CFP: The Road to Independence: the Independent Record Industry in Transition.

Call for Chapters: The Road to Independence: the Independent Record Industry in Transition.

Call for chapters
The Road to Independence: the Independent Record Industry in Transition.

Editor : Victor Sarafian.
Publisher : Presse de l’Université Toulouse 1 Capitole

Proposal submission: 1 July 2019
Full chapters due: 1 December 2019

We are inviting proposals for a book-length essay collection on all aspects of the independent record industry… it’s past, present and future prospects. Technology has changed how music is produced, distributed and consumed. From the advent of the gramophone to the advent of napster, technology has shaped the economic and cultural aspects of the music industry.

At the turn of the last century, the future of record labels looked bleak. The rapid development of the internet threatened to cut out the middleman between band and fan. At the click of the mouse, fans could download music for free. More and more bands started to use platforms such as Youtube and Myspace to promote their music. A new do-it-your-self culture was gaining momentum. Examples of artist leaving their labels were making headlines and new business models were emerging.

As artists were experimenting with new business models, the majors were quite slow to react to a rapidly changing music industry blaming the internet for the woes the industry was facing. One of the ways in which the majors did react was to consolidate through a number of buy-outs and mergers. In less than two decades, the number of major labels has decreased from six to three
Although the major labels still continue to dominate the music industry, independent labels along with their artists are playing an increasingly influential role in shaping the future of the industry.