Originally published December 8 2005
Cordless label becomes the first major all-digital music label
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Cordless' music is sold online in three-song "clusters" instead of on albums and the bands will be promoted on blogs and sites like MySpace. The artists get to keep ownership of the music they release under the label.
Holzman's Cordless label is the first all-digital music label operated by a major record company, the Warner Music Group, launching Thursday on the Web and on digital music services such as iTunes and RealNetworks' Rhapsody.
Music from the label's first six bands is being sold only online for now, in three-song "clusters" instead of full albums.
The 73-year-old Holzman says he's trying to infuse the new venture with the spirit of the independent labels he created and managed for 20 years, even if it exists in the arms of a major corporation.
"Independent record making is a process and a point of view and a flexibility," Holzman said, noting that he and his partners have already agreed to sign bands just hours after hearing them.
The Cordless Recordings label is an ambitious experiment in several ways for Warner Music, which has increased its focus on digital distribution since being sold by parent company Time Warner in late 2003 and going public earlier this year.
Cordless Recordings is a bet that relatively inexpensive Internet distribution and marketing may give labels a cost-effective way to nurture bands over time, instead of spending as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars to record and market a first album.
"It seems like a smarter way of spending money," said Larry Little, co-founder of Los Angeles-based From the Future Management, which represents bands including The Posies and Film School.
The group, which plays an eclectic mix of music that Brewer describes as "punk rock Mary Poppins," is one of the first six bands to be released on Cordless.
He met with Bronfman, who showed him a list of potential digital ideas and asked if he wanted to be involved with any of them.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml