Case Studies/Postmoderncore
My feeling is that for an undiscovered artist who does dream of “making it” one day, the best thing they can look for in the meantime isn’t profit, but exposure. Creative Commons licenses allow your music to spread furthest. — Sam Stephens, Founder, Postmoderncore
Overview
Postmoderncore is Wellington-based netlabel that, in the words of founder Sam Stephens, ‘cares about music, not commerce.’ Established as a protest against the commoditisation of music and the idea that a musician needs to be motivated by profit, Postmoderncore believes in giving an audience to music that deserves it, and ensuring that the potential audience of a release is not limited by money or production constraints.
According to its website, Postmoderncore’s philosophy has been greatly influenced by the Negativland fan collective Snuggles. Founding the label five years ago, Sam expresses his underlying beliefs:
- ‘I came to the conclusion that copyright was a tool used by corporations to make profits, and control artists and their music. …Postmoderncore is the flip side of my protest against copyright and the idea of music as a commodity. I decided that the best method for sharing the music and accompanying art with its audience was to offer free downloads over the internet. I also wanted to reach a wide and international audience.’
Operating as a self-funded initiative, Postmoderncore sells CDs of the music available online, so that the label’s artists and fans can have physical CDs if they wish to. This is not a money-making exercise, and is intended more for promotional purposes.
License Usage
Delete this line and add text here.
Motivations
Delete this line and add text here.
Media
Delete this line and add text here.
Add media that is relevant.
