Def Leppard Consider Indie Status As Label Contract Ends
After almost 30 years of major label success, Def Leppard are considering going the indie route. “For the last five or six years we haven’t had the greatest of support from our record label,” singer Joe Elliott told The Age. “We signed our contract in 1979, a lot of regimes ago. Once there was respect for what you’d done, but it’s all just bean-counters now. I find that very sad.” With their contract expiring and no major offers in sight, the band are considering going the same course as bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails. “If Radiohead and the Eagles can go off and do it on their own, that’s an acceptable yardstick to measure our own chances by,” said Elliott. Radiohead enjoyed great success in this new frontier, the Eagles raked in the royalties from Long Road Out of Eden thanks to a deal with Wal-Mart. Elliott believes that Def Leppard has been around long enough that they no longer need the major label support, as their fanbase is firmly set. With no deal in place, Elliott says the band will seek a lucrative agreement for touring and online sales while recording as independent artists.
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