Corporate rock sucks #10: When major label money comes in the door integrity goes out the window…

I sort of hate how I keep picking on The Decemberists because deep down I think they're probably a good bunch of people and what's happening is just the standard shit that happens when you sign to a major label. A few years ago I signed up to a "a relatively unobtrusive once a month email missive" from Decemberists. It was irregular but when the posts came it was clea that they hand-crafted with love and humour and genuinely interesting content.

When I signed up I was told

This is a hidden list, which means that the list of members is available only to the list administrator.

this was clearly a lie because today I recieved my email not from the Decemberists but from EMI Capitol so obviously the list was available to the list administrator AND the PR department at Capitol Records

This was no lovingly written news missive but just a puff for the album, it had no content of any note and certainly no humour just a horrid dry email with pictures/adverts and a couple of links to more pages of puff.

Maybe there is a very good reason to sign to a major but I must admit I find it very hard to believe that there is and so does Steve Albini. So, if there are any bands I love who happen to come past here (oh I'm sure they all do!) please think that maybe having a bit of integrity is worth a little more than whatever it is that the major label is offering you.