Metal for the masses: how indie metal labels have adapted for the digital era

Abstract

One of the areas that has most readily adapted to the changing musical environment is within metal music culture. Dedicated fans have taken responsibility upon themselves to create smaller record labels that specialize both in bringing attention to new, rising bands, as well as to do the laborious work that is needed to make sure that historical, out-of-print metal albums continue to receive new listeners. Their dedication has resulted in tightly-woven communities between these labels, the bands, and music fans, and this has contributed to the resurgence of physical mediums including vinyl and cassettes. Strategies are discussed that help push sales of physical media, including the release of special and elaborate versions of albums, often with unique packaging, or with limited color variants of vinyl editions. This article includes interviews with individuals that run underground metal labels and that host metal music streams, and they share their experience of how metal has changed as the music industry and the consumption of music has moved into the digital era, and the pros and cons that come with that, including perceptions about streaming and streaming services. Comparisons are made between major corporate labels and indie record labels, and the proactive role of indie labels in keeping musical subcultures thriving is assessed.

The Recording Industry as the Enemy? A Case Study of Early West German Metal Music

“…In this understanding, all other companies are "independent" labels, regardless of size, structure and financial power. Indie labels are usually smaller businesses with few or no employees, less organisationally complex, closer to the scene and artists under contract, and primarily focused on niche genres (Denisoff 1975;Gillett 2011;Messick 2020;Netherton 2017). Ideologically, independent and major labels tend to differ in three areas: the profit-ambivalent, resistant and creative indies versus the profitoriented, conformist and conservative majors (Mall 2018, p. 460).…”

“…Independent companies are frequently described as community-oriented and driven by passion. In his study of contemporary metal indie record companies, Messick (2020) finds that label owners started their business to fill an existing void in the community and support bands and the scene. Kahn-Harris' (2007, p. 126) study concurs with this assessment, showing that record companies acting more in self-interest than the community's interest are rejected in metal.…”

“…Kahn-Harris' (2007, p. 126) study concurs with this assessment, showing that record companies acting more in self-interest than the community's interest are rejected in metal. Messick (2020) finds another motivation for starting a metal label: being more personally involved in the community, sometimes leading from a volunteer or serious leisure activity (Stebbins 2009(Stebbins , 2017 to a larger business and possibly full-time work and employees. Strachan (2007, p. 255) similarly notes that micro-label operators are motivated by recognition and affirmation.…”

“…(Spracklen 2019, p. 269) This article takes Spracklen's observation as a starting point to examine the relationship between metal as leisure space and profession and the culture/ recording industry. It seeks to challenge the prevailing view that portrays the industry as "the enemy" (Krumm 2012, p. 204) because of its conspicuous links to commerce (Messick 2020;Spracklen 2019), which contradicts metal's appreciation of the authentic, subversive and transgressive (Kahn-Harris 2007). Even though the metal recording industry may indeed be concerned with economic profitability to stay in business, I intend to show that, in general, it is not instrumentalist.…”

Music industry in crisis: The impact of a novel coronavirus on touring metal bands, promoters, and venues

“…It could also be that metal fans then had to prioritize their expenditures towards other things, like bills. Either way, indie record labels are often dependent on that income (Messick, 2020), so it put many records labels at financial risk. In addition, the factories that mass-produce compact discs and vinyl for new releases from indie record labels were largely shut down as they were not considered 'essential' workplaces, so this caused a delay for many albums to be released.…”