that it hopes will bring about more advanced "brains"
Wouldn't it be likely that the the "intelligence", the Ph.D. students in this case, would tweak the parameters, or nudge the evolution in a particular direction. Or introduce a mechanism or object that might change the course of the evolution? I know I would if I were in their shoes, probably repeatedly if I had a desired outcome.
Any intelligence with the motivation and capability to kickstart a project like this is probably going to have the motivation and capability to interfere at some point. This starts looking more like the second form.
Lady Gaga.
She even has one of those "360 degree" contracts.
Let's see what happens to her.
I personally am not a huge fan of 360 deals because they compete with the services our company offers bands. It's the only reason we've lost clients in the last few years. That said, some of our clients that have signed these types of deals are pretty happy with them. The goals of the label and artist are aligned. They aren't asked to play free promotional shows just to promote an album release like they were previously because the label doesn't make any money. Instead they are set up with paying gigs and everyone profits.
In general, I've worked with alot of artists and the ones that treat the label like a business partner, watch their expenses, turn down extravagant extras (because they do come out of their earnings) do well. They also self promote, build their own email list/facebook fans, and handle a portion of their own production so they can bring something of value to the bargaining table. This allows them to BARGAIN WITH THE LABEL (ie. we partner on music sales and touring, we keep control of our online business). Artists who expect a free lunch find out as with all businesses, you aren't going to get one.
I could go on, but bottom line, labels can work well for artists who know how to work the label.
Ma Bell is a mean mother!
