And the indie-major debate comes full circle, and to a close… Big-ass indie label Matador is reporting that they've agreed to release the next Sonic Youth album, due sometime in 2009. Sonic Youth signed to a major (Universal/Geffen) just before the big six (then five, then four) labels starting gobbling up small bands—SY's Thurston Moore supposedly championed Nirvana to Geffen, leading to Nevermind's release there. But let's call this the final nail: Interesting/unusual bands no longer have a place (even a small one, like Sonic Youth's) with the big boys, who are rapidly becoming the not-so-big boys. Which isn't to say "major labels are evil" or anything — just that things have settled to their natural order again, perhaps.
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