Rockbites: Napster teams with indie labels for subscription service

newsarchive

June 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily

back to June 2001 index

Napster teams with indie labels for subscription service
26 June 2001

Free music access via the Internet is going underground, driven by strategic moves by big business—viz the recent swallowing by Universal Music Group of the formerly independent MP3.com, the forthcoming Sony-backed online subscription service behemoth to be known as Duet, and direct legal attacks on Napster’s 'what copyright?' attitude.
    Somewhere off to the side, independent labels have been negotiating with Napster toward what seems to be shaping up as the best hope for organized Internet music distribution by indies and their artists.
    Last week, Grand Royal (the New York indie founded by The Beastie Boys) teamed with Napster to feature tracks by Nullset, BS 2000, Bran Van 3000, and The Prunes. TVT, also New York based, got with Napster this past January.
    Today at the second 'annual general meeting' of the UK’s Association of Indpendent Music (AIM), a collective of UK indie labels, Napster announced a much, much larger deal. AIM, along with Europe’s IMPALA (the Independent Music Companies Association), have signed a worldwide licensing agreement that makes available hundreds of thousands of songs to Napster’ forthcoming subscription service.
    The agreement covers music by such artists as Ash, Badly Drawn Boy, Belle And Sebastian, Moby, Mogwai, and Paul Oakenfold—and involves more than 150 independent labels including Beggars Group, Cherry Red, Poptones, V2 Music, and XL Recordings. Other labels including Mute and Warp are continuing negotiations.
    It seems the existence of groups such as AIM and IMPALA, and their new agreement with Napster, are critical steps toward assuring the future viability of the independent music industry. On the other hand, Germany’s BMG, one of the 'big five' major labels, is now a partial owner of Napster with an option to acquire a majority stake—thereby having a hand on the spigot. Rather ironic, wouldn’t you say, that the once anarchic Internet may yet prove to be independent music’s biggest challenge and worst ally. | AIM | | IMPALA | | Napster | | top of page |

back to June 2001 index

today’s stories •

click for Rockbites Home
	Copyright © 1998 - 2001 M. Jason. All Rights Reserved. Rockbites is not for profit and supports human rights. “Rockbites” and “Alternative Daily” are service marks of Rockbites. All names are the property of their respective owners. Send your feedback or questions to feedback@rockbites.com Send your press releases to press@rockbites.com Rockbites Alternative Daily contact information