Discipline Global Mobile

Discipline Global Mobile (DGM) insists that its artists retain all copyrights, even to DGM's knotwork logo (pictured). (Courtesy of Steve Ball)

This article is about the independent music label founded by Robert Fripp (of King Crimson). For the Italian rock-group, see DGM (band).

In contemporary music, Discipline Global Mobile (DGM) is an independent music label. DGM was founded in 1992 by Robert Fripp, who is known as a guitarist for King Crimson. DGM releases music by Fripp, KC, related acts, and other artists in CD and in downloadable files.

DGM has an aim "to be a model of ethical business in an industry founded on exploitation, oiled by deceit, riven with theft and fueled by greed." DGM insists that its artists retain all copyrights; consequently, even DGM's "knotwork" corporate-logo (pictured) is owned by its designer, Steve Ball.

Founding

The founder of Discipline Global Mobile, Robert Fripp (pictured), has called music "an industry founded on exploitation, oiled by deceit, riven with theft and fueled by greed".

For more than seven years, Fripp had struggled to recover royalties allegedly owed from E.G. Records, before the parties reached a settlement. Fripp founded Discipline Global Mobile (DGM) as an independent music label in 1992.

Business aims

DGM has announced the five "DGM business aims", which include

• "to operate in the market place, while being free of the values of the market place" and
• "to be a model of ethical business in an industry founded on exploitation, oiled by deceit, riven with theft and fueled by greed."

DGM's aims were called "exemplary" by Martin (1997), who wrote that "Fripp has done something very important for the possibilities of experimental music" in creating DGM, which "has played a major role in creating favorable conditions for" King Crimson.

As a matter of principle, DGM has eschewed its ownership of the copyrights of music, the then prevailing practice in the recording industry. Instead, DGM has insisted that its artists retain the copyrights. Consequently, DGM owns neither the copyrights nor the moral rights to its knotwork logo (pictured); those rights are owned by the logo's designer, Steve Ball. When it was founded, DGM announced that it would pay royalties above the prevailing rate.

Services and associated artists

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".

It features music by King Crimson, Robert Fripp, and other artists. Associates artists include include Fripp and his Guitar Craft students (the League of Crafty Guitarists), Adrian Belew (the singer and guitarist complementing Fripp in King Crimson), The Robert Fripp String Quintet (Fripp with Trey Gunn and the California Guitar Trio), Peter Hamill, and Bill Nelson. Other artists include John Paul Jones (the bassist of Led Zeppelin) and The Rosenbergs.

In addition to its mail-order services, it has offered sound samples by 1998 and live recordings for downloading. Free downloads from DGM have strengthened the relations between artists and fans, according to Atton (2004, p. 153).

See also

• List of record labels

References

• Anonymous, Billboard (5 March 2002). "Zeppelin's John Paul Jones brings the 'thunder'". Billboard (Billboard.com). http://www.billboard.com/news/zeppelin-s-john-paul-jones-brings-the-thunder-1359336.story\#.T0O9Z5S91iE.citeulike. 
• Atton, Chris (2001). "‘Living in the Past’?: Value discourses in progressive rock fanzines". Popular Music (Cambridge University Press) 20: 29–46. doi:10.1017/S0261143001001295. 
• Atton, Chris (2004). "6 Fan culture and the Internet" and "4 Radical creativity and distribution sampling". An alternative Internet. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 138–154 and 107. ISBN 9780748617708. http://books.google.com/books?id=fZa_x8DEP_oC&pg=PA154&dq=%22Discipline+Global+Mobile%22&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q=%22Discipline%20Global%20Mobile%22&f=false. 
• Bruford, Bill (2009). Bill Bruford: The autobiography: Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks, and more. Jawbone Press. ISBN 9781906002237, ISBN 1906002231. 
• Bruns, Axel (2003). "Fight for survival: The RIAA’s sustained attack on streaming media" (pdf). M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 6 (1): 1–6. "RIAA" abbreviates "Recording Industry Association of America". http://eprints.qut.edu.au/192/1/Bruns_Fight.PDF. 
• Bambarger, Bradley (11 July 1998). "Fripp label does it his way: Guitarist follows own muse in business, too". Billboard 110 (28): 13 and 86. http://books.google.se/books?id=-AkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=Fripp+label+does+it+his+way:+Guitarist+follows+own+muse+in+business,+too&source=bl&ots=c3TXHZdQnG&sig=RWnu_FFLRx9_Xgw8a1LjHHL-8-8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=m6tCT-GWOKzZ4QSOp5nDCA&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Fripp%20label%20does%20it%20his%20way%3A%20Guitarist%20follows%20own%20muse%20in%20business%2C%20too&f=false. 
• Fripp, Robert (1998). "Discipline Global Mobile: A small, mobile and independent record company". Space Groove (CD booklet). ProjeKct Two. Discipline Global Mobile. pp. 9–10. Cited by Bruns (2003, p. 3). 
• Fripp, Robert (1998a). "CD booklet". Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal (Liner notes). King Crimson. Discipline Global Mobile. sku DGM9804. Absent Lovers at Allmusic. Retrieved 29 February 2012.. https://www.dgmlive.com. 
• Hegarty, Paul; Halliwell, Martin (25 August 2011). Beyond and before: Progressive rock since the 1960s. Continuum. ISBN 9780826440754, ISBN 9780826423320 (paperback). 
• Martin, Bill (1997). Listening to the future: The time of progressive rock, 1968–1978. Open Court. pp. 376. ISBN 0-8126-9368-X. 
• Milagros-Woeckner, Tamara (2000–2001). "Karma or golden opportunity: A new business model for the music industry launching into cyberspace" (html). Southwestern University Law Review 30: 295. http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/swulr30&div=15&id=&page=. 
• Spellman, Peter (2002). "8 Signing a deal with off-line and on-line record labels". The musician's Internet: On-line strategies for success in the music industry. Berklee Guide, and Music business. Berklee Press, and Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780634035869. LCCN 2002283637. http://www.google.se/books?id=wAwFYg56rAYC. 

Further reading

• Fripp, Robert. "The new realism: A musical manifesto for the 80s." Musician, Player and Listener 22 (Jan. 1980): 34. Cited in Tamm (2003)
• Fripp, Robert. "The vinyl solution." Musician, Player and Listener 24 (April-May 1980): 34. Fripp 1980C. Cited in Tamm (2003)
• Fripp, Robert. "Bootlegging, royalties, and the moment." Musician, Player and Listener 32 (April–May 1981): 28. Cited in Tamm (2003)
• Kirk, Cynthia. "Fripp 'anti-tour' unconventional, but artist says it proves point." Variety 296 (Aug. 8 1979): 59. Cited in Tamm (2003)
• Schruers, Fred. "Robert Fripp's public Exposure: The return to 'an intelligent way of listening'." Rolling Stone 296 (July 26 1979): 16. Cited in Tamm (2003)
• Smith, Sid (2001). In the court of King Crimson. Helter Skelter Publishing. ISBN 1-900924-26-9. 
• Tamm, Eric (2003) [1990], Robert Fripp: From crimson king to crafty master (Progressive Ears ed.), Faber and Faber (1990), ISBN 0571162894, Zipped Microsoft Word Document, http://www.progressiveears.com/frippbook/ch10.htm, retrieved October 26, 2011 

External links

• Anonymous, DGM Live! (2012). "Welcome to DGM Live" (html). Discipline Global Mobile. http://www.dgmlive.com. Retrieved 25 February 2012. 
• Ball, Steve (21 December 2010) (html), steveball.com—the official steve ball website, steveball.com, http://www.steveball.com, retrieved 28 February 2012