With distribution and reach no longer the preserve of the major label gatekeepers, the idea that everyone will achieve fifteen minutes of fame seems more achievable than ever. For those creators who want to maintain a more long-standing spell in the limelight without sacrificing control and ownership of their music, developing a world class a la carte team of individuals and services around them is critical. A new golden age of artist empowerment appears tantalizingly within reach – but how do artists make long-term decisions in a world where the system seems set up to celebrate the short term?

The last fifteen years have seen transformative change in the music industry, driven in large part by the widespread emergence and adoption of streaming services that have opened up opportunities like never before. Today, the way that artists get access to funding is finally catching up. While most artists used to view getting signed by a label as a marker of career success, the traditional companies no longer control exposure and distribution like they once did. So if artists can build a platform and a fanbase themselves, why do some of them still give up ownership of their music or control of creative decision making in order to access investment to advance their careers? Companies like beatBread are finally helping artists draw a line in the sand between ownership and investment. So when is it right for the artist to stay independent, and when does the traditional label model still work? The Demise of the Major Deal: What Happens Next? brings together managers, distributors and investment capital to discuss the future of creative investment, and the shift in power that puts control firmly back in the hands of artists.