Reasons to love Coldplay #1: Martin attacks EMI’s ‘Corporate Evil’

The fact that shareholders and markets dictate what's important is something that bugs me greatly. So, like, fair enough.

Well, y'know, that's very nice but when you sign to EMI you know you're getting in bed with a corporate behemoth. I'm glad Chris Martin's using his influence to raise awareness of issues of injustice in and out of the music industry, but perhaps if Coldplay were signed to an indie they could walk the walk and not just line the shareholders' pocketses, precious.

"It's very strange for us that we spent 18 months in the studio just trying to make songs that make us feel a certain way and then suddenly become part of this corporate machine."

Welcome to the record INDUSTRY. Hmmm, how many more albums have Parlophone got them for?

Course the songs were good. But the press pre-parachutes that parlophone got them was immense.

I mean where would Athlete be if they signed to an indie?

but majors will always be there. yes, they didn't have to sign for them, but does that mean that after you have, you are forever bound to silence re the relationship you have with them ? and cake-having-and-eating applies to the label as well. if they'd rushed the record, and EMI had thought it shit, how do you think they would've reacted ?

I'm increasingly coming to believe that the world needs hypocrites like Martin, Yorke, Strummer, RATM et al: people who- for whatever reason- are prepared to 'belong' to an evil megacorporation, but who then use the fame these megacorporations give them as a platform to discuss evils in the world.

Though their politicking undoubtedy puts some people off, it also raises these issues with people who otherwise would not be aware of them. Many of these people may well be young- I was influenced by Strummer's politics at a fairly young age- and may therefore grow up with an interest in the evils of the world (which can only be a good thing).

And then maybe they'll run into the arms of Crass, Godspeed You! Black Emperor et al: bands who're critical of anything corporate and who are free from allegations of hypocriticism, and bands who criticise people like Coldplay and Radiohead. These bands, I'd argue, are equally vital.

And, of course, music comes into it somewhere along the line.

While I don't agree with the way that a lot of artists are treated by their record labels people seem to forget that the music industry is exactly that....AN INDUSTRY. The whole point in it for a fair amount of labels is to sign bands who will make them money.

Cool pic of the boys in Coldplay! I just heard "speed of sound" on the radio this morning and, of course, turned up the volume when I heard the opening piano. I love Coldplay even though it is becoming increasingly uncool to harbor and profess such adoration.

Yeah, it may seem hypocritical that the band has signed with a big corporation only to gripe about the fact that big corporation stereotypes of greed are true, but how could they not have signed to a record label that would promote the crap out of them? Coldplay make good music, and EMI is their way of getting it heard by bigger audiences.

Coldplay, and Martin, in particular, are upset despite EMI's contributions to their success because they didn't anticipate getting caught up in a "corporate machine." Their signing to a corporate label wasn't for money but for music. They want to be able to release records under a big label for bigger audiences without in turn becoming corporate whores and aren't sure why those two unjustly go hand-in-hand.

Chris Martin said it best when he was talking on Lemacq..."When your are in the studio and writing etc you are a band, then you hand it over to the record company and you become a brand"

or words to that effect

You're right. Why should people have to marginalise their music? You should be able to get your music promoted as well as it can be, on your own terms, without pandering to shareholders - of course the reality is different but it shouldn't be.

Would the shareholders rather Coldplay rushed the album and it was shit and didn't sell? The profits will be up again this quarter now the album's out, and shareholders will be grinning and wanking into wads of fifty pounds notes all over again. Hoorah!

It's a tough one this. On the one hand, great art needs big corporations to bring it to the world. On the other, big corporations repeatedly fuck artists in the bum for a bit of extra cash.

I guess it's an argument with no potential resolution, but the world needs people like Martin - over-simplifying though he may be - to keep these issues in the public eye.

It’s a record company and therefore a creative art form. It is different than most business deadlines and they know this well ahead of time. Granted they will say anything to save their ass but that is the nature of this business. Letting artist be artist will be more beneficial in the long run. Good for Martin because really it’s the music that matters in the end and if this album will be played in 5,10 or 20 years than these quarterly profits won’t matter.

Chris is not a hypocrite. Chris signed on to make and distribute music. To him, its about the music. However, when EMI blames Coldplay for their losses, its as if Coldplay is a part of the corporate side, which is not true. Coldplay releases music on the EMI label, but its not like they are a part of the corporate side of the monster.

I would like the products of your creativity on my desk by next week, becuase I want to be able to tell my friends and family by the end of the month that I made loads of money from your hard work. Oh and by the way, when I say products of your creativity, I mean shit hot, fast-selling products.
Well what are you waiting for? Clocks ticking...
(no pun intended there)