by Before dancing in front of millions on tonight’s premiere of ‘Dancing With The Stars,’ Mya says she had to handle her business and take a hard look at music and her future. “Iâve never stopped doing music. Iâve created a label called Planet 9 and I released an album in Japan. I invested in my own studio and it cut the recording cost down 95 percent. I have my own in-house producers and they are not as expensive as an established producer,” Mya tells Rolling Out in its September/October Issue. As seen over the last few years, the business model of the music industry has changed–something Mya says has had a major effect on releasing new material and signing a new deal. According to the “Free” singer, it is better for an established artist to take control now, more than ever. “It makes sense for a new artist to sign to a major label for the exposure. But if youâre an established artist with an established fan base, you can produce a record by yourself and create a project from the ground up. The challenge is marketing and promotions. And you have more control of how your music will sound”. While Mya has not set a concrete season or release period for her next album, the “Case of the Ex” singer has confirmed plans to release an album in the U.S. after a successful Japan-only release in 2008. Mya appears on ‘Dancing With The Stars’ starting Monday. She follows in the footsteps of Toni Braxton, Mario, Lil Kim, and Master P.
