This being said, chances are that you are experiencing some form of heartache right now and sometimes really think that this relationship is not quite what you had thought it out to be. Well, guess what, there are more of us than we’d like to admit. That’s why we thought that maybe this is a very good time to bite the bullet and start a bit of relationship counselling if you will. You probably have a couple of questions that may need answer and god knows, we’ve got a few of those lying around. So we got Codekontrol’s very own music biz consigliere, Serge to face the music and get stuck in. This is the first post in, what we hope it will be an interactive series of music bizz discussions, where we all come together and find solutions to common issues.
Today we live in strange times; there’s more music being made and enjoyed today than ever before in all of human history. It is the easiest it’s ever been to pick up an instrument and dabble in sound experimentation. Ironically, there’s less and less of an opportunity than ever before to make a living from music. Recorded music that is…
As it has already happened so many times before in the music industry’s timeline, technology has changed the game. And just when you thought that CDs will replace vinyl and cassette, making it a ty bit cheaper and easier for the little guy to put out music, surprise: CDs are now becoming obsolete, replaced by freely available music. Now that surely is not a sustainable business model…or is it?
Welcome to the digital age; the age of instant and constant availability of (free) content. People are enjoying more content than ever before, but are not accustomed to paying for it. This in turn has started a chain reaction affecting everyone from the starting-up dj producer to the CEO of any of “The Big Four”. Ok, maybe the later will have to be thankful only with a Ferrari instead of a Buggatti.
A little while ago I’ve bumped into a very good observation on this chain-reaction we’ve just mentioned. I think it is quite a well informed and a thorough one, so I’m going to strongly recommend you check it out as well here.
So the digitalization of sound has undoubtedly changed things. Indeed it has levelled out access to production, some distribution and promotion, but the level is now “zero”, zilch, nada, free! And zero is a level that anyone can access.
The cat is now out of the bag and we cannot go back to how the things were. And for one, I think we shouldn’t. For all the romanticising about how things used to be, we are now here and we can do a lot more with a lot less! We should make the most of it. After all to quote someone I’ve read don’t remember where exactly: ” the biggest tragedy of a musician is not giving away his music for free, it is in his music not being heard by new fans every day.” No matter your views on free music, you know deep inside that is quite the truth. So what exactly does this mean for a starting-up musician really craving for the moment when he’ll give up the day job and make only music for living?
Ironically, the cure, as the cause, may lie within the 1s and 0s that bear your signature online. The internet is a very complex and extensive ecosystem. This is also what makes it very very powerful. Don’t treat this as just another channel. Treat it as THE channel!
You know, the internet is the very first medium capable of supporting every other ones already existing and more…loads more. Online you can now read, write, talk, publish, distribute, promote, sell, view, review, recommend, do radio, do TV, do journalism. And the list adds new stuff to it every day. A lovely and somewhat mad man who goes by the name of Kevin Kelly had seen things going in this direction for some years now. But, of course he’s a little mad and the majority of sane thinking peeps have chosen to not take him too seriously. Check out this video for what exactly he’s on about. (Ooooh, and please do check the stranded looks on the faces of his audience :)
Music and artists are now at the centre of what people do online. Used to be only porn, but now it's social media and music. Always remember this; it’s pretty powerful I’d say.
People now want and should have a direct channel to any artist they really love. They are looking for engagement not one way discourses, pulling in and NOT pushing! Everywhere you go, every conversation you engage in, will say more about who you are as an artist that your tracks do. Just remember the last time you used facebook to engage with one of your favourite producers. And they never replied to your message…What does that say about him/her? Would you still feel like saying he/she’s the greatest dude/chick?!
As a musician you are by definition an entertainer. So you need to entertain! That starts from within continues through your music and then comes right back at ya from people through word of mouth. Don’t think British variety show 1940’s, just think Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Sven Vath or Daft Punk. Their music has touched millions of people generation after generation. And will continue to do so. But take a step back and look at the whole picture. Can you really, honestly say it’s only about the music they’ve made…?
You, as an artist are there to offer people an escape from the routine of every day existence. Their every day existence is already filled with a multichannel, multisensory assault of sales pitches. You cannot afford to be another one of these. You don’t stand a chance! You know, just a trip down to my local sainsbury’s to buy food, and I’m already being bombarded with floor high billboards and buses carrying either the JLS new album, the new JLS branded soap or the new JLS chewing gum...opps. I meant condoms.
I’M NEVER GOING TO EVEN LOOK AT A YOUTUBE CLIP OF JLS!!! So help me God! And let’s not even mention the pretentious, Madonna inspired campaigns of little miss gaga.
For all their disputable artistic value, these guys and all those like them own this type of one way communication.
You cannot compete with them on their playground. And shouldn’t. There is no real fan connection in this. Cut out the repetition for a while and watch them fade away faster than you can say “What ever happened to X?!?” (see Amy Winehouse example).
You do have a real chance to make online YOUR playground. Be there, be real, be honest, be the different person that you really are inside. The people you want to reach are there already, waiting for you to do so. People want to be entertained man! They want to engage with you and get to really know you as a real or fantastic person before they start buying into you. And believe that they will. There’s a reason why such a high percentage of musicians will invariably be forgotten. They’re all doing the same thing: music, image, personality and more important fan engagement seem to be incredibly similar. A good song says “If everybody looked the same, we would be tired of looking at each other”.
For all the good and also the bad of the 21st century music business, now is probably the best time to take your musicianship seriously and start putting yourself out there more. Mix, remix, reach out to like-minded people, seek engagement and connect with your fans. We are all connected. Just think about it.
Personal opinions and questions very welcome.
Serge for Codekontrol
