Smashing Pumpkins Are Free Agents!

Guitar Center has posted an interview with Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chaimberlain. The interview is to promote the release of Superchrist, a new studio track available exclusively on a new Guitar Center Compilation Cd offered at their stores. When Corgan is asked about the state of the music industry and the Pumpkins, he answers:

"Well, I’d say the best thing is that we’re out of a label deal – totally free agents. We we’re just talking about how we’re going to start addressing our artistic relationships with the world in a different manner because we don’t have to go through some parental structure of “we don’t like it and it’s not going to sell” – you know? We’re excited about the prospects of sort of being our own business people in terms of how it interrelates business."

Corgan is no doubt referring to Virgin Records refusal to release Machina ii:F&EOMM.
The Smashing Pumpkins began their career with singles on indie labels Limited Potential and Sub Pop, putting out their first record Gish on Caroline(a Virgin affiliate). After Gish the Pumpkins formally signed with Virgin Records, where they released the bulk of their albums.

After Machina: The Machines of God, their obligations to Virgin complete, the Pumpkins offered the label a bonus, Machina ii:The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music. Virgin declined to release it, so the band gave 25 vinyl copies of the record to fans, who spread it over the internet.

The Pumpkins broke-up in 2000, Billy Corgan released a solo record in 2005 on Reprise Records (A Warner Music Group Company).

The Smashing Pumpkins reformed in 2007 and released Zeitgeist on Reprise. On January 1st of this year the Pumpkins released American Gothic exclusivly on the American Itunes store.

With big name acts like Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and now The Smashing Pumpkins directly in control of the distribution of their music the future of the industry has never been more exciting for music fans and never more bleak for the Corporate suits.