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Why didn't Britney start her own label in 2004/2005?


zxcvb

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We all know all of this stuff is in the past and she is arguably a "survivor"-9 top 4  charting studio albums-but...

does Blackout really help her legacy?

The 2007 VMA essentially marked the end, or at the very least sharp decline of her as a performer.  Even that House of Blues Tour in 2007 she had lots of confidence.

So going back, it seems that 2004 was really the tipping point.  Apparently her greatest hits album, released in November, marked the end of her contract with Jive.  She apparently renewed it  at some point between 2004 and 2005 for Blackout, Circus and Femme Fatale BUT...

We also know she was having major conflict with her record company, Jive, with Mona Lisa being played on the radio and her Do Somethin' music video also a struggle to release.

With all that conflict and the fact that she injured her knee TWICE in 2004, especially for the music video of a song she didn't want as the next single, (Her also marrying twice with the first to a hometown friend being annulled) and her contract up, why didn't she leave Jive and start her own record label?

As a former solo teen pop star, her popularity was going to fade.  Plain and simple.  The only reason the Circus Tour grossed as much as it did was because of her comeback narrative not her popularity.  Hence, she quickly faded from the mainstream afterwards...

Had she started her own label to release music under her own rules, she would have kept her base intact all the way through, there probably wouldn't have been a reality show and her stage presence and confidence probably wouldn't have been interrupted.

Thoughts?

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It’s Britney Spears... if she had her own record label there would be less people to boss her around, tell her what to do, what music to make, and how to portray herself. Do you really think they’d let that happen? I agree if it could have happened things may have turned out better for her, but I don’t think that was ever an option. 

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3 hours ago, Fenixxx123 said:

Maybe she wanted but Jive didn't let her do it

3 hours ago, blackoutbixxh said:

It’s Britney Spears... if she had her own record label there would be less people to boss her around, tell her what to do, what music to make, and how to portray herself. Do you really think they’d let that happen? I agree if it could have happened things may have turned out better for her, but I don’t think that was ever an option. 

Well That's sort of my point.  Her contract with Jive was up at the end of her My Prerogative Greatest Hits Album.

That means at some point between 2004 and 2005 she was free.  And at some point during that period she also resigned with Jive.

But again, she was free at some point.  She wasn't beholden to their decisions...

Until she resigned with Jive again; hence Mona Lisa debacle, Do Somethin' video struggle and the rest of 2005-2008...

2 hours ago, frederiickx said:

She probably just didn't want to run her own record label and handle all that types of stuff.

True.  Having your own record label is a lot of work; but there are a lot problems with her actions in late 2004-rather than the public/media.

She-someone whose star in music was fading given that she was a former solo teen star - was the one that wanted the break from the spotlight, but she sold her wedding/honeymoon photos to magazines, then announced/broadcast a reality tv show; etc... In some ways, can you really blame the media/public for how they acted and continuing the stalking?

(Even in late 2006, Larry brought Paris to her??? )

Back to the topic of an independent record label :Obviously peers and successors like Eminem, Hanson and Demi Lovato/Nick Jonas  started their own label.

And in late 2003, she really seemed to want to go a self-sufficient route with her music:

3:55

While this is a critical comment, this comment on Jezebel from 2008 about her documentary is reflective:

"Problem is, she's neither able to be without attention nor is she intelligent (never has been) nor has she any common sense. Otherwise, she would have pulled an Ani Difranco a long time ago, got her own record label and released her OWN music under her OWN label and rules. gah, I could go on but what is the point.

Regardless of the fact that she did go off the deep end this GIRL never found any of her power whether internally or the power handed to her on a silver platter and for that I cannot respect her."

https://jezebel.com/miss-american-dream-britney-spears-goes-on-the-record-5100074

Just a thought of course, as its all long in the past.  She is a survivor of the industry but there should have been a way to prevent 2005-2008.

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57 minutes ago, zxcvb said:

Well That's sort of my point.  Her contract with Jive was up at the end of her My Prerogative Greatest Hits Album.

That means at some point between 2004 and 2005 she was free.  And at some point during that period she also resigned with Jive.

But again, she was free at some point.  She wasn't beholden to their decisions...

Until she resigned with Jive again; hence Mona Lisa debacle, Do Somethin' video struggle and the rest of 2005-2008...

True.  Having your own record label is a lot of work; but there are a lot problems with her actions in late 2004-rather than the public/media.

She-someone whose star in music was fading given that she was a former solo teen star - was the one that wanted the break from the spotlight, but she sold her wedding/honeymoon photos to magazines, then announced/broadcast a reality tv show; etc... In some ways, can you really blame the media/public for how they acted and continuing the stalking?

(Even in late 2006, Larry brought Paris to her??? )

Back to the topic of an independent record label :Obviously peers and successors like Eminem, Hanson and Demi Lovato/Nick Jonas  started their own label.

