This New York Times article by David F. Gallagher, outlines the shift from old media to blogs as a means of generating buzz for a new band.  The article went on record as citing Warner as the first major label to ask an MP3 blogs to play its music in the form of downloadable MP3 files on the blog Music For Robots. It also provides a cautionary tale for blogs attempting to expand within the confines of a major label.  Warner's attempted to circumvent any bad comments by posting several comments saying how their band, The Secret Machines, was "so cool."  When Music For Robots got wind of this they turned apprehensive to future major label involvement, saying that Warner's had turned the blog into something as deplorable as an "AOL chatroom."

This article gives weight to the argument that it would be tough for blogs to retain their independent credibility once they are bedfellows with major labels (conflicts of interest, and downright manipulation by labels could arise).  It complicates my argument that a blogs could truly work alongside labels without being crushed by the corporate steamroller.  However, it does add weight to my point that MP3 blogs have become legitimized by labels as a viable venture in band promotion.  Also , it reaffirms that record labels have now become middle men in the music industry.  If new bands appealed directly to blogs, they could avoid the major label, and appeal directly to an audience--thus beginning their careers, like Vampire Weekend

Legal Outlook For Blogs--Revisited

This article was written by Urs Gasser, a research fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law school.  In this article, Gasser examines the legal outlook for MP3 blogs and whether or not they are prime for litigation.  To determine this, Gasser examines the economic significance detailing blogs' relatively small size, means of musical promotion, their 'niche' clientele, and the short-term availability of the linked files as viable legal defenses for MP3 Bloggers.  Gasser also makes a Fair Use argument for both Blog uploaders and downloaders--citing that the non-comercial status of these blogs and their promotional effect don't have a negative impact on said markets.  Gasser also acknowledges the role that record labels play in the survival of blogs--by intentionally leaking teasers and unreleased tracks.  
 
This article sets up several premises of my paper.  It establishes MP3 blogs as the new gate-keepers of the music industry, citing these blogs as the effective modes of instantaneous promotion.  An important point is Gasser's mentioning that the record industry voluntarily leaks tracks to these blogs--snubbing the copyright law they have sued for in the past.  This point reaffirms my claim that record-labels themselves have taken part in legitimizing MP3 blogs as a means of new media.

 

In this article Miles Raymer of the Chicago Reader makes a claim that MP3 Blogs could be viable record labels.  He establishes MP3 blogs as  "curatorial" in function, performing the acts of a talent scout, and then offering the band an endorsement in the form of a good review.  He makes a note of the reader's loyalty to and trust in the blogs he or she visits.  Because blogs project a personality, it presents the illusion of a one-on-one friendship as opposed to the face-less record label.  The blog takes on the role of friend instead of a stoic music pusher.  It would only make sense, as he says, for these blogs to start signing and developing acts considering the strong brand loyalty and audience blogs would already have.

This article is a major point in my argument that blogs have transformed the music industry.  Raymer points out that Blogs are poised to replace traditional labels, since Old Media has lost out due to the tight reigns of radio and the narrow thinking of many major labels.  Blogs allow a direct appeal to the consumer under the guise of a helpful friend.  It is only a natural transition for them to become the industry norm, superseding the traditional label.  In a sense, these MP3 blogs would be acting like the all-encompasing labels of yesteryear such as Motown--finding the act, being the means of the publicity, and serving as A&R executives.

In a 2006 Rolling Stone article, it was stated that "geeks" can now make or break bands because of their tenuous hold on the "blogosphere." While these blogs often offer MP3s for readily available download (illegal), the presence of MP3 blogs "promotes progress," with their ability to critique, comment, and endorse up-and-coming artists. Moreover, the presence of blogs has made the Major labels middlemen instead of the culture dictators they once were.