When I was listening to NPR two weeks ago, I was excited to learn that the Decemberists were releasing a new CD. So, I hopped over to eMusic, the music service I subscribe to and which provides DRM-unencumbered mp3’s.
I was unpleasantly surprised to discover the group’s new release, The Crane Wife, noticeably absent from eMusic’s list of their albums. A quick Google search revealed that the Decemberists had switched labels: from people-powered Kill Rock Stars to RIAA-friendly Capitol Records. Why the switch to the dark side? Let’s ask the band’s leader, Colin Meloy:

Three or four years ago, I would think, hey, if we ever do the major-label thing, we should make an album full of catchy pop hits. Just see what the machine can do with that.

And:

The contract that we have with Capitol is peppered with the words ‘band approval’. It’s really as good a contract as we could hope for. If they do have a nefarious agenda, it’s completely hidden on me.

Further:

But the whole idea about selling out seems like such an antiquated notion.

No, Colin, it’s still selling out, even in the 21st Century. But, to be fair, the first quote indicates that the band wants to be famous, and a “major” label gives the Decemberists a chance to become “majorly” famous. My question for the band is: how much more famous do you need to be? The concert I attended in Philly (Electric Factory) was sold out. The band has plenty of fans. So at what point do the costs of signing over your soul outweigh the diminishing returns from extra fans?
And the costs are real. First, they are alienating their fans. Martey says he’s boycotting. I’m disinclined to buy the new album. Also, they lose the eMusic revenue, but I’m sure they’ll recoup that elsewhere. Most importantly, however, they are now subject to a major label’s contract, and while I trust that Colin did “pepper” the contract language with “band approval”, I doubt they took a hard look at the math. Courtney Love examined her contract and came away none too happy. The “nefarious agenda” that’s “completely hidden from” Colin is the simple fact that Capitol Records exists to take the Decemberist’s money, not to foster the growth of artists.
The discussion of profits raises a second question of: Why shouldn’t Capitol Records use eMusic as well? Yes, eMusic allows the mp3 to be legally available, and thus creates a pathway to peer-to-peer sharing, but do they think the mp3’s won’t end up on Kazaa anyway? Well, I’m checking right now, and incredibly Crane Wife is quite popular (over 250 matches) on Kazaa–ready to be downloaded free of charge. But, I think I’ll just listen to The Be Good Tanya’s new album via eMusic instead.