And in late 2003, she really seemed to want to go a self-sufficient route with her music:

3:55

While this is a critical comment, this comment on Jezebel from 2008 about her documentary is reflective:

"Problem is, she's neither able to be without attention nor is she intelligent (never has been) nor has she any common sense. Otherwise, she would have pulled an Ani Difranco a long time ago, got her own record label and released her OWN music under her OWN label and rules. gah, I could go on but what is the point.

Regardless of the fact that she did go off the deep end this GIRL never found any of her power whether internally or the power handed to her on a silver platter and for that I cannot respect her."

https://jezebel.com/miss-american-dream-britney-spears-goes-on-the-record-5100074

Just a thought of course, as its all long in the past.  She is a survivor of the industry but there should have been a way to prevent 2005-2008.

I think she wanted control of her career, and her selling photos (I’m pretty sure Kfed talked her into it for the money obviously) and doing Chaotic was her way of showing the world the real her. She was fed up with Larry controlling every aspect of her and she wanted the fans to see the real her despite Larry saying it it’ll tarnish her reputation. I think her goal was to get people to not associate her as the girl with pigtails. Her music was very raw and it seems she wanted to take her career a whole different turn and they were like “but pop music sells and you’re good at it!”
 

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5 hours ago, puppylo16 said:

I think she wanted control of her career, and her selling photos (I’m pretty sure Kfed talked her into it for the money obviously) and doing Chaotic was her way of showing the world the real her. She was fed up with Larry controlling every aspect of her and she wanted the fans to see the real her despite Larry saying it it’ll tarnish her reputation. I think her goal was to get people to not associate her as the girl with pigtails. Her music was very raw and it seems she wanted to take her career a whole different turn and they were like “but pop music sells and you’re good at it!”
 

Two points: Again, it is definitely understandable that she wanted to break free from that control but then she was the one who said: 

"...My prerogative right now is to just chill & let all of the other overexposed blondes on the cover of Us Weekly be your entertainment… GOOD LUCK GIRLS!...Going & going & going is all I’ve ever known since I was 15 years old. It’s amazing what advisors will push you to do, even if it means taking a naive, young, blonde girl & putting her on the cover of every magazine."

https://popdirt.com/britney-spears-posts-letter-to-fans/33649/

She wanted a break after all this spotlight YET she still sold her wedding photos to magazines and did a reality tv show that brought more attention from the media and public...

The other point was if, like you said,  "Her music was very raw and it seems she wanted to take her career a whole different turn [and] her goal was to get people to not associate her as the girl with pigtails",  Again the point remains...

Why didn't she leave Jive and start her own record label in 2004/2005 to release her OWN MUSIC when, in fact, her contract was up up?

"In the posting, Spears clarified that when she said she was taking a “break”, it meant she was “taking a break from being told what to do.” Spears also discussed filming and co-directing the new video for ‘Do Something’, which apparently has caused friction with Jive Records. “As much fun as I had, I have to say I was a little disappointed that I still had to convince my record label that making this video was the right thing to do at this time,” Spears said."

https://popdirt.com/britney-spears-clarifies-break-voices-tension-with-jive/35630/

As this comment fairly points out in 2008 in response to For The Record ...

"Problem is, she's neither able to be without attention nor is she intelligent (never has been) nor has she any common sense. Otherwise, she would have pulled an Ani Difranco a long time ago, got her own record label and released her OWN music under her OWN label and rules."

https://jezebel.com/miss-american-dream-britney-spears-goes-on-the-record-5100074

 

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It's so interesting (and sad) to think about what could have happened if she'd done that, how differently things might have turned out. This is the alternate timeline we deserve tbh.

There was definitely a turning point somewhere between 2003 and 2005 where she became more interested in writing her own music (hence Mona Lisa/Original Doll) and was ready for more creative control. This is also obvious in the blog posts she was writing around that time, and her directing the Do Somethin' video. In a way, though, I think there were just too many forces and powerful interests aligned against her. She must have been under so much pressure to conform to expectations. I also think she's essentially a sweet girl (that's why we love her) and that it's probably not really in her nature to be too confrontational. To go against so many expectations and vested interests, at such a young age, would take someone with an exceptionally combative personality, and that's just not who she is.

And, finally, hindsight is 20/20; she couldn't possibly have known at the time how things would turn out. Perhaps she imagined she'd be able to negotiate more creative control at Jive, without the hassle/responsibilities that would have come with running her own label. Perhaps promises were even made to her to that effect to get her to renew her contract.

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It would've not worked, I think. She should've done a Rihanna move. Riri left Def Jam to sign fully with Roc Nation but under her own conditions. She wanted control over her music and her own timing, so she could be focused on beauty/fashion and creating her own brands.

