Artists Need a Home Base

As entertainment producers we have all this freedom to create what we want and distribute those creations how we see fit.

There aren't any limits on what we can produce and distribute. Filters? They don't exist.

I will argue that there needs to be filters. Regardless if you enjoy what a filter like a record label or movie studio puts out, there is a level of quality that is evident in what they produce. That's the whole point of a label or studio! To serve up the best stuff!

These filters have been hit in the wallet by the change in digital distribution but it doesn't mean they aren't important anymore. We still need people who care about music to pick the best of the best, nurture it, help push it along and then show it to the world.

In the future are all bands going to connect with fans direcly on their own, without support? That sounds like a great idea but I'm not sure that it is possible. What I do think is that record labels can connect with fans directly. The filters can make these connections. So much of the work that a band takes on with the DIY style of connecting with fans could be transfered to a label or filter if the right relationship was established. That is what artists need; support! Once an artist or band reaches a certain level, they as individuals can't take on all the communication work that is needed. That's where great managers, and great labels come into the picture. A great manager can change an artist's life. A great label can do the same!

A label is a home. A place where an artist feels comraderie. A place where they feel they belong. A place they can run to.

Connecting with a fan directly is the future. The artist connecting one on one with a fan is part of it. The label needs to stand behind that communication and help that happen. Labels need to be behind the 'one on one' connection propping it up, supporting it, and pulling it all together.