Agreed, and it's probably influenced by his staunch traditionalism with regards to the way the music industry works, with maybe a bit of nostalgia for yesteryear as well. When he was a young music obsessive, landing a label deal signified status; it was a sure sign of one's success and relevance (see also: chart positions). This was the case for many, many years, and continued to be so well into Morrissey's solo career, but within the last ten years there has been a massive paradigm shift in the music industry, in terms of both music production and distribution. Major labels are no longer necessary to "get in the game," and because technology has leveled the playing field so tremendously, the main services major labels provide (recording, distribution, marketing) now easily fall within the hands of smaller indie labels that often seem to be more in touch with market and culture trends, and even the artists themselves. It honestly seems like Morrissey hasn't realized this yet. Adapting to the current model would be a smart move for Morrissey, but unfortunately I don't think he will ever be convinced that this is the case. He's never exactly been one to embrace innovation or change.
Furthermore, the indie/DIY route often involves creating a direct channel between audience and performer, and for someone who enjoys being larger than life, inaccessible, mysterious, it is not exactly an ideal situation for Morrissey, who considers such practices slumming it. Which is unfortunate, as people like David Byrne, Michael Gira, Nine Inch Nails, De La Soul, Radiohead, and many, many more well-established, well-respected (not to mention
older) acts have utilized crowdfunding, pay-what-you-want sales models, fan-sourced video projects, and other creative, engaging methods in putting their music out and getting shit done. They're just a lot more willing to take risks and extend that line of communication with their fanbase.
These experiments haven't exactly been duds, either. De La Soul
raised $600,874.00 from 11,169 backers to fund his new album earlier this year, at the time the second-highest ever amount raised for a music-related Kickstarter (the first, of course, being $1.2mil. from Amanda Palmer). Michael Gira's humble, hand-made fundraising CDs continue to raise thousands of dollars to cover the recording costs for Swans. The pay-what-you-want model is riskier for up and coming artists, but for someone like Trent Reznor with a dedicated fanbase, it meant
raking in $750,000 even when buyers were given the option to download the music for free.
While I can understand why some people view this sort of thing as a lowly pursuit, or "begging," I have a difficult time viewing that point of view as anything other than foolish. When artists crowdfund, they are simply cutting out the middleman and establishing direct exchange between artist and fan. Instead of relying solely on sales at music stores, online retailers like iTunes, Amazon, etc. and other less direct avenues, they're opening up a an additional, much more personal and direct avenue to generate sales. If this is "begging," then what makes relying on a label sugar daddy to put up money so much more legitimate? Especially as the costs are later recouped through the same means, anyway: through sales. It all goes back to the now largely obsolete idea of major labels being the be-all, end-all of status and success for recording artists.
Writing as a fan of many artists who choose the DIY avenue, it is for me an invigorating, exciting and rewarding exchange and certainly seems to be so for the artist. They are rid of the restrictions and nuisances often encountered with labels, they can create and deliver their music on their terms, and they foster a sense of community between themselves and their audience, who made it possible. It can be a risky endeavor, but for someone like Morrissey with an extremely dedicated following, it would be tremendously beneficial. For how much Morrissey has expressed disgust and frustration with his experiences working with labels, for him to seemingly care more about what label he's on than creating music and getting it out there is perplexing, vexing, and a great shame.
