91Èȱ¬

One of the country's top music stars says record labels are out of touch.

Professor Green says brand tie-ins are now as important as record sales and can see stars signing with companies rather then labels in the future.

Major labels are already having to look at different ways to earn money and getting music on adverts or fronting a brand can earn more than having a hit.

"The way the industry is going [brands] are the only way you can finance a project," said Professor Green.

"I don't think it's selling out. The relationships you can build with brands are important. It opens up a lot to me as an artist promotionally but it also gives them a lot."

Puma will be doing the marketing for Professor Green's next album, which is due out in September. He has signed a deal to become the firm's social ambassador.

But the star's manager Ged Malone says it's not just about money.

He said: "That deal's a worldwide deal and it'll allow us to access worldwide markets without having to rely on the record label to get us in there.

"They've got these superstores all over the world. We can go do gigs, record signings. We can do whatever we want."

Record labels are changing to suit the trend.

Mike Pickering is an executive at major label Sony Music and has signed the likes of The Ting Tings, Kasabian and The Gossip.

He said: "It's not a record company any more, it's an entertainment company.

"Things move on. Calvin Harris, who I signed, makes more money for Sony from deals for car adverts than from record sales."

Although things are changing, Professor Green says there will always be a need for record labels in some form or another.

He said: "I think there's always going be a place for the knowledge that the record labels have because it is an industry and it does take some knowledge to make that work."

That's a point backed up by Ged Malone: "You still need that machine behind it.

"You still need the promotions team, the radio pluggers, the TV people, the sales guys.

"You still need that team to get you on radio and get you that exposure. Once you pick up that exposure then the brands will start taking notice."