Mark Crispin Miller

In the following selection, Mark Crispin Miller argues that the dominance of a handful of major record labels has made it difficult for new acts to develop. According to Miller, these labels offer multimillion dollar deals to established stars that are often past the prime of their careers instead of spending that money on unknown acts. Major labels further limit artists by only signing artists who fit a particular genre. When a new band does succeed, writes Miller, they are expected to not change their style. He concludes that musicians need to fight back against the industry's oligopoly. Miller is a professor of media studies at New York University and the director of the Project on Media Ownership, an organization that examines oligopolies in American culture.