Navigating Power Dynamics in Music

No guest this week, but plenty of meat as we take our previous episode with Spotify chronicler Liz Pelly as a jumping off point to talk about the idea of independence.

We use the word ‘independence’ a lot on No Tags without really investigating what we mean by it. In a era when the major labels are all stake-holders in the biggest streaming platform on Earth, and are hoovering up indie labels and distributors like never before, how feasible is it to operate as a truly independent artist – whatever that means? And how can the term ‘independent’ apply to indie labels with multiple offices and millions in the bank as well as one-person DIY operations?

To explain, we think about the important history of independent distribution, catch up with the latest music biz headlines affecting independent artists, and ask ourselves… have the major labels simply won at this point?

It’s a little lighter elsewhere, as we talk ghosts (4:15) and debrief Anora’s Oscar sweep (49:52), followed by some thoughts on The Brutalist, Nosferatu and 1971’s The Working Class Goes to Heaven.

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