Funny or Die Macklemore
Just like the e-book is becoming the dominant form of books, music has been widely distributed through the internet for years. People do not buy cds, vinyl records or cassette tapes. The physical aspect is disappearing. This is especially the case for Hip Hop music, where most artists release free mixtapes through various blogs, and have their following through the internet. Due to this most artists today do not even have a record deal with a major record company, like Def Jam, Aftermath, or Roc Nation.
Macklemore certainly fits this mold of new Hip Hop artists. He is an independent rapper from Seattle, Washington who started his career around the year 2000. Since then its been a long road, due to him never being picked up by a major label. He recently released his debut album The Heist on his own label Macklemore LLC. He made his fan base releasing mixtapes, and eps. All of which can be found online for free, and not seen in stores in the physical form. The Heist is his first piece of work which can be seen in stores, although it is not widely distributed. Due to the fact that he is not backed by a major record company so the majority of his sales are through iTunes.The song "Thrift Shop" is making him a household name due to its youtube hits, which is around 72 million, and appearing on various music charts at #1.
In this video part of the Funny or Die series, Macklemore and his producer Ryan Lewis spoof a meeting between "major" record label executives. They want to sign the duo, due to "Thrift Shops" success. Most would think a major record deal would help out Macklemore, but for some artists it hurts them. They are not able to have as much control over their music, and some artists get lost in a major labels collection of artists. The deal offered to them is also a joke, which is also the case for most first major deals given to up and coming rappers. Macklemore and Lewis do not take any of the suggestions given by the executives, but in the end sign with the label for a free meal.
The future for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis is yet to be seen. He can carry his success from "Thrift Shop", and his debut album and become a well known rapper throughout the world for years to come. But whether or not he needs a major label backing him in order to do so also remains unknown. For some it needs to happen, but Macklemore might just be a better independent artist.
