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Discipline Global Mobile (DGM, or Discipline GM) is an
independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
founded in 1992 by
Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session mu ...
(best known as guitarist and main composer for the band
King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
) and producer/online content developer David Singleton. DGM has released solo music by Fripp as well as work by various affiliated musicians and bands including King Crimson, The Vicar, the
California Guitar Trio California Guitar Trio (CGT) is an acoustic–electric band (music), band formed in Los Angeles in 1991 with the aim of expanding the potential of acoustic guitars played in the New standard tuning (NST) introduced by Robert Fripp on Guitar Cra ...
and others. The label has offices in
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
, England, and
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. DGM has aimed to be "a model of ethical business in an industry founded on exploitation, oiled by deceit, riven with theft and fueled by greed," according to Fripp. according to Its policy is that its artists retain all copyrights; consequently, even DGM's corporate logo is owned by its designer. The label was an early adopter of the digital download system. DGM's aims have been hailed as "exemplary", and the label has been credited with having expanded "the possibilities of experimental music" and having improved the environment for King Crimson. The DGM label name is derived from the title of a 1981 King Crimson album (''
Discipline Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...
'') and from the name of Singleton's previous recording business (The Mobile). The label logo also partly reflects the artwork for the ''Discipline'' album (featuring a new but similar knotwork commissioned from the artist Steve Ball).


Foundation and business aims

Having been a professional musician since the mid-1960s (and the guitarist for King Crimson since 1969), by the late 1980s
Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session mu ...
found himself in conflict with his longtime record label E.G. Records and management company (E.G. Management) over royalties allegedly owed by E.G. to himself and to other band members. During this period, Fripp met and began working with producer and online developer David Singleton, initially on a Guitar Craft tour in 1990 and subsequently on the production of two albums – the League of Crafty Guitarists' ''Show of Hands'' and the eponymous album for the Fripp-and- Toyah-fronted group Sunday All Over the World. Fripp and Singleton's production partnership was sealed by work on two King Crimson boxed sets (1991's ''Frame by Frame'' and 1992's ''The Great Deceiver'') and continues to the present day under the name of TonProb. After seven years, Fripp and E.G. reached a settlement but the experience left Fripp determined to take control of his own work and financial affairs wherever possible. As part of this aim, he founded Discipline Global Mobile (DGM) as an independent music label in 1992, as a fifty-fifty partnership with Singleton. DGM's
mission statement A mission statement is a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, the goal of its operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its geographical region of operation ...
consists of five "DGM business aims", as follows: * "The first aim of DGM is to help bring music into the world which would otherwise be unlikely to do so, or under conditions prejudicial to the music and / or musicians.", * "The second aim of DGM is to operate in the market place, while being free of the values of the market place." * "The third aim of DGM is to help the artists and staff of DGM achieve what they wish for themselves." * "The fourth aim of DGM is to find its audience." * "The fifth aim of DGM is to be a model of ethical business in an industry founded on exploitation, oiled by deceit, riven with theft and fueled by greed." These aims were called "exemplary" by Bill Martin, who wrote that "Fripp has done something very important for the possibilities of experimental music" in creating DGM, and that DGM "has played a major role in creating favorable conditions for" King Crimson. Since at least the early 1960s, the recording industry has required artists to sign over
copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
s and moral rights to their cover art, music, and lyrics. DGM rejects this practice, and since its 1992 founding has maintained its policy that its artists retain the copyrights and the moral rights to their works, be those works musical or visual art. Fripp wrote,
"The phonographic copyright in these performances is operated by Discipline Global Mobile on behalf of the artists, with whom it resides, contrary to common practice in the record industry. Discipline accepts no reason for artists to assign the copyright interests in their work to either record company or management by virtue of a 'common practice' which was always questionable, often improper, and is now indefensible."
This extends even to DGM's knotwork corporate logo, the copyright of which is owned not by the company, but by its designer, Steve Ball.

cites as the original inspiration for the first cover for ''Discipline'' a design by :

DGM does not require that its artists sign written contracts. Former
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
bassist
John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
said, "It's pure trust," and noted that "there are dangers on both sides. I could have a successful album and just sign with a major, or they could decide not to pay me." Jones explained that he was accustomed to "working in situations that do rely on trust and integrity, those old-fashioned words" because Led Zeppelin had no contract with its manager. Another DGM band, alternative rock group The Rosenbergs, opted to work with the label following conflicts with their previous label
Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
, which had even demanded control of the band's
domain name In the Internet, a domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services, and more. ...
: in contrast, DGM had encouraged them to retain control of their own
master recording Master recordings, or simply masters, are the original recordings—including post-recording mixes and production edits—of audio performances, from which all analog and digital copies of the audio are derived from. The term refers only to the r ...
s and provided them with funds for touring and promoting their album.) Royalties are paid above the prevailing rate, as announced at DGM's launch. In return, DGM artists are responsible for promoting their albums through concert tours and interviews.


