Case Study - Major Label

Reprise Records is an American label, owned by Warner Music Group and therefore Warner Bros. Records making it under the umbrella of one of the ‘big four’. Warner Music Group is conglomerate and a global organisation, so obviously Reprise release music all over the world and in many different countries. For 30 years Warner Music Group was a part of WEA with two other record labels Elektra and Atlantic which produced and developed artists for their own labels but also for other labels too. In 2004, Warner Music Group disbanded itself completely with Time Warner, leaving them with no legislational hold over the music that has been produced. Warner Bros. Entertainment which is the major owner of Warner Music Group and therefore Reprise Records, produces a variety, including music, films and television, making them one of the richest entertainment companies in the world.

Reprise Records distributes its music through physical cds at shops like HMV, online shops such as Amazon and digital websites such as ITunes.

My Chemical Romance has been signed to Reprise Records since 2003 and has released three major studio albums through them.  In the UK alone, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge went Platinum and sold over 300,000 copies, The Black Parade went Platinum twice and Danger Days went Gold, selling over 100,000 copies. Over the entire world, they’ve sold 4, 438,500 albums.  They’re not on a 360 deal which would mean Reprise Records would get a percentage on everything they release and sell, including merchandise, cds etc.

Warner Music Group, being a worldwide organisation obviously caters for a wide range of audiences, including global. They have a range of artists, so for the more mainstream ones, they’re promoted for a wider audience compared to more alternative artists, who are aimed at smaller, more niche audiences. The label and artist releases videos on YouTube, allowing audiences to have an active part and a chance to voice their opinion on what they like. People can’t however contact Warner Music Group with a demo in an attempt to get signed.

Web 2.0 has really helped develop the entire music industry and how it’s run, and also how it sells to and targets audiences. As people discovered social networking sites and blogs and other online sharing websites, companies like Warner Music Group and Reprise Records were able to get a clearer and more detailed idea of what audiences want.

There are serious advantages to online streaming as audiences only have to pay a certain amount of money on websites such as Spotify, to be able to listen to whatever music they like. The artists do not lose money through this, and often one will listen to a song on a streaming website, and if they like it, it might push them onto going out and buying the cd, making them more money. There’s an upside to downloading music (It’s legal and the artists get money for every cd that is bought) but there is a downside – People can illegally download music tracks and therefore get away with paying anything, but get the music. There is a problem with file sharing as it means both the artists and record labels and companies lose money and people get to have the music files for free. Record labels do not respond well to this form of piracy and many online websites have legally been shut down because of file sharing.