Some interesting thoughts about Monstercat, one of my favorite indie labels, that is doing some great work. Both in amassing a huge stable of awesome rising stars & in pissing off people on the internet. Both are valid goals but The Biohazard makes some excellent observations about how people listen to music in this age of limited aural bandwidth & experience. I quite like a lot of the artists on Monstercat, while there are a few I think should quit the game yesterday. However, I will always give props to a forward thinking, internet-ready label that doesn’t have its head up its ass when it comes to mobile/social/local. The idea that people are finding music by tree’ing through playlists & other people’s taste is the same as it’s always been. Whether it was vinyl, mixtapes, cds, miniDiscs (remember those fucking things?), or combing through people’s p2p shares, that’s how we’ve always found music. Monstercat makes it slightly easier if you like some of their stuff, to find other stuff you like.
Great read, thought provoking.
So… Monstercat.
I feel like this topic is going to be much more touchy than it should be.
In the electronic music scene, there’s a bit (read: a lot) of a stigma against fans of the indie label “Monstercat.” The stereotypical supporter of the brand is seen as a youngster with a Minecraft addiction, a vast library of YouTube subscriptions, and above all else, a distinct lack of experience in any label other than that of the feline in question. The interactions between fans and non-fans are generally just a bunch of back-and-forth with no real resolution. For example…
Person 1: “Monstercat music is the best!”
Person 2: “But what about this other label?”
Person 1: “Eh, all I really listen to is Monstercat.”
Person 2: “But that’s bad!”
Person 1: “Why?”
Person 2: “Because you’re not listening to other music!”
Person 1: “And why is that bad?”
Person 2: “Well……
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Terry Gotham 