For most of the past decade the music industry has been on a slow decline. It all started when people like Sean Fanning, founder of Napster.com started to make music available for free via the internet followed by the iTunes iPod invasion. Since these happenings, the music industry has been struggling to keep it's head above water. The industry today, is all about the instant hit, signing mediocre and talentless artists with a catchy gimmick to sell a few millions to pad the bottom line. Artist development went out the window in exchange for the quick turnaround model. Well that's for most labels. Smaller operations even though they are part of a big machine, still take the time to develop and nurture their artists because longevity is where its at. James Diener head of Octone records, the label behind artists like Hollywood Undead and Maroon 5 is all about taking care of his artists, milking the records and allowing the business to take care of itself. Diener has patience, a rare find in the music industry these days. Fortune examines the man and his methods in an article titled “The Plan to Save the Music Biz”
