Speaking to MusicBites, Danielle Milne, (pictured) label manager with Black Sugar Records, backed the development of the music industry into the digital environment.
“Digital is really important. As a label manager I have to know the market. Everything now is about downloads, and the kids, the market#039s buyers, are hugely technicaly advanced. They are on chatrooms, and blogs all the time – you have know about it.”
BSR acts have been featured on iTunes, which has given the label, which features acts including Threestyle, Polymyth, Fabuloz and Flo, greater global distribution that it might otherwise have had.
“The majors have had a monopoly. If it hadn#039t been for iTunes we would never have had a presence in America and globally. We got that exposure because of iTunes,” said Milne. “I don#039t think iTunes has too much power.”
“Distribution is very tough, but with iTunes our distribution is sorted out very easily. At the end of the day it#039s a fair business.
“It doens#039t matter that the music can only be played on iTunes. At the end of the day Apple are good at what they do and that#039s why they lead the market.”
She addeded that “Apple doesn#039t look just at the majors now. The look at the Indies. Just because you#039re not a major doesn#039t mean your music isn#039t good.”
“The major labels get the music out there out of sheer muscle. iTunes gives indie labels like us muscle.”