Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

[bulldogtragic]

Some of the best songs on my playlist involve artists bluntly having a crack at their record label, the record industry and copyright/royalties to artists. There's plenty of them across all music genres.

As far as I know, on the earliest or first was The Beatles (George Harrison's) 'Only A Northern Song'. The latest, as I interpret it is David Bowie's song of his last album before death, 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore. 'She' being the music industry.

I have many top nominations, and impossible to split my favourite. But Spiderbait's Buy Me A Pony is just a ripping song with the lyrics that tell a succinct story about the industry.

Yours??

[Twodogs]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

[Twodogs]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

I saw Spiderbait's first ever Melbournne gig. Sunday afternoon at the Tote and this band we'd never heard of gets up and roars through a sizzling version of Motorhead's Ace of Spades. There were twenty or so people in the room and we all just looked at each other and said "*!*!*!*!ing wow"

[EasternWest]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=kqVpk0qxmfA

Clearly I don't know how to link properly.

The greatest rock and roll band ever put on the planet.

The lyrics are so vituperative that Brian May actually felt bad when they were working on it.

Great song' "you're a sewer rat decaying in a cesspool of pride" is one of the most satisfying songlines ever written.

[AndrewP6]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

“You Got Nothing I Want”, by Cold Chisel. Written by Jimmy Barnes, about a U.S record company exec, who couldn’t attend their gig because he was at a “DJs dog’s birthday party”.

[hujsh]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=kqVpk0qxmfA

Clearly I don't know how to link properly.

The greatest rock and roll band ever put on the planet.

The lyrics are so vituperative that Brian May actually felt bad when they were working on it.

Great song' "you're a sewer rat decaying in a cesspool of pride" is one of the most satisfying songlines ever written.

Funny the first thought I had was Queen as well but was Flick of the Wrist. Though I'm not sure if it's more focused on a bad manager I think it's believe it's still about the label as well

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

Wilco's 'Company in my Back' off their ' A Ghost is Born' album.

In the process of recording their prior album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' they were dumped by their label Reprise's parent company Time Warner as they didn't think it was commercially viable. As part of the severance deal Wilco negotiated to obtain the ownership of the master tapes of the album.
Wilco subsequently signed to another label that was also owned by Time Warner and the album went on to be their biggest seller.
Effectively Time Warner paid twice for the same album!

[Mofra]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

I saw Spiderbait's first ever Melbournne gig. Sunday afternoon at the Tote and this band we'd never heard of gets up and roars through a sizzling version of Motorhead's Ace of Spades. There were twenty or so people in the room and we all just looked at each other and said "*!*!*!*!ing wow"

Buy me a Pony is about how shit record labels are and they'll screw bands over as soon as they aren't profitable.

[Twodogs]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

Buy me a Pony is about how shit record labels are and they'll screw bands over as soon as they aren't profitable.

I've never actually heard it. Spiderbait were far too popular for us to acknowledge by the time that came out.


Janet English went alright though...

[chef]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

About a record exec.

[chef]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

[chef]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

They got dumped by 3 record companies in 6 months.

[azabob]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

Surely Prince has a song or twenty? After all didn’t he change his name so he would no longer be a slave to his record company and the industry?

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

Surely Prince has a song or twenty? After all didn’t he change his name so he would no longer be a slave to his record company and the industry?

From memory they told him they owned the name 'Prince' under your contract, ie so you can't leave your contract. So he called himself 'the symbol' until the balance of time was done. Funny, I can't name a song in the topic though. I think George Michael (the singer, not character in Arrested Development) had to go through the same bullshit and sit out for sometime because of his label. I think Radiohead had a big fight breaking up with their first big label who released a 'Best Of Album' against the band's wishes whilst under contract, before the split was official to cash in on the band before they left.

I heard Billy Corgan interviewed by Joe Rogan about the music industry and its dead set criminal. He referenced a magazine article/piece by Courtney Love did (15 years ago) breaking the industry down which I googled and read. Which is getting worse with streaming services now. Any wonders of many musicians find it a common thing to focus on. I live Billy's line in 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' about the band headlining a US concert circuit and not wanting to do it, "but can you fake it, for just one more show".

[Twodogs]

Re: Best Song By A Band Pottng A Record Label, Industry, Copyright/Royalties Etc.

They got dumped by 3 record companies in 6 months.

Already done.