Between Pitchfork being absorbed into the pages of GQ and Bandcamp being sold to audio licensing outfit Songtradr late last year, 2024 is shaping up to be a rough year for indie artists. But it’s also ripe for opportunity and radical change.
@shawn I agree! Someone else will see the opportunity propose a compatible merger, start a blog, begin a campaign etc. The choice of artists is to see the fissures, find beauty and deliver it to the masses. Companies only devour meaning and make a profit.
@shawn I should refine that statement, actually. The role of artists is whatever they choose, but often they find beauty, and make a statement on that discovery. “Art” (namely music in this case) is the interpretation of that discovery by the masses.
@33MHz For sure. I think the thing about it that’s most troubling is the casual nature in which employees were let go. Condè Nast, the parent company of GQ, is saying “all is well and nothing will change except internal reporting for editors”. Yeah right.