PAST, PRESENT, AND INTO THE FUTURE. The state of the music industry is in rapid change. There are far too many excuses then a real reason for this, digital downloads, digital piracy, greedy labels, short sided managers and artists requiring financially unmanageable advances, packaged artists dominated by and for a consumer driven audience with an attention span of 3 months or less and a loss within mainstream recording industry on what is really hip. THere can be no one reason that has brought this major change, however one thing is certain, there is a major opportunity emerging that demands immediate attention. Since established record labels require sales in the millions to satisfy shareholders’ profit demands, the companies have largely abandoned musically adventurous acts and artists. To maximize sales and profits, record conglomerates more often favor conservative acts, or those that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Consequently, a sizeable market share has been left untapped. Artists who reach a defined, cognizant audience are completely overlooked, even when they have, in the past, achieved consistent record/ticket sales and critical acclaim, Among these musicians, Mi5 Recordings sets up a bond and trust that goes beyond money, fame, or any of the the other lesser trappings of pop culture. As a result, individuals with whom I work at Mi5 are PARTNERS to an entertainment company, holding down production expenses through a shared, co-operative work strategy. A NEW VISION: Mi5′s vision of the future is a good one. It is a future where people have fun working on great projects in an open and creative atmosphere. This sounds idealistic. But how can idealism become a moneymaking business? We at Mi5 “in-vision” branching out, charting untapped markets, utilizing the latest Net Technology and business strategies to ensure that our artist’s vision will be shared and their voices heard. To help accomplish this, we have worked hard at the grass root level to ensure that our audiences will feel a particular bond with the Mi5 process, the artists, and their art. Hearing the voice of our audiences up close, noting their input, harnessing their enthusiasm, we have learned to put together packages that will become evermore successful in the market place. We cannot only bring artists to light; we can keep them there. WHAT IS MI5? Think James Bond. Imagine Great Britain. Think Cold War ironies. Remember the CIA, the KGB, Pop Art chaos, and Radio Free Certainties. Yeah, you got it now! With our creative international line-up and U.K. roots, we not only answered the call to that kind of classic 60s feel, we ARE 21st center Multicultural Britain, a 21st century reality. In this time when pop music gather dust, spills blood, and just drones on, we want to do something fun, up beat, witty and droll; we want to sharpen the edge of today’s music scene. Mi5 Recordings is writing its long-range success story. We want to build careers, create opportunities, whether through our corporate contacts, recording and touring, or film work. We are not interested in the short-term gains for pennies at the expense of tomorrow’s dollars. We look into creating our own audience for Mi5 Recording, an audience that will be loyal. We want to find an alternative solution that does not cost millions and will be an effective counter to the conglomerates’ dominance over the industry. We want our artists to share ideas and, in turn, we will follow up every lead that we can to bring about our goal. Mi5: In-vision possibilities today to A-rticulate, R-evolutionize, T-hought for tomorrow. Ted Mason President Mi5 Recordings
