Less than four months after the release of Texas, Aledo-based PlayRadioPlay is no longer affiliated with Island Records or the label’s distributor, Universal Music Group.
Dan Hunter, the man behind the bubblegum electro-pop, announced the release with a two-page letter outlining how things went sour between him and his label and why he was frustrated with the label’s outdated business model. More than anything, he sounds relieved to be able to go back to putting out records at his own pace.
“Not only did the time I spend with Island Records not benefit my career, it hurt it,” he writes. “Even for an artist like me, who gained interest from thousands of fans in a completely new way (The Internet, if you, like Island Records, haven't heard of it, you should check it out), Island records simply wouldn't depart from their sluggish, outdated, and clearly flawed corporate model of trying to 'break' a new artist.
“Major record labels, due to their lack of ingenuity and their fear of change, are going the way of the cassette tape (and cassette tapes SUCK, vinyl lives!). And for that reason, major record labels deserve every multimillion dollar loss that they suffer. Music is not dead, the industry is.
(Although sometimes the music I see on TV makes me think otherwise...)”
Shortly after the announcement, Hunter began answering fan questions on an absolutepunk.net bulletin board thread. After the jump are a couple of questions and answers about how well Texas has done and whether the split was Island’s or Hunter’s call. Hunter’s entire unedited announcement follows the questions. --Jesse Hughey
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