Bands no longer need a “record deal”

BBC News has a fantastic article about an unsigned band called Koopa, and how they are near cracking the Top 40 charts in Britain. The article is full of great advice on how to build an audience on your own. There’s even an interesting tidbit at the end about the money in selling cellphone ringtones at a premium price. But the biggest news to me isn’t that you can go it alone and skip being buggered by a major label. No, the major news is that official music tracking charts have changed their rules, starting at the beginning of January 07. Now, downloads can count towards your Top 40 positioning. Have you ever noticed that Grammy winners are almost always signed to a label and have some sort of real world distribution? It’s almost been a requirement. Well, with the chart rule change, indie bands can cut out the middlemen and still get the industry recognition they deserve.