About 20 years ago, a Bay Area rapper asked on one of his group's hit singles, "If you're really dope, why ain't you signed yet?" Within a decade, though, that group was releasing new music on its own label. In an open music industry, that whole concept of "getting signed" is no longer a measure of success. In fact, it's largely irrelevant. An open music industry enables talented and hard-working artists and collectives of artists to succeed on their own terms, without the need of a major label.

Take a look at who's #1 on iTunes this week. Why ain't they signed yet? Because nobody needs gatekeepers when there are no more gates…

Playlist for Dave's Lounge #252:

1. Pillowfight, "Used To Think"  Buy from: iTunes
2. Four Eyes, "Under the Heavens"  Buy from: Bandcamp
3. Liberty Klaud, "Her Smiling Eyes"  Buy from: Beatport
4. Calima Shatiday, "Were We Really There"  Buy from: iTunes
5. Sleepthief, "Another Day"  Buy from: SleepthiefMusic.com
6. Van, "Minute of Nostalgia"  Buy from: iTunes
7. The Gulf Stream, "Antares"  Buy from: Bandcamp
8. Fanesha Fabre and Chikara Aoshima, "Take Your Time"  Share on: SoundCloud
9. Dam Mantle, "Blueberry"  Buy from: iTunes
10. Mister Lies, "Hounded"  Buy from: iTunes
11. Quadraphonic Sound Project, "Chasing Ghosts"  Free download from: SoundCloud
12. Akshin Alizadeh, "The Shine Box"  Buy from: iTunes

Get more music and better audio quality from the Dave's Lounge Premium Podcast, a 256 Kbps version of the show that features additional music not available on the regular show. You can subscribe to the Dave's Lounge Premium Podcast for only $12/year. Try it free for 7 days!

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Enjoy the show!

Dave's Lounge #252