On one hand this could go in Serious Discussion for the fact that it deals with industry and corruption and on the other it fits well within the Other Music Thread, so, I have placed it in Serious Discussion and Mods-Admins can move it at their leisure. (Clarification, I do not believe they are a bad band, I used the word "Shit" as in their collective products.) Streetlight Manifesto, a great punk band with many a ska and jazz influence tell consumers to not buy their music or products due to conflicts with their music label Victory Records. A quote from their homepage below explains their situation and what they mean to do about it. So, what say you about this Self-Boycott. Do you think more Artist and content creators should take this kind of stance when fighting corruption and greed within their industry or do you think that there is a better way. Let your thoughts be known here.
Victory has a history of doing underhanded shit, I can't stand them. Hate to see Taproot ended up there, a real shame. Anywho, off to torrent some more Streetlight Manifesto.
While I definitely agree with the sentiments these guys are expressing (not just toward Victory Records, but the industry in general), the one thing that bugs me whenever artists come out and say stuff like this is that they always come across as "hindsight is 20/20" type of statements. While the situation they're in sucks, they wouldn't be in it if they hadn't signed the contract with Victory Records in the first place. I think the biggest lesson to be learned from stories like this is that up-and-coming musicians should make sure to read over EVERY little detail of contracts they sign and make sure they aren't signing away rights to things that they shouldn't have to. I know it's tough to afford it when you're an unknown artist without a record deal, but if it's possible, it's REALLY beneficial to hire a music lawyer. It'll likely save you a ton of headaches down the road. Record companies always assume that the newbies are stupid and have no idea how the industry works, and a lot of good musicians get taken advantage of because of it.