Mainstream,Independent dan Underground

Mainstream

Mainstream music denotes music that is familiar unthreatening (and boring) to the masses, as for example popular music, pop music, middle of the road music, rap or soft rock; but it should be noted that older generations often have a well-founded dislike for the mainstream taste of the youth, and may not agree as to what is or is not mainstream. Mainstream jazz is generally seen as an evolution of be-bop, which was originally regarded as radical.

Opposing mainstream music is the music of subcultures. This exists in virtually all genres of music and is found commonly in punk rock, indie rock, anti-folk and Heavy Metal, among others. In the 1960s this music was exemplified by the music of the hippie counterculture. In more recent years alternative rock, such as the music of Nirvana, has managed to express musical nonconformity while still working within the confines of the mainstream music market.

ni citer laen pasal mainstream

label mesti yg besar2 cth:EMI,Sony BMG dll.
recording mesti kualiti yg bagus
jual album mesti mahal.
lgu comform la kuar radio sampai 2 3 kali asyik lgu 2 jer.
videoclip mesti mahal.pastu mesti ada director la.
artis mainstream mestila wat konsert dah famouskan.
tiket konsert mencecah RM100++.
penyanyi dpt penghargaan ttp komposer x dpt penghargaan kecuali anugerah juara lagu.
slalu kena kejar ngan paparazzi.nk kencing pun susah.
slalu kena gosip@kontroversi.


Independent


Independent record labels

Main article: Independent record label

Independent labels have a long history of promoting developments in popular music, stretching back to the post-war period in the United States, with labels such as Sun Records.

In the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s, the major record companies had so much power that independent labels struggled to become established. Several British producers and artists launched independent labels as outlets for their work and artists they liked, but the majority failed as commercial ventures or were swallowed up by the majors.[1]

The punk rock era saw a plethora of independent labels.[1] The UK Indie Chart was first compiled in 1980, and independent distribution became better organized from the late 1970s onwards.


Going major versus staying indie

Some bands choose to never go to a major label even if they are given the opportunity to do so. Similarly, others may choose to be an independent artist after having already experienced recording on a major label, such as pianist Bradley Joseph. As an independent, business is a prime concern and can take over if not controlled, Joseph said.[11] "A lot of musicians don't learn the business. You just have to be well-rounded in both areas. You have to understand publishing. You have to understand how you make money, what's in demand, what helps you make the most out of your talent."[12] But some artists just want to be involved in the music and don't like the added problems or have the personality to work with both. Joseph suggests newer artists read and study both courses and pick one that best suits their needs and wants.[11]

If a band moves to a major label, it does not necessarily guarantee the band's success. Only about 1 in 10 CDs released by major labels make any profit for the label.[13] It is possible for an artist to make more money producing and promoting their own CDs than signing with a major label. However, an independent label that is creatively productive is not necessarily financially lucrative. Independent labels are often one-or two-person operations with almost no outside assistance and run out of tiny offices.[14] This lack of resources can make it extremely difficult for a band to make revenue from sales.

Some major labels have created an opportunity for Independent artists to be featured on a distributed/ marketed CD project with no strings attached in an effort to help boost awareness of the Independent Music community. Their brand of product began with and will continue as the brand picks up success most likely.

One thing an artist can consider doing if they want to be noticed by a major label is starting their own independent label. A successful independent label with a strong musical reputation can be very appealing to a major label. Major labels rely on independent labels to stay current within the ever-changing music scene.[15] Independent labels are often very good at discovering local talent and promoting specialized genres. This tactic was employed by Canadian band, Barenaked Ladies when they went from being independent to forming their own label, Desperation Records. Desperation Records only releases songs by Barenaked Ladies, and there is no intention to begin signing other artists.

The difference among various independent labels lies with distribution, probably the most important aspect of running a label. A major-label distributed independent label allows the independent label to find, sign, and record their own artists. The independent label has a contract with a major label for promotion and distribution. In some cases, the major label also manufactures and releases the album. Independent labels that are owned by a major label distribute their records through independent distributors but are not purely independent. A purely independent label is not affiliated with a major label in any way. Their records are distributed through independent distributors.

It can be very difficult for indie bands to sign on a record label that may not be familiar with their specific style. It can take years of dedicated effort, self-promotion, and rejections before landing a contract with either an independent or major record label. Bands that are ready to go this route need to be sure they are prepared both in terms of the music they offer as well as their realistic expectations for success.

The three main ways for an artist to make money are record deals, touring, and publishing rights.


Major label contracts

Most major label artists earn a 10-15% royalty rate. However, before a band is able to receive any of their royalties, they must clear their label for all of their debts, known as recoupable expenses. These expenses arise from the cost of such things as album packaging and artwork, tour support, and video production. An additional part of the recoupable expenses are the artist's advance. An advance is like a loan. It allows the artist to have money to live and record with until their record is released. However, before they can gain any royalties, the advance must be paid back in full to the record label. Since only the most successful artists recoup production and marketing costs, an unsuccessful artist's debt carries over to their next album, meaning that they see little to no royalties.