Even when Rihanna has confessed she's a workaholic, she felt overworked with her old team so, that was one of the main reasons to make the decision. Later, she created her own company and registered all of her brands as part of it. She's making her own empire. Britney could've done the same, and even bigger but never had a good advice.

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6 hours ago, zxcvb said:

Two points: Again, it is definitely understandable that she wanted to break free from that control but then she was the one who said: 

"...My prerogative right now is to just chill & let all of the other overexposed blondes on the cover of Us Weekly be your entertainment… GOOD LUCK GIRLS!...Going & going & going is all I’ve ever known since I was 15 years old. It’s amazing what advisors will push you to do, even if it means taking a naive, young, blonde girl & putting her on the cover of every magazine."

https://popdirt.com/britney-spears-posts-letter-to-fans/33649/

She wanted a break after all this spotlight YET she still sold her wedding photos to magazines and did a reality tv show that brought more attention from the media and public...

The other point was if, like you said,  "Her music was very raw and it seems she wanted to take her career a whole different turn [and] her goal was to get people to not associate her as the girl with pigtails",  Again the point remains...

Why didn't she leave Jive and start her own record label in 2004/2005 to release her OWN MUSIC when, in fact, her contract was up up?

"In the posting, Spears clarified that when she said she was taking a “break”, it meant she was “taking a break from being told what to do.” Spears also discussed filming and co-directing the new video for ‘Do Something’, which apparently has caused friction with Jive Records. “As much fun as I had, I have to say I was a little disappointed that I still had to convince my record label that making this video was the right thing to do at this time,” Spears said."

https://popdirt.com/britney-spears-clarifies-break-voices-tension-with-jive/35630/

As this comment fairly points out in 2008 in response to For The Record ...

"Problem is, she's neither able to be without attention nor is she intelligent (never has been) nor has she any common sense. Otherwise, she would have pulled an Ani Difranco a long time ago, got her own record label and released her OWN music under her OWN label and rules."

https://jezebel.com/miss-american-dream-britney-spears-goes-on-the-record-5100074

 

It’s not that easy, I’ve been in her situation where I was fed up with not being creative (I was a creative at an ad agency) and sick of just painting by the numbers and having no input. I tried to break out on my own but it’s hard when you don’t know how to navigate on your own. There’s lots of things you need to learn and resources which I doubt she has and I’m not saying money wise. Owning a business is a lot of work, and finding the right people is hard. 

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Britney Jean was still part of the same contract as FF and the others, it was "inherited" so to speak after RCA absorbed Jive.

That's why everybody were waiting for her to release that album, finish her contract and move to another record label (everybody aka L.A. Reid and the former Jive president). Instead she signed again with RCA, for allegedly 4 more albums, Glory being only the first one. 

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I don’t think you guys understand. Britney has been so sheltered from the business side of her career. 

She couldn’t ever have pulled a Rihanna, she probably didn’t even know what resources she had at her hands in 2004-2005. She was so focused on wanting to break free and have a break that she probably wasn’t even thinking long term.

then she gets mixed up in partying and living life her career took a back seat. She hadn’t been able to be the artist she wanted which made her lose her passion and drive which makes sense. She literally been shoved from point A to point B her entire career. 
 

it would have been nice to see her live her truth and maybe one day she will get to. Sadly it’ll probably be after her prime has come and gone. They took her best years and it is hella sad.

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i accidentally typed a novel here oof, but anyway i feel like there are a lot of sort of divergence points in her career where things could've gone differently; creative choices like her original album remaining more organic/adult sounding (she may have garnered more respect), the supposed aborted in the zone rerelease & onyx hotel tour (i feel as though britney was gaining more freedom and control around this time for some reason), her team's decision to have her use playback so loud you couldn't really hear her sing a lot of the times (people still have zero confidence in her ability to sing and we're 20+ years from the first major lipsyncing allegations), blackout rerelease vs circus, the original femme fatale, a non-rushed britney jean, etc. you also have some choices made regarding her public image, like both pushing the virginal purity lie while simultaneously greenlighting her to be in a rolling stones cover shoot obviously playing into jailbait fantasies (iirc britney had a role in the imagery there, but she was 17, they should've forced them to tone it down), ANYONE allowing chaotic to be aired, her ever talking to the paparazzi or tabloids and obviously her falling into relationships with the people she did who would just alert the media to everyone she set foot....and you also have business decisions, including the more artistic aspects of those rerelease vs new album choices, ******* larry causing the radio ban, the increasingly really poor promotion her stuff has gotten since the circus era, overworking the hell out of her especially in the circus era when she really, really should've been allowed to step back, not tour as extensively, and not work on new material until 2011-2012 (she could've come back with a more "mature" artistic orientation, sort of like madonna going from erotica & bedtime stories and the controversies ---> slowly building back with the movie soundtrack (and its vocal training), the trip-hop sounding EP, and finally ray of light that literally embodied maturity and growth), and i mean the conservatorship is there but that's literally it's own ecosystem of ****. with britney i feel she had so many big opportunities and they just didn't come to fruition. she mentioned the record label and wanting to produce music too, and i think she may have helped produce some tracks in that hazy in the zone-onyx hotel tour-my prerogative-original doll era, but it just didn't come to be like she seemed to want. i think she said she was writing a screenplay at one point? none of it ever came....at least her perfume took off, got fantastic reviews, and actually stood the test of time unlike most celebrity fragrances. 

