DUFF MCKAGAN: 'Major Labels Are Dying Because Of Their Shortsightedness'

February 5, 2010

VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan has penned the latest installment of his weekly column, which appears on Reverb at SeattleWeekly.com. An excerpt follows below.

"Major labels are dying because of their shortsightedness, brought on when they introduced a digital format just to sell the catalogs of certain acts all over again. Little did they know in 1989 that every home would have a computer some five short years later.

"When Napster tried to make a deal with the majors on revenue-sharing through advertising on that site at the time (hundreds of millions of dollars in 1997),the majors buried their head in the sand and continued their lawsuit with Napster. Napster lost, and the floodgates of free content to everyone have never stopped, and never will.

"Artists are the smartest people when their backs are against a wall.

"Free music will serve as the new loss leader to bands trying to attract a larger audience."

Read McKagan's entire column at SeattleWeekly.com.

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