Major label advances are generally much larger than independent labels can offer. If an independent label is able to offer an advance, it will most like be somewhere in the range of $5,000-$125,000. On the other hand, major labels are able to offer artists advances in the range of $150,000-$300,000. Instead of offering an advance, some independent labels agree to pay for a certain amount of the artist's recording costs. This money is recoupable. There are advantages and disadvantages of an advance. If an artist gets no advance, that means they owe their record company less money, thus allowing them to earn royalties more quickly. However, since the label recoups so many costs, an artist's advance might be the only money they are able to make for quite some time.

In a contract, options are agreed upon. Options allow the label to renew their contract with the artist and release more of their albums. Options lie with the label, and the label has the choice whether or not to record more with the artist. Some artists consider this unfair because the label has the right to not distribute an artist's project and extend their contract by one more album if they deem the music as commercially or artistically unacceptable. Record labels effectively own the artist's product for the duration of their contract.


Independent label contracts

Independent label contracts typically resemble contracts offered by major labels because they have similar legal liabilities to define before representing an artist. There are slight differences, usually with regards to royalties. Independent Labels typically offer higher royalty percentage because production costs are usually significantly lower than those of a major label. For example, Independent labels tend to focuss less on marketing than Major labels.

It is becoming increasingly more common for independent labels to offer a profit-sharing deal in which as much as 40-75% of the net profits go to the artist. In this type of contract, the net gain after all expenses have been taken out are split between the label and artist by a negotiated percentage. However, deals in this form can take longer for an artist to gain any profits since all expenses – such as manufacturing, publicity, and marketing – are also taken into account. As an independent artist becomes more popular, deals of this type are more advantageous.

Independent Labels can rely on "word of mouth" to expose their artists. This of course is to attract a distinct audience. Indie Labels tend to avoid high budget marketing, which is usually critized as "over kill" and attracts an audience commonly found following major label artists. This of course contributed to the lack of production cost, and helps artist to receive royalties sooner.



Touring

When a band goes on tour, it may or may not have the financial backing of its label. An artist receives a fixed fee or a percentage of the tickets sold by the venue owner or promoter. Touring is an expensive process. A moderate estimate of touring costs with a bus and small crew can easily reach $20,000 a week. If an artist tours with the support of their label, the expenses are all recoupable, thus potentially increasing a band's debt. Many successful bands tour without the support of their label so that they can keep all of their touring revenue. An independent band would have more difficulty than a highly successful one in being self-sufficient on tour.


Publishing

If a band or artist writes their own material, publishing can be one of the best ways to earn a profit. It is one of the few guaranteed ways to earn revenue for artists. Even touring is not a sure way to make money because it is possible that no one will attend the shows. Basic copyright law protects songwriters by giving them exclusive rights to grant or deny the reproduction, distribution, or performance of their work. The majority of a band's publishing income comes from its mechanical and performance rights. Mechanical rights cover the reproduction of a song on a record. In the standard contract between a band and a label, the label is required by law to pay the composer a fixed rate per song simply for the right to use the composition on commercially sold recordings. The mechanical licensing rate in 2006 for the U.S. and Canada is 9.1 cents per song.[21] With the performance rights, a song's copyright covers every time it appears on radio and television.

If an artist prefers to receive up-front money for their songs instead of waiting for the money to come in over time, it can choose to assign its copyright to a music publisher. The music publisher pays a cash advance for what they decide is the value of the copyright. It is common for a band to sign a copublishing deal. This means that the publisher offers the artist an advance in exchange for half the publishing income. When the advance is paid back, the music publisher retains 25% of the income. Since an artist has no guarantees whether or not their song will be popular, some may prefer to have a cash advance that guarantees them money regardless of how well the song does.

Increasingly the internet is making new methods of publication accessible to independent musicians. Services have been set up to distribute independent music over the internet with many different types of payment models. This often allows artists to reach a much wider audience then would normally be possible as a local band.


label x besar hanya ada kt negara sendiri je
jual album x mahal...
recording kualiti yg tp x sebagus mainstream.
videoclip murah je sbb buat sendiri & ada juga yg ada director.
lgu x byk kuar radio
band indie wat gig tp tiket agak mahal mencecah RM25++
diorang x harapkan ape2 anugerah cuma diorang harap lgu diterima oleh pendengar.



Underground


Underground music refers to a variety of post-1960s rock, pop, or dance subgenres that developed a cult following despite their lack of mainstream appeal, visibility, or commercial promotion. Underground bands and artists are often signed with independent record labels, and they typically perform in small venues and promote their music through word-of-mouth, fanzines, and college radio or community radio airplay.

The style of underground music ranges from the 1960s psychedelic music of the US hippie counterculture, to the DIY anti-corporatism of 1970s-era punk rock, to 1990s and 2000s-era experimental electronic music.

