Talking about EU regulators and music industry consolidation, Beggars boss and IMPALA chair Martin Mills has an opinion piece in this week's Billboard outlining why, in his opinion, it is important for the independent sector to work together to stop the growing dominance of the major players in the global music market - responding, of course, to that EU court decision regarding SonyBMG, and the impact the ruling had on Warner and EMI's plans to merge.
He writes: "We live in a very different environment label-wise that was the case 10-15 years ago. Then there were not just six majors, but 10 or more large multinational independents (such as A&M, Island, Motown, Virgin and Zomba) competing head on and successfully in the market place with the majors. Four big companies can impose their will on retail in a way 15 did not".
He explains: "If HMV wants U2 records, it has to get them from Universal. If MTV wants a U2 video, Universal is the only label that can supply it. When there's space for just 'x' titles to be racked at the front of the store and just 'y' videos on the playlist, that gives Universal the clout to get another space. When you've got four or even three big companies using such leverage ... it's not hard to see how a great new artist on a small, quality label can quite simple get squeezed out".
Stressing that "we're not anti-major per se", he concludes "independents are not 'cry babies' in running to the regulator and the courts. We are using the weapons available to us, standing up for ourselves and for our artists and music".
You can read the full piece in this week's Billboard, should you have access to such things.