music acts goes it alone

Music acts 'go it alone'
Growing number of artists are going independent

NEW YORK (AP) -- In 2000,
the Churchills thought they had it made.
The New York-based pop band had landed a major-label record deal and were fixed up with producer Mark Hart, former keyboardist
with the seminal Australian
band Crowded House.
Hart and the band booked a posh recording studio and the label, Universal,
gave them a near-limitless budget.

They recorded with only the finest guitars and ate gourmet lunches -- all charged to the album expense account. Three months later, they had spent $270,000 and the record was finished.

But strangely, nothing seemed to be happening. "It felt like we were nobody's priority," said Churchills bassist-vocalist Bart Schoudel. "We would stop by the label's marketing department, and they would say, 'Oh, you guys made a great record and I think the critics are going to love it." continue