The Fall of Independent Rock?
Suddenly the industries see big possibilities for mass consumption of the bands who once thrived (or starved) in the underground subcultures. A corporation called Joseph-Fox Communications, Inc. even tried to emulate the style of fanzines with a tiny, slick and laughably naive production called New Route: The new route to new music. Douglas Joseph, the Editor- in-Chief and presumably the former half of Joseph-Fox, wrote an editorial in the October 1989 issue where he brought up the Warner Bros.-Time Inc. merger, PolyGram buying out Island and eventually A&M, EMI buying out Chrysalis Records and Virgin Records taking in major equity partners. "CBS Records is owned by Sony, and RCA Records by BMG," he said, brilliantly concluding that "the music industry is big business."
Joseph believes that the consequences of big business, the sales, distribution and in-store product placement being leveraged with merchandising, advertising and AOR radio play is a positive influence on the music scene. He believes the Godzilla corporations will generously spread increased profits to employees, stockholders, and most importantly, toward developing new artists. "The future of the record business is with the young artists," predicts Joseph.
His theory is that stronger companies will be more apt to experiment with new ideas as well as new musicians, such as BMG funding a new "independent" label, First Warning, which is distributed "independently" by Rough Trade. All A&R and marketing is done independently of BMG, although if any band does or says something BMG does not like, they would disappear from the industry as a label-less band. But Joseph says "as the major labels get bigger, there is more opportunity for the independents." Although independents fear the big squeeze of major labels, the money flowing into the alternative markets from the large companies strengthens the marketplace and supposedly creates more awareness for everyone.
"So," wrote Joseph, "as long as the music industry is healthy, properly managed and new artists continue to crete interesting music, we will hear great music from both major and [puppet] independent labels."
It is powerful people like Douglas Joseph and his New Route to brain-death who continue to remind underground fans of the reality of their worst nightmares. Even more dangerous to the underground culture than Tom Metzger's White Aryan Resistance, it is this continuing threat of the corporate powers to control and exploit the independents for their own convenience and profit that continues to inspire youth around the world to do it themselves.
-- A.S. Van Dorston

whoa.there is a million more words before this.explaining the whole history of skinheads,rude boys and punks.and these sub cultures really have values that society is lacking.not only that.that the sub cultures in singapore are lacking.anti-racism?improving the middle-class?are these shown in the sub-cultures now?what i see most,is just kids rotting around calling themselves skins and bashing each other up.what happened to trying to living in multi racial peace n tolerance and following wat 'The skinhead movement quite explicitly places its hopes for the future of the united action of the working class.'wahahha.i should so totally do a speech on this..but first lemme fully understand this whole subculcuture that has been dubbed as a poser thing.

# please let me dream @ 18:41