I'm bound to pack it up

There once was a time when the lure of the music industry was an exciting thing. The push and pull, discovering new things, fostering your favorites; for an avid music fan life couldn't get any better than getting paid to immerse yourself within the realm of music. But more and more as the world turns, the glitter fades and the stage fades to black. Downloading and the popularity of digital tunes is destroying the industry. No one is buying albums anymore. No one cares about crafting great start to finish albums, caring instead about singles, dropping albums full of filler. Payola. Lack of promotion. Etc. Etc. Bitch, bitch, bitch. Moan, moan, moan. Still interested in working for KROQ, MTV, or Capitol?

And now it seems staying alive is just as hard as getting inside. This past Friday V2 Records, home to Moby and the White Stripes, laid off not just one high ranking executive or lowly college intern, but its entire staff. I repeat, it's ENTIRE STAFF. Idolaor reports:

"Sheridan Square has basically shuttered its frontline V2 record business as part of restructuring to focus on its catalog releases and the future opportunities presented by digital distribution.

Today (Jan. 12), the company let go its V2 staff, including president Andy Gershon, and will reorganize the business in its Nashville office, where the company's COO Michael Olsen will oversee the catalog business. About 35 people are believed to have lost their jobs as part of the restructuring.

As part of that move, the company will retain the White Stripes catalog, but will no longer issue new music by the duo or other frontline artists such as Moby or the Raconteurs, sources say. The only genre the company plans to participate in the frontline going forward is gospel."

Wow. Well I guess the best thing to come of all this is that Jack White is a free agent. Now whether or not you are a White Stripes/Raconteurs fan you can't deny the talent of Mr. White, hands down one of the most exciting artists in the game right now. Sure he and Meg [or he and Brendan] ain't selling out stadiums in Wembley or going Diamond, but he brings a lot to the table that many flavors of the moment can't. Let's just hope he doesn't grow tired of the game or the industry and gives up on making music altogether.

IDOLATOR: White Stripes' Label Says "There's No Home For You Here" To Its Roster