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Shinoda Speaks Out

hahninator

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hahninator

hahninator

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Straight from the blog of the master - http://www.mikeshinoda.com. Let's hear your thoughts. Is there an underlying message in this? Do you think Mike is realizing the mess Warner is putting the LP fans in? Not only that, but with Machine Shop, Styles Of Beyond, Holly Brook, etc. You folks over at SOBCentral.com know exactly what I'm talking about. Is this just a statement or is Mike really saying something to us? I think Mike's speaking out. Opinions and comments?

 

HOW TO DECIDE: MAJOR OR INDIE?

 

"i want to add something that i may not have made 100% clear with my statement at blogworld about signing (or not) with major labels. i knew that this statement would resonate...don't worry, i'm not backing down from what i said at all.

 

by no means do i know everything about how this works. i've made mistakes, and i don't know all the inner workings of the varied, complicated agreements that musicians are making with various entities. as you read on, i simply want to remind you that there are other opinions on the subject. this is mine.

 

at blogworld, i said that if you want to make a living making music, and you don't need the "fame" aspect (you don't need to "blow up"), then you don't need to go with a major. it's more complex than "avoiding majors" though. AND, to be perfectly clear, i'm also not saying the ONLY other option is an indie label (you could distribute it and promote it yourself, for example). i'm saying that there are many ways to be a self-sustaining musician these days. recording is easier and cheaper than ever, distribution can be nearly as simple as setting up a paypal account, and online fanbases are out there for you to find and connect with.

 

the key still is, and will always be: is your music good? do i, as a fan, like it? to what degree am i interested in being a part of what you have to offer through your recordings, shows, or merchandise?

 

on a side note: if fame is the focus part of the equation today, then what about linkin park? the answer: times were different back in the late 1990s when we signed with a major. they weren't asking for ownership of your touring, merchandise, fan club, and domain name back then. they are now.

 

to put it in perspective: tom whalley, the president of warner brothers, would love to see you succeed and build a strong following of 10,000 fans by yourself, with no one else's help. at that point, he knows that if you decide to work with warner bros., although he will have to offer you more in order for you to be interested in working with WB, your work has given you (and them) a head start, plus they know they're working with someone who understands what it takes to build momentum from the ground up. it's a win-win.

 

anyway, the bottom line is that the power is now in your hands more than ever. my advice to you is to throw the old rulebook out, be thoughtful about your decisions, and do what works for you."

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linkin_boss

linkin_boss

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mmm i think we can support that idea, isnt it, i know, many times we tried to do an online request, but if all together send a letter signed with a lot of fans maybe they should realize how good or bad are the major label (warner) for us. in my opinion i think warner international, does a lot of damage, we can't get b sides, demos since hybrid theory, except for NRL and QWERTY, the LPU merchandising lately gets useless and expensive (like shoelaces {SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cry.gif) so, we should show how we really feel about that. i think the band wants the better for the fans, and would be better for they too =P.

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FaiNt

FaiNt

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chester's not going to leave if they leave their label for one. Second, chester doesn't care about the fame, or he will have his name in all the tabloids. Third, Lp is big enough that they can do that if they wanted to. And i'm sure they have some good hookups so they can do what they want without limitations.

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Astat

Astat

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Mike isn't talking shit about Warner at all, and LP isn't going to leave them. All he's really saying is that the music business today is in a vastly different place than it was 10 years ago. If LP was a new band coming up today, they'd probably do things differently.

 

Linkin Park had their opportunity to get out of their contract with Warner in 2005. Now that they've re-negotiated a new contract, there's NO WAY it will happen until that contract ends. I guarantee that Warner essentially owns and controls everything related to the band now.

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SouthernGirlAM

SouthernGirlAM

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i heard somewhere that it was 5 albums (includes remix, live, or studio) but i can't remember where and it probably wasn't a reliable source.

You would be correct. When the settlement was reached back in 2005, it stated "The pact provides the company's Warner Brothers Records unit with an option for up to five more albums from the band, one more than had been called for in their original deal."

 

Source:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/28/arts/mus...and&emc=rss

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hahninator

hahninator

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Mike isn't talking shit about Warner at all, and LP isn't going to leave them. All he's really saying is that the music business today is in a vastly different place than it was 10 years ago. If LP was a new band coming up today, they'd probably do things differently.

