Darius van Arman: The Struggle For Independence In The Modern Age (Op-ed)

In an in-depth piece published in Stereogum, Jagjaguwar founder and Secretly Group co-CEO Darius Van Arman examines the market shifts that have occurred over the last 30 years. He discusses how consolidation in the media, touring, and recording industries has made conditions far more challenging for independent-minded artists and labels, particularly those with an eye to alter the mainstream. With the marketplace on the brink of further consolidation and Universal attempting to acquire Downtown Music Holdings, Van Arman urges market regulators to block the deal.

Markets evolve all the time, and music is no different. New technologies emerge, consumer behavior moves unpredictably as tastes change and new laws come into existence. Change is constant and affects everyone, big and small. In the free market framework we live in, companies have to keep innovating if they’re to remain relevant and profitable. However, a free market can only be considered free as long as it remains fair and competitive. The greater good is harmed when an unfair, anti-competitive system takes over. That’s why, when any industry veers towards oligopoly, regulation is not only morally right, it’s economically good for the overall system’s health. Nor should we be afraid to say how our shared culture, including that of great music, is a different kind of marketplace that maybe shouldn’t be considered a marketplace at all. Important artistic and cultural expression is not meant to be chasing efficiency, profitability, or obey the material rules of price competition. This is what makes independent labels like Jagjaguwar, and all our peers and rivals, such a unique kind of working endeavor.