While the term comprises a range of different musical genres, they typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; and an appreciation of artistic creativity. As well, while very few types of underground music are completely hidden—except perhaps the underground rock scenes in the pre-Gorbachev Soviet Union—the performances and recordings may be difficult to find for outsiders.

Some underground musical genres never left their non-mainstream roots, such as jagged, aggressive UK 82-style hardcore punk bands like Discharge. Some underground styles eventually became mainstream, commercialized pop styles, such as underground hip hop of the early 1980s, which eventually became a popular, mass market musical style in the 2000s. In the 2000s, the increasing availability of the Internet and digital music technologies made underground music easier to distribute using streaming audio and podcasts. Some experts in cultural studies now argue that that there is no underground because the internet has made what was underground music accessible to everyone at the click of a mouse. One expert, Martin Raymond, of London based company The Future Laboratory commented in an article in The Independent, saying trends in music, art and politics are:

... now transmitted laterally and collaboratively via the internet. You once had a series of gatekeepers in the adoption of a trend: the innovator, the early adopter, the late adopter, the early mainstream, the late mainstream, and finally the conservative. But now it goes straight from the innovator to the mainstream.

In effect, this means a boy band (for instance) could be influenced by (formerly) obscure 1960's garage rock, early 1980s post punk, noise rock acts like Pussy Galore or even composers of avant-garde classical music like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen and still remain recognisable as a boy band.


History

The term underground music has been applied to several artistic movements, such as the psychedelic music movement of the mid-1960s. Other early "underground" bands include the Velvet Underground, the MC5, The Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, and the Stooges. Frank Zappa tried to define "underground" by noting that the "mainstream comes to you, but you have to go to the underground." In the 1960s, the term underground was associated with the hippie counterculture of young people who had dropped out of college and their middle class life to live in an off-the-grid commune of free love and cannabis. In modern popular music, the term “underground” refers to a performers or bands ranging from artists that do DIY "guerrilla concerts" and self-recorded shows to those that are signed to small independent labels. In some musical styles, the term “underground” is used to assert that the content of the music is illegal or controversial, as in the case of early 1990s death metal bands in the US.

Shlomo Sher's "philosophy for artists" argues that there are three common misconceptions about the "underground": that it refers exclusively to the rave/electronica scene; that it can be described with a vague, broad definition of "anything which is not mainstream"; and the myth that underground music is kept secret; he points out that no band or performer "exclud[es] virtually anyone or anything" using "secret passwords and hidden map points". Instead, Sher claims that "underground music" is linked by shared values, such as a valuing of grassroots "reality" over music with "pre-wrapped marketing glossing it up"; sincerity and intimacy; freedom of creative expression is valued over commercial success; art is appreciated as deeply meaningful fashion; and the Underground "difficult to find", because the scene hides itself from "less committed visitors" who would trivialize the music and culture. [2]

In a Counterpunch magazine article, Twiin argues that "Underground music is free media", because by working "independently, you can say anything in your music" and be free of corporate censorship.[3] The genre of post-punk is often considered a "catchall category for underground, indie, or lo-fi guitar rock" bands which "initially avoided major record labels in the pursuit of artistic freedom, and out of an 'us against them' stance towards the corporate rock world", spreading "west over college station airwaves, small clubs, fanzines, and independent record stores."[4] Underground music of this type is often promoted through word-of-mouth or by community radio DJs. In the early underground scenes, such as the Grateful Dead jam band fan scenes or the 1970s punk scenes, crude home-made tapes were traded (in the case of Deadheads) or sold from the stage or from the trunk of a car (in the punk scene). In the 2000s, underground music became easier to distribute, using streaming audio and podcasts [5] Punk rock was an underground musical form when it first developed in the mid-1970s, as was its descendant,UK 82-style hardcore. UK hardcore bands from the early 1980s such as Discharge eschewed major labels.

Even some musical styles that eventually became mainstream, commercialized pop styles started out as underground music. Late 1970s disco is often considered to be a very commercialized type of pop music. However, before disco's mainstream adoption in 1977 and 1978, disco records were underground music created by nightclub DJs for the gay dance club scene. Similarly, hip hop began "on the streets"; in the early 1980s, rappers did beatboxing and made up rhymes for tiny underground labels. Genres such as alternative rock, grunge, various forms of heavy metal, grindcore, electronica, outsider music, and experimental music, also trace their roots to underground scenes.

A music underground can also refer to the culture of underground music in a city and its accompanying performance venues. The Kitchen is an example of what was an important New York City underground music venue in the 1960s and 1970s. CBGB's [6] is another famous New York City underground music venue claiming to be "Home of Underground Rock since 1973".


"Underground format" is a term used to describe a type of music radio programming in which underground-style music is played, usually in long blocks of two to three hours at a time, keeping talk to a minimum. [7] [8] Many colleges across the united states and around the world which have a communications major allow students the task of operating a radio station, here you will find some underground music played more frequently in many areas.


sama je cam indie tp lebih murah dari indie cth gig rm5,rm10,rm15.xde label pun xpe janji dapat bebas... x dikejar olah paparazzi & x kena kontroversi.