The Fourth Major?

Looking to avoid any antitrust violations, Universal recently sold former EMI holding, Parlophone Records. Now that there are officially only three major record companies, is it possible that a fourth will ever reemerge?

Last summer, when Universal was considering divesting itself of Virgin Records, Sir Richard Branson was said to be in negotiations, in a bid to buy back the company that he founded in 1972. When I heard the news, I remember thinking what a great idea that would be. Instead of going from four majors, Virgin could have been spun off to keep a sense of balance in the industry. Talks went on for several months until finally the deal fell through.

So what's the big deal, right? If you're an Independent or DIY label, the issue is the loss of market share in the face of the mega majors financial and promotional muscle power. However, the Indie community is looking at the sale of Parlophone to Warner as a, countervailing force against the duopoly of Universal and Sony, strengthening Warner, which had been struggling in recent years. But, that still leaves only three major record companies on the face of the planet.

The larger Indie labels have been making a splash at the Grammys in the past two years. In fact they won a total of 34 trophies this year, with notables wins from Big Machine, Concord Music Group, and Rounder Records. With growing numbers like that, I think that it's conceivable, at least in my opinion, that a fourth major could arise from their ranks.


There's so much more music out there than what's being played on terrestrial radio, that I think that a fourth major would be a perfect way to not only highlight it or showcase it, but also bring it to the eyes and ears of the public. However, being an Independent has it's strong points.  One is, as an Independent artist, there's a greater chance that you get to make the music that you, the artist want to make. With that being said, there may not be an Independent that wants to risk their autonomy, in the face of Grammy acceptance, and/or wider public acceptance.

Still, a fourth major recording company would make the current music scene a much more interesting place. It could spur greater competition among labels to bring the most unique artists and bands to the forefront. Not to mention, the possibility of  increasing the variety of artists, bands, and music styles currently offered on terrestrial radio and in brick & mortar stores. And, you know what they say, variety is the spice of life.