In the current class society of the music industry, labels have taken on the role of a luxury brand flagship store. In these flagship stores, releases are marketed as high end products and sold as commodities. As a result, releases have become a critical form of social currency; from Instagram bios cluttered with high profile names to co-ordinated celebrity collabs pretending to illustrate artistic expression, these new hierarchies of status have weasled their way into every corner of the music scene where artists find themselves judged by their aesthetic, online presence, following and amount of releases they have had and on which label; and we have all been conditioned to act impressed by such credentials because it would be weird if we weren’t(!) Most importantly, this system has established a structure where artists are compelled, whether directly or indirectly, into making music suited to high-end labels rather than music that authentically represents their sound and identity.

It must be made abundantly clear that what has been good for commercial labels has been disastrous for artists. The current business model of music releases depends on reproduction and distribution for its sustenance, where stealing and mimicking is not only welcomed but even encouraged. What used to be a culture concerned with art that is high-brow and of good taste, has degenerated into a systematic culture of commodity fetishism where vulgarity is the norm and high quality is hard to come by. Naturally, refinement, originality and artistic vision is practically non-existent within this context.

In the European scene, which is home to some of the leading artists in the field, the pressure felt by (both emerging and established) artists and labels to release music that would be deemed as commercially lucrative is slowly suffocating the music scene from within. At this point, any artist that is inherently serious about what they do will find themselves faced with making the detrimental choice between conforming to the new norms and industry standards in order to get their music signed or maintaining their artistic integrity by refusing to chase releases. The amount of artists who choose the latter and start questioning their own skill and value as musicians as a result is heartbreaking. In fact, it is difficult to name any successful artist, label or collective to have escaped having to make this choice. How can we continue to rationalise our participation in this system? 

LABEL VISION

Rave music emerged as a musical genre born out of ideas surrounding equality, unity and inclusivity. Music historians have made a point of its inherently democratic roots, referring to it as an anti-consumerist movement free from social hierarchies. In this respect, the growing commodification of rave culture and music goes against its fundamental principles and is causing serious harm to the communities that it is home to. While this development has mainly been felt and had a negative impact on artists and independent labels, the new rules within its established hierarchy has also helped suppress the critique of electronic music and more importantly, stopped any notable discourse on the direction it must take in order to evolve as a music genre.

The lack of critical engagement and serious music journalism within this sphere at present has created a favourable environment for commercially-minded labels to thrive and purge the scene of intellectuals, new ideas, experimentation and artistic freedom. It is therefore essential that artists must challenge themselves to try new things musically and have the courage to make music that is radically new and different because if they do not, their identity as artists will be erased by force and their work sold to the highest bidder.