Independent music artists are everywhere these days – and tons of them use our online mastering studio services. But a recent trend has been for major label artists to turn to independent labels (or start their own labels) after their big label recording contracts expire. And Blink-182 stands to be the next big artist to take the independent route.
“Freedom!!” guitarist Tom DeLonge wrote on his Twitter page on October 23. “Blink as of today, is now an independent Artist!!!!!”
Considering that the tweet was accompanied by a photo of Mel Gibson in full “Braveheart” makeup in the midst of the famous “Freedom!” cry, it can likely be assumed that the separation between Blink-182 and Universal Music Group was not exactly pleasant. Blink had been with the label since 1997 when they signed to MCA, and their most recent record, Neighborhoods, was released through DGC/Interscope. All were under the umbrella of Universal.
Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus spoke to MTV News about the split with the label.
“Yes indeed, we are no longer with Interscope,” he wrote in an email. “It’s been a long, amazing journey with them, starting with Cargo records, then MCA, then Geffen, and finally Interscope, but the time has come to move on. The reasons for us not working together are many and varied, but mostly we wish them luck in everything in their future, and thank those there who’ve worked so hard on Blink-182 throughout the years.”
He also said that the band is currently working on new material and are waiting to see what the future holds as far as their label situation (or lack thereof).
“As far as labels, to be honest, we’ve been holding our breath waiting for final word from the attorneys that our contract with Interscope had ended. Now the future’s a wide-open door,” he continued. “We’re lucky to be in a position where, after 20 years in our band, we can be independent and open to all options. It’s a very exciting time here. I feel like our band is in the best place it’s been in a long time.”
It’s those last three sentences that seem most similar to the multitude of other former major label artists that take the independent path. Radiohead may be the most prominent example of splitting from a major label and still remaining relevant and commercially successful, particularly with their “pay-what-you-want” record release model from a few years ago.
Still, it’s obviously much easier for bands with a built-in fanbase to release records either completely on their own or on an independent labels than it is for bands just starting out. However, as the music industry is quickly evolving, independent artists today are finding more and more ways to make a living purely off their music without ever signing to a major label.
And this is why Sage Audio offers our online mastering services to so many of these artists. We provide mastering quality on par with the most famous mastering studios in the world, while keeping costs down so independent artists can afford to release the best possible version of their songs.
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 7 unique value-points included in your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets of mixing and matches the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video in-depth modern mastering course that dives into every nuance of making professional-sounding masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from budding mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout each course.
- Each SAU course includes Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website and social channels.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
- Unlimited private access to us for advanced mixing feedback, where we provide detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve your skills and create professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is invaluable, and the Sage Audio membership gives you continual direct access to us for real-world feedback so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
4. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
5. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
7. 800+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into categories so you can easily take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your skills at your own pace.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
