Splicetoday

Music
Apr 16, 2008, 11:37AM

Is Music Going Bankrupt?

After seeing the well-regarded Ambulance LTD play a show in Boston, one student talked to the band about why they haven't released an album in four years. From The Harvard Crimson.

"From the first chord of that song, it was obvious to everyone in the room that Ambulance was still on its wheels and had pushed its sound to a whole new level. The crowd began to loosen up, and it’s arguable that there was a greater response to the new, funkier songs than to the tried and true.

As the crowd reluctantly shuffled out, my curiosity was piqued. I wondered how a band with such a good sound as evidenced through admirable new material could be floating around in indie purgatory. I decided to investigate, and what I found didn’t exactly surprise me.

I was able to interview lead singer Congleton, who quickly set the record straight. When I asked why a new album had yet to be released, he briefly cited creative issues and then quickly cut to the root of the problem.

“At this point our label is bankrupt and can’t put us in the studio, can’t release records,” he claims. “We also can’t sign to a different label.”

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Discussion
  • It's complete nonsense that they can't go to another label. The only way they'll be a valuable asset at all is if they're producing new music. I also agree that it's good for a lot of up and coming bands to have free music out there, because it increases the chances of someone seeing them at a show. But on the other hand, because free downloading sucks out so much money from the whole economic structure of music, the opportunities to become real full-time professional musicians are a lot more limited. I bet most of the bands listed on Pitchfork's front page right now still have to work a second job when they're not on tour.

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  • You've apparently done a lot of living in your 17 yrs, dan_glada. Yr art will get its due one say, sir.

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