Universal Shuts Down DreamWorks Nashville

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Universal Shuts Down DreamWorks Nashville

A day after Toby Keith announced his new label plans, Dreamworks Nashville is going away. This is yet another example of what happens in the industry. Music is a huge business. Universal Music Group is massive in size. The Dreamworks superstar is now gone from the label, so, everyone that was on Dreamworks: Darryl Worley, Tracy Lawrence, Jessica Andrews, Jimmy Wayne, Hot Apple Pie and newcomer Tori Baxley are now in a position of wondering if they have a job or not. Most reports say they will be shuffled over to one of the other Universal Music Group labels: MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville and Lost Highway Records.

What I think is we need even more of these independent labels to come around and many more "superstars" to leave. Show the music fan what the artists can really do and want to do. The inde label has been a huge trend, and it will continue to be. I think though, it is time for even more to take Toby Keith's lead. These big labels only have one thing in mind, making money. That means suffocating the artists with boundaries and "safe zones" of music. They are basically told what to do. I don't blame the artists fully either for it. If my boss told me that this is what we are doing and if you don't, you don't have a job, well, I would probably suck it up as well.

I guaranteee you the quality of music we get from Toby Keith in his next album will be his best yet. Stay tuned and we will see...