Artists and back catalogue

Discipline Global Mobile specializes in art rock, progressive rock, jazz, and assorted experimental and crossover music (the label has also released recordings of Renaissance lute music and mainstream alternative rock). DGM has released more than a hundred King Crimson recordings, including remastered albums with bonus tracks and DVDs with archival footage. In addition to King Crimson, DGM's current active roster includes assorted Robert Fripp projects and The Vicar (a songwriter project). The label has previously released music by various Fripp-affiliated ensembles; The League of Crafty Guitarists, Les Gauchos Allemagnes, the
California Guitar Trio California Guitar Trio (CGT) is an acoustic–electric band (music), band formed in Los Angeles in 1991 with the aim of expanding the potential of acoustic guitars played in the New standard tuning (NST) introduced by Robert Fripp on Guitar Cra ...
and the Robert Fripp String Quartet (all of which stem from or are connected with Fripp's Guitar Craft courses)


Current/recent DGM artists

*
King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
(over 100 releases of archive material and additional releases outside of current major-label product) * The ProjeKcts (King Crimson subgroups) *
Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session mu ...
(solo releases, Soundscape recordings) *
Fripp & Eno Fripp & Eno is a UK-based ambient music side project composed of musician and composer Brian Eno and guitarist Robert Fripp. The duo have released four studio albums, beginning with 1973's '' No Pussyfooting''. The music created by this pair is ...
* The Vicar *
David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...
& Robert Fripp (reissues) * Jakszyk, Fripp & Collins


Past DGM artists

*
Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual approach to the instrument, his ...
* BPM&M * Bill Bruford (with
Ralph Towner Ralph Towner (born March 1, 1940) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion, trumpet and French horn. Biography Towner was born i ...
& Eddie Gomez) * Bill Bruford's Earthworks * Bruford Levin Upper Extremities *
California Guitar Trio California Guitar Trio (CGT) is an acoustic–electric band (music), band formed in Los Angeles in 1991 with the aim of expanding the potential of acoustic guitars played in the New standard tuning (NST) introduced by Robert Fripp on Guitar Cra ...
* Europa String Choir * Robert Fripp String Quintet * Tony Geballe * Gitbox * Trey Gunn * Peter Hammill * Steve Hancoff * Jacob Heringman *
John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
* Tony Levin * Los Gauchos Alemanes * Mr McFall's Chamber * Bill Nelson * Opus 20 * Juan Carlos Quintero * The Rosenbergs * Ten Seconds


Mail-order and on-line services

According to a 1998 profile in ''Billboard'' magazine, Discipline Global Mobile had seven staff members in Salisbury, England, and three in Los Angeles, California. DGM "is actually housed in a dull pebbledash building in a village near Salisbury, south-west England". Its label manager reported that the country with the largest market was Japan, where mail-orders accounted for only 10% of sales, but 50% of profits. In 1998, DGM was distributed in Japan by
Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...
; in the United Kingdom by Pinnacle; and in the United States by
Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label ...
. Sound samples have been offered in addition to DGM's mail-order services. Free downloads from DGM have strengthened the relations between artists and fans. In 2012, DGM's site had the following introduction: "The aim of DGM is to connect music, musician and audience in a way that supports the power of music, the integrity of the musician and the needs of the audience. DGM Live offers music for download with photographs, diary archives and audience commentary for browsing". DGM's successful transition to an age of digital distribution was called "unique" among music labels in 2009; this success was credited to its provision of legal, high-quality recordings of concerts, which effectively reverse-engineered the distribution-networks for unlicensed recordings ("bootlegs") of concerts. DGM publishes on-line diaries by Robert Fripp and David Singleton. A moderated forum allows fans to ask questions or to leave comments. Together, the diaries and the fan forum display delayed dialogs in which the artists and fans discuss diary-entries and forum-postings. Fripp's public writing of his diary has challenged his readers to become more active listeners and intelligent participants in performances of music.


Conflict with Grooveshark

Fripp's diaries were internationally discussed following his publication of documents from a dispute with
Grooveshark Grooveshark was a web-based music streaming service owned and operated by Escape Media Group in the United States. Users could upload digital audio files, which could then be streamed and organized in playlists. The Grooveshark website had a sear ...
, an on-line distributor of music. Fripp and Singleton complained that Grooveshark had been continuing to distribute his music, even after repeated takedown notices and other complaints. Their correspondence with Grooveshark was published by ''Digital Music News'' and in his DGM diary. Fripp's exchange with Grooveshark was included in a suit against Grooveshark by Universal Music Group, which was filed in November 2011.Lawsuit claims Grooveshark workers posted 100,000 pirated songs
Greg Sandoval, CNET, 21 November 2011


See also

*
Lists of record labels File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg File:Bingola1011b.jpg Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, ...
* P. J. Crook (Painter owning copyrights to album covers)


Notes


References

* * * * * * "RIAA" abbreviates " Recording Industry Association of America". * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links

* * * {{Authority control British independent record labels Business ethics organizations Online music stores of the United Kingdom Progressive rock record labels Record labels established in 1992 Robert Fripp Music production companies