Everyone's going independent

[Mariah]

Being on an independent label seems like the best thing to do nowadays in the music industry.

Robyn (she used to be on RCA too) she is real popular in Sweden but her label wouldn't release her 2nd and 3rd album in America (although they sold a lot in Sweden) so she formed her own label and her new album will be in stores in Sweden at the end of April, and depending on how well BE MINE catches on in the US, she will come back over here (which will be the first time since 1997)

En Vogue and Hanson also started their own labels.

Melanie Blatt is the newest singing-star to start a record company. She used to be in ALL SAINTS (which were very popular in the UK, they were a more r&b street version of the spice girls). LONDON RECORDS did not promote her debut solo single in 2003 so the album never came out. She formed her own label and her new single will come out April 11th.

Seems like WO started a trend! lol ...j/k many artist have done it before but it's now more popular going independent because you have more control of your music and how you want your look and sound to be.

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I just wish WILD ORCHID and/or Stefanie would officially release their albums like all these other independent artists are doing.

I know WO is doing their own thing now, but still I remember when HYPNOTIC was first about to come out and they planned to release ALL THE WAY & HYPNOTIC as singles and they even have a TRL link on their to vote for the video which was never made. And their biography said they want HYPNOTIC to go platinum....But you can't go platinum if you don't release the cd to stores and promote it

[unga]

I completely agree with you, Mariah. How ironic that Robyn and WO both had their debut albums released in 1997 by RCA, and Robyn had obviously done so much better than WO...I believe her album sold nearly two million copies...and WO ended up releasing Oxygen in the US and Robyn never got that chance!

I've done alot of research about the indie music industry, and while there's plenty of freedom in pursuing that road, there is so much responsibility. It really comes down to dollars and cents. WO could have easily put their album on sale at CDBaby (the leading indie music website) and sold their album at the two gay pride concerts in 2003, but they didn't do that. Nor did they put any of their merchandise on sale at the concerts. They also could've pursued a club tour of the local gay/dance clubs in LA, utilizing their connections from the pride concerts in 2003 and club gigs they did in 1999 and 2001 to promote Oxygen and Fire, respectively. Lastly, Stef and Renee have not the best job in staying connected with their fan base on their website. They never posted info about the pride concerts, Renee's inclusion on the Disney albums, or Stef's current work with DJ Rain. Who knows how many fans have simply just given up on the girls and moved on, simply because the girls never bother to write a few lines each month in their diary to keep us updated?

[ELLIE]

True artists like WO wouldn't have to go independent if the music industry wasn't so shitty and shallow. I'm sure there are some fans who have given up on them as a duo, and/or has moved on. I can totally understand that and I can't fault them for doing it. To each his/her own.

For me, and for some other WO fans, we decided to support them individually a long time ago. Does that mean that we've totally given up on them? Absolutely not. I cherish what WO used to be and everything that they've become.

If they(WO) doesn't want to record music as WO anymore then I would be perfectly fine with that. If they do want to record music as WO then I would be perfectly fine with that as well. If they wanted to go back into private life and not be in the industry at all, I would be perfectly fine with that too, as well if they want to stay in the industry. I just hope that whatever they do in their lives that they're blissfully happy.

I keep this board up as a thank you to them for everything that they have done and for everything that they continue to do. Sure, they don't update their diary or the site anymore, or as often or much, but, I'm sure Renee and Stefanie are doing other things that are keeping them busy. Would it be nice if they updated their site every now and then? You bet, but, for me, it's not a big deal. Every now and then some interesting new tidbits manage to trickle out about Stefanie and Renee's endeavours, which puts a smile on my face. My only main concern/wish for them is that they find happiness in whatever they do.