 

i think the most important point for her was actually the britney era. she was coming into her own and clearly had a vision, she was confident, she was starting to push back on what she wanted as singles or creative choices. then the whole shock your mind vs crossroads happens, and i think it really, really was a point of no return in a way. by picking apart her album that she had written a lot of and really chosen what she wanted, and splicing in tracks that were so saccharine and too immature sounding, it  A. probably caused the album to get the lukewarm reception it got (it has the lowest metacritic score of her albums barring BOMT thats not listed), B. stilted her growth as an artist from the perspectives of others; it should've been like madonna going from like a virgin to true blue (i hate true blue but you get the parallel), mariah going from music box to daydream, and eventually what we saw in artists like beyonce going from b'day to sasha fierce, and C. above all else i think kicked her in the gut as an artist. i think it killed some of her passion, for sure. she probably had the sense of "you are only the artist we let you be" from then, and grew more and more jaded and detached, and it seems like whenever she found something to make her happy those around her caused it to fall in. one thing about those albums i mentioned is that they all come in similar parts of the artists timelines, sasha fierce and true blue were the third albums while daydream was mariahs fourth, but she had the factor of tommy mottola so in a way she had something like britney did, only she escaped the worst and continued to flourish. they're considered the points when the artist came into their own, evolving into mature adult-respected figures. mature themes crop up, they experiment more (mariah adding hip hop in and being more vocal and provocative with her artistic choices, madonna changing her image greatly and playing with entirely different sounds, beyonce playing with concept albums and having an album where it jumps from big choir-backed ballads to songs verging on folk to bumpin dance-pop to experimentation with her aggressive, dominant female themes). it primes them for an era that gets a lot of critical acclaim and praise for being eclectic and monumental (like a prayer + immaculate collection, butterfly, 4). it feels like britney got thrown off the track when it was her time for that. if it hammers home how her superstar trajectory went awry, look at what happens about a decade and a half into those mentioned artists careers...15 years for madonna = ray of light, 15 years for mariah = emancipation of mimi, 13-14 years for beyonce depending on how you count it = lemonade. you know what marked britney's 15th year? her most personal album ever, bronston jeremiah....

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30 minutes ago, Isla said:

Actually I do remember reading that she had a production company with Larry and was meant to start a label around 2003 but I’m not sure what happened to it. 
but I don’t think it’s ever that easy.

I’m sure like always, they probably butted heads because Larry likes to always give his two cents. They are like apples and oranges, so in the end nothing will get done or Britney will compromise and not be happy with it which was the whole point of having a company to call the shots.

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5 hours ago, puppylo16 said:

I’m sure like always, they probably butted heads because Larry likes to always give his two cents. They are like apples and oranges, so in the end nothing will get done or Britney will compromise and not be happy with it which was the whole point of having a company to call the shots.

Exactly. I don't think a production company with Larry was the smartest move because she wouldn't have had the final say that much. 

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Britney was always very rebellious and spontaneous in those days and sometimes acted out by declaring non-conventional plans for her career. She announced a musical that never happened, talked about starting a label that never happened, dropped a song that was never released as a single and announced an album that never happened - I think in her head she wanted those things and had maybe engaged in very preliminary talks about them but had never actually applied herself to making them a reality. She knew she’d be pissing off the people who controlled her by  publicly expressing desires to do everything they didn’t want her to do. It was this side of her that we saw a lot through 2007 as well. It’s just a shame the end result was Britney ending up being even more controlled. There’s no fairness in what has happened to her.

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she was a product for the record label, there was no way they would let her go. she may have been unsigned for a month, but then when she premiered Mona Lisa she was in trouble with her label, so I assume at one point she probably had her contract extended or renegotiated. sadly, it never brought any changes besides that she had more "control" over Blackout, but even there the label had to step in and fix it for her.

basically, if we look at her career, back in 1997 she quickly was sent to record songs that would pretty much make her debut album. before the album was out they played with her image a lot, so many different photoshoots, so many haircuts, she was basically blonde on the european album cover. there were even pictures of her from one of the photoshoots where she's in water and there are no bra-straps seen. if and whether she was given any freedom, it was always controlled by her managers - so that she would feel "in control", but still play by their rules.

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