of major label greed. It seems as though each separate store requires separate accounts for an artist to be considered by that label. In other words, if you want to be considered by both Island Def Jam and Interscope, it appears as though you would have to pay twice. Hopefully that isn't the case. Either way, it is still an exciting move by a recording industry that needs new ideas in the digital age.
Correct me if im wrong , arent Tunecore about "Unsigned artists." They drone on about how they apparently changed the industry and that artists no longer need major labels. And then they sell out to them. They are also selling healthcare, WTF! And this deal doesn't promise ANYTHING, it has been going for four months and NO one has had a sniff of any major label access.
Correct me if im wrong , arent Tunecore about "Unsigned artists."
They drone on about how they apparently changed the industry and that artists no longer need major labels. And then they sell out to them.
They are also selling healthcare, WTF!
And this deal doesn't promise ANYTHING, it has been going for four months and NO one has had a sniff of any major label access.
SELL OUTS!