The good folks at The 9513 pointed me to this interesting article on the indie labels growing influence in Nashville.
I like the idea of country superstars starting thier own boutique labels to allow them to stretch thier wings, but I would have liked to read about indie labels, Bloodshot, Compadre – that have cultivated and nurtured indie artists all along. Artists that would have never had a phone call returned by the major labels (and probably the superstar boutiques as well.) And what about the legends that had to turn to indies in the later years because the majors saw them as washed up – Cash with American, Charlie Louvin and Tompkins Square, Porter Wagner and Anti/Epigraph. These labels saw these legends and thier legacy and allowed them to release work to regain their musical spirit with dignity.
Let’s hear the whole story on indies.
Good point. I agree the best producers are not all at the big labels. I wonder why more people don’t start their own label, like Wille Nelson did, and Toby Keigh did. Maybe too expensive, too much work. It seems like at some point, these guys would want theri own label. Maybe they just want to tour and play music, and not get involved in the business. I’m rambling. I enjoyed the article, too.