D.I.Y or DIE

Steve Albini

“Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit.I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed.”

Steve Albini is revered throughout the punk rock world as the antithesis to the corporate, money hungry record ‘industry’… Some think his views are skewed and tainted by his own previous bad experiences, but when it comes down to it, Albini has spent more time than most picking up the pieces of bands left by Major Labels.

The opening quote is taken from Albini’s “The Problem with Music”, originally published in Maximum Rock’n'Roll Magazine and is his humorous but enlightening view of the Major Label industry. It’s a few years old now so doesn’t carry the same resonance in todays climate of MySpace self promotion, but still carries some very valid points. You have been warned!

Here’s the full article: The Problem with Music

Below is the video interview that the post title was taken from – DIY or DIE!