Cyberspace went crazy yesterday if you are a Lupe Fiasco fan and viewed the YouTube video below where he explains why his upcoming album, Lasers, has yet to reach the hands of the public. In it, he explained that 360 deals are problematic for him and other artists signed to big labels when you are expected to sign the deal or be left to wait fruitlessly as your project languishes without real support and backing by the label. Today, those deals are becoming mandatory. Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman has been reported saying that about a third of Warner's signed artists are under those contracts, with new artists required to sign before working for the label. Watching this video got me wondering how many other artists that I totally love but have been MIA for some time have been cast aside in favor of artists who have signed a 360 deal and thus got promoted more so that the label's investment can reap a fuller reward. I applaud Lupe and other artists like him who are speaking out on the behind-the-scenes shenanigans that artists experience. Lupe's outspokenness alone has led to a rally being scheduled on October 15th by his fans in front of Atlantic's offices in New York to urge the label to release the his album. This artists versus labels controversy takes me back to the days when Prince changed his name to a symbol and wrote "slave" on his face during his own famous battle with Warner Bros. Funny, isn't it, how Warner is always in the middle of some mess? Industry Rule #4080, anyone?
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