Switchfoot dumps Sony
p2pnet news | Music:- “I know you’re enjoying a break right now, but I’ve got some news that’ll interest you,” emails SiSi, going on:
“The only major label artist, Switchfoot, that I truly stuck with even while criticizing their label’s (Sony’s) evil business practices has announced that they’ve parted ways with them and are now independent artists.”
Good for Switchfoot, although it isn’t all that surprising.
From San Diego, Switchfoot released a new album called Nothing Is Sound and at the time they were signed to Sony.
So? Well, Sony being Sony and a member of the Big 4 organised music cartel, it polluted the album with DRM.
Switchfoot, in the shape of brothers Jon and Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, Jerome Fontamillas and Drew Shirley, didn’t like that and went way beyond a mere protest.
They gave fans a chapter-and-verse breakdown of how to get around Sony’s Digital Restrictions Management efforts.
Now, SiSi goes on, they’ll be releasing a CD and EPs and going on tour and:
I’m probably the only fan who’s more happy that they left Sony than them releasing CDs and going on tour.
Last year they released their last CD with Sony called Oh! Gravity. I preordered it with feelings of excitement and guilt.
I was excited because I love Switchfoot’s music and wanted to support them, but guilty because I was also giving money to a company who treats us fans like shit; who accuses their customers of piracy and fucked up our computers with spyware and rootkits.
Switchfoot’s Nothing Is Sound had XCP on it and Switchfoot posted on their boards hosted by Sony how to get around it.
They always respected us fans and treated us like one big family.
This move is the best thing they could do for us and for them. Now they don’t have to worry about some corporate bastard telling them how to make music.
The only thing I have to thank Sony for is introducing me to Switchfoot and getting me interested in copyright law in the first place with their 2 million spyware CDs. Other than that Sony can go to hell.
Here’s an article I found about it: http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/08/10/201439.php
The post SiSi cites is from Tim on BC Music and concludes:
I don’t believe Sony knew what to do with a band made up of five guys who are happily married, live clean and want to live for something more than money and fame.
Now we have the announcement that multi-platinum artists, Switchfoot is starting their own indie music venture. I’ve read that Charlie Peacock (the re:think guy) has been working with Switchfoot and I believe he’s going to be involved in this new effort. Both the band and Peacock have learned some hard lessons lately so they should be able to take their knowledge and do something interesting.
I’m hopeful that this new effort will allow Switchfoot and other artists to have more freedom to create without being dictated to, by record companies. Some of the singles that Switchfoot have released didn’t make sense for alternative radio and I put that at the feet of Sony. Now they can release what they want and when they want. Don’t be surprised if these guys figure out a new paradigm for marketing and selling music. The record companies have truly lost their way and it’s up to the artists now.
Happily married, live clean and want to live for something more than money and fame? Oh! The Horror!
Click the mic on the right to hear David Bannister’s p2pnetcast of this story >>>> 
Also See:
way beyond a mere protest – Switchfoot on DRM, September 19, 2005
BC Music – Switchfoot Goes Independent, August 10, 2007
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August 16th, 2007 at 6:23 am
Happily married, live clean and want to live for something more than money and fame? Oh! The Horror!
I have never heard of Switchfoot. Now that I have been introduced, I will download a few tracks. If I like their music, I will go out and pay for it. If I don’t I will delete their music from my system. What is causing me to take a look at this band is the fact that it is said that the members live clean. It is nice to find people that actually get it Like I have said in the past, I NEVER download, buy, rent, watch, or listen to the crap put out by the “entertainment” cartels. The reason is that I DON’T LIKE IT (their crap). I’m the customer and therefore the boss. If these people are truly good and I like their music, then they will get my money.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:42 am
That is HOW it SHOULD BE! The artists are more concerned with what their fans think of them, than some money grubbing executive who could not care LESS what fans really want.
That is why the music industry is producing such junk lately……they simply seem not to carewhat anyone thinks but themselves.
But when they start to really feel the hurt of artists abandoning them because of their business practices…..they may think again. Either that or become extinct….I could care which happens to them first.
August 19th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
When a band dumps a corporate label, there can be troubles (look at what happened with XTC). But it’ll be refreshing to see if Switchfoot makes it work.
August 21st, 2007 at 4:03 am
What “troubles” are you referring to…them not being ripped off anymore by a giant corporation? I would hardly call that trouble…..