Sacramento Film and Music Festival 2008

If you’ve ever dreamed of being a rich and famous rock star, find out how a major record deal promising that is not what it seems. If you’ve ever complained about radio, find out how it really works and why you only hear the same songs over and over. Discover alternatives to a music career you might not have realized and see how changing technologies is changing the way music is released and made. Get insight from major figures in the music industry such as producer/engineer Steve Albini, who recorded Nirvana’s album In Utero, Jacob Slichter, the drummer of Semisonic, and the famed independent record label collective Beggars/Matador/XL. Major labels are covered first, exploring their dominating role in the music industry, their treatment of artists as well as consumers, and deceiving record contracts. Independent labels are then compared, showing how they can bring artists freedom and sustainability. Modern recording technology is next, showing how people can bypass studios and record music themselves. After that, radio is covered, exploring their shady business models and the ongoing pay-offs that occur. The internet is the final topic, going into how it’s changing the way music is consumed and distributed, and how consumers are unfairly prosecuted for downloading. The film concludes with some final thoughts on the state of the music industry, encourages artists as well as consumers to be conscious of the industry that can control them, and what they can do to empower themselves.