 

Linkin Park had their opportunity to get out of their contract with Warner in 2005. Now that they've re-negotiated a new contract, there's NO WAY it will happen until that contract ends. I guarantee that Warner essentially owns and controls everything related to the band now.

I think Shinoda is taking a stab at Warner. He knows they are in a fucked up situation right now, he knows the fans are pissed, he's letting us know they have so little control over things. I'd like to see them take some action and get the hell off of this shitty label ASAP. The fans are being treated like absolute crap here. Warner is guiding the LP fanbase ship right into a massive shipwreck. This is the most genius post I've ever seen by Mike, and it's got people buzzing. Everyone I've talked to, which is about 12 people, think the exact same as I do.

 

LP is in a bad situation with this label. This could possibly be a result of the DBS situation, which is apparent IN MY OPINION that Warner has taken control of, renamed it, and fucked with it to get maximum profits, not wanting the same thing to happen with DBS as it did for FM.

 

Shinoda is an absolute genius.

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Acodemaster

Acodemaster

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Straight from the blog of the master http://www.mikeshinoda.com. Let's hear your thoughts. Is there an underlying message in this? Do you think Mike is realizing the mess Warner is putting the LP fans in? Not only that, but with Machine Shop, Styles Of Beyond, Holly Brook, etc. You folks over at SOBCentral.com know exactly what I'm talking about. Is this just a statement or is Mike really saying something to us? I think Mike's speaking out. Opinions and comments?

 

HOW TO DECIDE: MAJOR OR INDIE?

 

"i want to add something that i may not have made 100% clear with my statement at blogworld about signing (or not) with major labels. i knew that this statement would resonate...don't worry, i'm not backing down from what i said at all.

 

by no means do i know everything about how this works. i've made mistakes, and i don't know all the inner workings of the varied, complicated agreements that musicians are making with various entities. as you read on, i simply want to remind you that there are other opinions on the subject. this is mine.

 

at blogworld, i said that if you want to make a living making music, and you don't need the "fame" aspect (you don't need to "blow up"), then you don't need to go with a major. it's more complex than "avoiding majors" though. AND, to be perfectly clear, i'm also not saying the ONLY other option is an indie label (you could distribute it and promote it yourself, for example). i'm saying that there are many ways to be a self-sustaining musician these days. recording is easier and cheaper than ever, distribution can be nearly as simple as setting up a paypal account, and online fanbases are out there for you to find and connect with.

 

the key still is, and will always be: is your music good? do i, as a fan, like it? to what degree am i interested in being a part of what you have to offer through your recordings, shows, or merchandise?

 

on a side note: if fame is the focus part of the equation today, then what about linkin park? the answer: times were different back in the late 1990s when we signed with a major. they weren't asking for ownership of your touring, merchandise, fan club, and domain name back then. they are now.

 

to put it in perspective: tom whalley, the president of warner brothers, would love to see you succeed and build a strong following of 10,000 fans by yourself, with no one else's help. at that point, he knows that if you decide to work with warner bros., although he will have to offer you more in order for you to be interested in working with WB, your work has given you (and them) a head start, plus they know they're working with someone who understands what it takes to build momentum from the ground up. it's a win-win.

 

anyway, the bottom line is that the power is now in your hands more than ever. my advice to you is to throw the old rulebook out, be thoughtful about your decisions, and do what works for you."

I think I understand what Mike is saying:

 

at blogworld, i said that if you want to make a living making music, and you don't need the "fame" aspect (you don't need to "blow up"), then you don't need to go with a major. it's more complex than "avoiding majors" though. AND, to be perfectly clear, i'm also not saying the ONLY other option is an indie label (you could distribute it and promote it yourself, for example).

Him talking about whether to choose a major label or indie label.

 

...then what about linkin park? the answer: times were different back in the late 1990s when we signed with a major. they weren't asking for ownership of your touring, merchandise, fan club, and domain name back then. they are now."

He's saying how warner brothers is asking for ownership of merchandise, LPU, domain names, and touring, and how they weren't doing it before.

BAD WARNER BROTHERS! BAD! YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THIS!

 

pretty much, mike is upset how warner brothers is try to take ownership of everything, giving barely any control to the band, and how both the band and the fans suffer because of it.

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Astat

Astat

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Mike isn't talking shit about Warner at all, and LP isn't going to leave them. All he's really saying is that the music business today is in a vastly different place than it was 10 years ago. If LP was a new band coming up today, they'd probably do things differently.

