Here at Netcetera, and at Myosin more broadly, we’re of a collective mind that “web3” does not necessarily mean blockchain-enabled tech exclusively but rather a third generation of the web improved by blockchain, AI, VR, and other emerging technologies besides. 

During the weeks-turned-months-long hiatus that we took to relaunch our editorial, that never wavered. But we did come to the realization that we wanted to talk about more than web3. We wanted to have the flexibility to write about (and for our readers to read about) DeFi governance moving forward, a Belgian man who nearly invented the internet in 1910, and everything in between.

So while we are focused on the new internet, we maintain an interest in the old and modern as well. And today we’ve published the first Netcetera piece that really feels like it touches on all three: the first of two (or more) pieces from Abigail Carlson looking at the slippery, Protean survival of the record label and what the hell to do about it.

Enjoy!

Rowan Spencer | Editor-in-Chief

The slow, slow death of modern record labels…

If you are (or ever have been) a working musician, the following sentence will feel all to familiar:

“Now, we can’t pay you in cash - but we CAN pay you in exposure.”

Managers of bars/clubs/venues around the world think they can get away with such a thing, because musicians frequently sign away the majority of the equity in their own careers to managers, agents, and - the most egregious of them all:

Record labels.

If you’re not familiar with common industry practices, allow us to enrage you:

Record labels will often front a new artist a bit of cash for a single ($500-$2,500) and then take - get this:

80% of the track's royalties, in perpetuity.

And to add insult to injury, these same labels will typically take a full 100% of royalties until the promotional and studio costs are recouped, helping to forever perpetuate the stereotype of the ‘struggling musician.’

(These deals are so darn predatory - we’re surprised Chris Hansen isn’t knocking on every major label’s door).

And that, dear reader, is why we’re obsessing over Abigail Carson’s latest thought piece, titled:

“Who needs Warner? Rethinking artists’ dependence on record labels“

The article chronicles how artists (big and small) are hitting major labels where it hurts (their wallets), cutting them out of deals, and keeping greater equity in the art they create.

Click ‘READ MORE‘ for an instant dose of schadenfreude:

Netcetera Podcast

All episodes for Netcetera Season 2 will now be mintable and collectible on-chain.

All episodes are free to mint and open edition (aka unlimited) mints, on the OP blockchain, for 30 days after we publish. 

Alpha: There will be perks for those who collect all mintable episodes at the end of the season ;)

Quick Bites

• We Might Be Getting an Ethereum ETF Sooner Than You Think!

• "Pokémon with guns" game is an enormous hit. Here's a look at the bug fixes and new features coming to Palworld.

• AI Agents Could Be Important 'Buyers' of Crypto, Says Palantir Co-Founder Joe Lonsdale

• The ‘eBay’ of AI Training Data (And Why the World Needs It)

• The Vision Pro's Biggest Problem Is Apple

That's it. That's all we got! Talk next week.
The Netcetera team 👋

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