The mainstream Rap scene will continue to be dead, if the industry won't let the album concept die

[The Devil's Advocate]

When I was saying artist dont need a label...I was talking about cats that already have a name.

we keep going back and forth man... name a rapper with a name and no label.. i'll wait

matter of fact i'll agree with you on one thing... if you HAD a label, got the name and the pub, then they dropped you or some shyt.. ok then you do the itunes thing... the lox is doing that now.. game is doing that now..

but it's rare to get dropped when they built your name and fukking impossible to get a nationwide name, that'll equal out in 10k of sales, without a label or money

 

[Frida Giezman]

what about macklemore

 

[Frida Giezman]

caclemore

 

[Street Knowledge]

I think these days a lot of people just should not put out an album at all. Cake off of guest verses, release singles, put out a hot mixtape, and tour/do shows on the strength of all of that...then rinse and repeat.

 

[swerve]

Depends on what your artistic ambitions are

If it is to get money and fukk bytches, then jump on all singles and stay hot that way. But if you care about your art and want to be remembered as an top3 DoA, you better care about those albums and how you carry your music

 

[scuba]

Thread thesis is not logically consistent.

The record labels long ago abandoned the album, albums are now an afterthought as for as making money off music goes. Its just a little extra way to pump a little bit of extra money out of a artists 15 minutes of fame. The focus has been on singles for the longest, and on 360 deals to monetize the tours, merchandizing etc.

Honestly seems albums from the record label perspective are more useful for locking down artists... Its harder to get an artist to sign a deal in perpetuity... Hard to get even rappers to sign deals saying the label is just going to own them forever. And it doesn't make sense to sign and artist for a fixed number of singles... Because when am artist is hot they might put out dozens singles in a year... So signing deals around a set number of albums makes it easier to sign artists, and makes it easier to keep artists in perpetuity. I mean a future like artist can drop hit singles and tours and merchendise for ever, and the label can just go your last album didn't sell so we aren't going to release the next one, and just hold him on contract and make money off of him forever

 

[Firefly]

People don't realize 1 MAJOR thing about the entertainment industry. A lot of money is spent to make you feel like you like something. And there is a really small window without it constantly being pumped to you.

Folks think they just like things for no reason. NO, you like it because on a subliminal level you've been programmed to like it and marketed to. The artist without the label is no different than a dude playing the drums on the corner of your street. He may have talent and you may like him drumming but it won't "stick". They pump millions of dollars into making things "stick". Or trying to make it stick.

You see from 1st week to second, third, fourth week that without constant "programming" none of this shyt sticks to anywhere really.

The label is there to pump money in and "market" the music to you so you even know it exists and they pump it constantly until you "like it".

Without them you wouldn't even know dude exists, let alone see enough of him to start liking his shyt. A grass roots artist with no backing putting out a bunch of songs ain't just gonna stick to your subconscious. It's the imagery and a whole bunch of other subliminal shyt. Why you think the labels pulled in the web savvy individuals who are on sites like this? Their job is to post about an artist positively to make you listen. Once you listen and see a bunch of other positive responses you more likely to form a positive response and start "liking" things.

Without it constantly being drilled in your mind you could give a fukk less. Hence why so many artists "fall off". They never really fell on to begin with. Take label funding and their album structured system away and you just another dude putting links to your music on social media. No matter how good it is.