Warner Music Going “Cordless”

Is it a breakfast bar? Lumpy candy? Astronomical phenomenon? No, it’s the newest in the exploding constellation of musical delivery systems, the “cluster,” announced yesterday by the newest label in the Warner Music Group, Cordless Recordings.

Cordless, a 21st century label headed by methuselan industry vet Jac Holzman, who made his name with Elektra Records in the ’60s and ’70s (Judy Collins, The Doors, Bread, Love, Iggy Pop, Butterfield Blues Band, Carly Simon, Harry Chapin and Queen), aspires to “discover and develop new recording artists in a supportive, lower-risk environment … aggressively utilize the latest digital products, formats and online and mobile technologies.”

You know, use the Internet and stuff and save a lot of money.

Rather than releasing music in the traditional album or single configuration, every few months, the label will release “clusters” — three or more songs — by an artist via online music services like iTunes and Rhapsody and ringtones. By doing so, the label imagines it will “increase the interaction between an artist and their fan base via a continuous flow of new music.”

“When we started to think about Cordless, certain lessons from the past kept returning to me,” said Holzman. “The close, creative relationship with artists and their fan base by frequent release of records, keeping costs low and having a methodology that would let us use our medium to introduce our material to more fans. Cordless is a community intended to give new artists their chance, and a process that connects an audience to our artists’ creativity.”

Holzman told the Washington Post the label will be hiring an intern whose job as “online ferret” will include trolling the Internet for musical prospects.

Rock on, ferret.

The first artists signed to Cordless are Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers, Breakup Breakdown, Dangerous Muse, Nozzle, Koishii & Hush, and Humanwine.