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Indie wizards rise to the top
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The sphere of entertainment has enriched itself by going electronic, and further enriched itself by going digital.
Everything and anything that tends to inform, educate or entertain is now at the fingertips of anyone who wields a mouse. With this emergence of electronic access came the desire for independent music to find larger representation for their digital rights. Thanks to the Merlin Network this goal is coming into play.
In the world of record labels, rights to digital music and the production of music the mainstream conglomerates, pop culture and the music that appears on television has been traditionally chosen by big names who control what people hear. However, with the help of Merlin, the indie music scene now has a stronger voice.
Four major labels, known as the Big 4, have been producing some of the biggest names in music for quite some time. The Universal Music Group represents artists such as Kanye West and Gwen Stefani. Sony BMG Music Entertainment represents artists such as Alicia Keys and Outkast. The EMI Group represents artists such as Coldplay and the Gorillaz. And Warner Music Group represents artists including Madonna and Green Day.
However, The Merlin Network, who represents the Global rights body for independent music, has grown to an 8 percent share of the United States market. This has poised them equal to that of EMI Music and makes them the largest bundle of rights outside the four major labels. Merlin’s artist membership reached more than 12,000 labels in the first month alone. Welcome to the Big 5.
Merlin’s mission statement is to represent the world’s independent sector and act as an efficient central point of entry to the music it represents, in particular for digital, new media and web 2.0 rights. Merlin provides an unprecedented efficiency in bringing together the world’s most commercially important independent collection in one place.
“Merlin is a major development for the independent music sector and the services who use our music,” Merlin Chairman and President of KOCH Records, Bob Frank said. “With the repertoires of independent U.S. music market leading labels and distributors such as KOCH, Epitaph, IODA, Beggars and Concord and thousands of other independent rights owners now available through Merlin, we send a clear message to the industry at large that valuable independent content is now more accessible and more easily licensed than it has ever been.”
KOCH Records represents artists including Howard Jones and Ringo Starr. Epitaph Records represents artists such as The Distillers and Dropkick Murphys. Beggars Banquet/Beggars Group, which is the largest indie record label in the U.K., represents artists including The Cult and The Go-Betweens. The Concord Music Group that represents a variety of musical tastes from jazz to classical represents artists including John Coltrane and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Merlin also represents labels such as Saddle Creek with artists including Bright Eyes and Criteria and the label Razor & Tie with artists including Dar Williams and Joan Baez.
The Merlin Network is a worldwide organization and represents labels in Germany, Canada, Australia and many other countries. The worldwide membership has obtained 72 percent of Europe’s top 60 independent albums for the last three years as well as 75 percent of the U.K. market’s share of the top 75 independent albums in 2007.
“Independents have, until now, found it difficult to access many of the new and emerging online services in a commercially effective manner,” Merlin CEO Charles Caldas said. “In Merlin, independents finally have a commercial body that can act to ensure their rights are centrally represented, fairly remunerated and properly protected in the marketplace.”
The gambit that independent artists have always tended to choose is to stay underground. But now, with proper representation, their music can be heard loud and clear. With this new representation the ability to stay above ground is insight and it allows artists to make a career out of their dream: to make music.
MAT LA RUE
Lead Arbiter Journalist
