Why Fight The Power?

 

The development of the music industry has been defined by just a few companies. The Big Four record labels (Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Group) account for over 80% of all the music sales in the United States, and over 70% of global sales. Over recent decades, the executives of these corporations have lost sight of the music and have become too concerned with signing artists that seem profitable. But when the big record labels overlook great music because they don’t think it will turn a profit, the entire music community misses out.

 

Because the Big Four has immense control over the artists that the general public hears, they have the power to decide the exact direction that music should take. The record labels often take away the artistic freedom of their signed artists. By making much of their music sound mainstream and boringly similar, the Big Four destroys the potential of the music industry.

 

Unfortunately, most artists simply can’t make it in the music world without getting signed, so they are willing to change their music and their image to become what the labels are looking for. There has been no way for artists to make a good living on their own due to the overarching power of the music industry. There must be a way for artists to create their music, release it to their fans, and make money without the big labels getting in the way. That’s why you’re here.

 

About Fight The Power

 

Fight The Power is an online community that connects people with unsigned artists. People use Fight The Power to find great new music, learn about artists, and support the unsigned music community.

 

Artists share their music and connect with fans

Artists use Fight The Power to share their music, tell people about their upcoming shows, and communicate with their fans. People from all over the world can listen to any artist’s music.

 

Anyone can join Fight The Power

All a person needs is a valid email address and a credit card. Once a member of Fight The Power, anyone can communicate with their favorite artists and purchase their music.

 

Discover the artists you love

People can find artists by name, region, popularity and genre. Whether tracking down an artist you love or trying to discover some interesting new music, Fight The Power lets you find exactly what you’re looking for.

 

Pay What You Want

Fight The Power sets no retail price for the music its artists upload. This means that people choose what they want to pay for the music that they download. People support unsigned artists by buying their music on Fight The Power.

 

The Future

Fight The Power will revolutionize the music industry. Without a need for record labels to develop and circulate music, the Big Four will no longer dominate the music that we all listen to. Instead, the artists and the listeners will choose what music prevails. Together, we can take back the music industry for the music.

 

 

 

Sources for Project

I will model my website based on the most successful networking and media-sharing websites, focusing on Facebook, mySpace, and YouTube. I will consult articles that speculate about Radiohead’s “pay-what-you-want” album In Rainbows and the revenue generated. This website will test whether such a model can work on a broader scale than simply Radiohead’s newest album. I will also research how the record industry has adapted to the Internet and how Fight The Power differs from the iTunes Music Store as well as other online music companies.