 

Linkin Park had their opportunity to get out of their contract with Warner in 2005. Now that they've re-negotiated a new contract, there's NO WAY it will happen until that contract ends. I guarantee that Warner essentially owns and controls everything related to the band now.

I think Shinoda is taking a stab at Warner. He knows they are in a fucked up situation right now, he knows the fans are pissed, he's letting us know they have so little control over things. I'd like to see them take some action and get the hell off of this shitty label ASAP. The fans are being treated like absolute crap here. Warner is guiding the LP fanbase ship right into a massive shipwreck. This is the most genius post I've ever seen by Mike, and it's got people buzzing. Everyone I've talked to, which is about 12 people, think the exact same as I do.

 

LP is in a bad situation with this label. This could possibly be a result of the DBS situation, which is apparent IN MY OPINION that Warner has taken control of, renamed it, and fucked with it to get maximum profits, not wanting the same thing to happen with DBS as it did for FM.

 

Shinoda is an absolute genius.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous to even suggest that Warner had anything to do with Dead By Sunrise being "renamed," when it is in NO WAY confirmed that it will even be renamed at all. You do know there's a band called Death Before Sunrise already, right? Even if Chester had been able to work out Level 7, it would have become a subsidiary of Warner, just like Machine Shop. There's no way an artist under contract with Warner can create a label of their own that is completely independent. That's just the way the music business works, nobody is "screwing anybody over." Warner recieved a ton of profits from FM, I have no clue what you're talking about...?

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auburntiger

auburntiger

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off topic - when the last 4 sbd will be released?

To quote a song (and show my age), at this rate, "in the year 2525..."

 

i heard somewhere that it was 5 albums (includes remix, live, or studio) but i can't remember where and it probably wasn't a reliable source.

You would be correct. When the settlement was reached back in 2005, it stated "The pact provides the company's Warner Brothers Records unit with an option for up to five more albums from the band, one more than had been called for in their original deal."

 

Source:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/28/arts/mus...and&emc=rss

 

If LP really wanted to "stick it to the man," they could release live CDs of the DSPs that have already been released. That would get them out of their contract pretty fast. :lol:

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SouthernGirlAM

SouthernGirlAM

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^ Funny, lol...funny...

 

Warner and their "owning" bullshit is ruining our lives. :(

 

I wouldn't be surprised if soon enough, Warner needs to moderate all of Shinodas blog posts, being they are control freaks.

Agreed...You know, the harsh reality of record companies is astounding. I found an article yesterday that absolutely blew me away...if you all get a chance, everyone should read it. Find that here:

 

http://www.negativland.com/albini.html

 

And to go along with the "control freaks" comment, I absolutely am surprised this blog post hasn't "disappeared" already. Why? Because I really think this is Mike's way of coming out and making a statement against Warner, in subliminal way, and of course Warner doesn't want that.

 

And honestly, in my personal opinion, I think that its a potential indication of something brewing...now I could be way off base and nothing may happen in the future, but this all seems fishy to me. There still hasn't been the release of the Styles Of Beyond album and it's been finished for a good while now. Then the news that the DBS album will now be on Warner and possibly even renamed. I absolutely see this is as marketing ploy rather than anything else. All about the money and sticking with what keeps the maximum cash flowing (again, see the article link above, you can see what I mean). But anyways, then you get this post on the heels of all the rest of these events...it seems to me Mike is over it and if he could go back in time, I do not think LP would have made the decision to stay with them in 2005 or even have signed with them to begin with.

 

Now, only time will tell if something comes out of all this or if this is even a problem brewing. Maybe it's just me...and who knows, it may turn out to be absolutely nothing.

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gtrnowak4tkd

gtrnowak4tkd

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OK did anyone else realize that Lp is starting to produce records faster than they did before. I think the main reason is is because in a record deal they only count studio so if they have to produce a total of five. they might be trying to get the last two done so they can leave the record deal. Also with the last comment of Styles of Beyond they might be planning on taking them with them if they leave. That is what seem to me Mike is saying that he can't produce the music he wants to produce. He is being forced to produce things that Warner thinks this day and ages tennagers would like. But they don't care about the other fans. THe styles of Beyond Record could be released right after LP to get the most money out of it. I think that LP are gonna try to produce as a fast as possible to get out.

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