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hstisgod's blog
| Tuesday, May 24th, 2005
Taking Back The Industry...Your Industry
Ah, the beautiful music industry… Once pure and true to its emotional and human nature is now strapped to the gurney at the local mental hospital. Put there by some slick-haired, goatee sporting executive who wouldn’t have the first inkling of a new thing if it sat on his/her face and rubbed till it chaffed. Lately it seems artistry has become the ultimate marketing report. Who’s buying what and where is their only concern. Who will be the next make-up wearing freak from a corner of the world to grab our attention and most importantly our expendable dollars? These are the artists who garner the focus of the executives in this trillion-dollar industry. One would think we’re choosing these artists, but we’re not. What is really happening right before our eyes is simply sickening, and we’re ALL a part of the problem.
Rather than choosing the most original or most creative record makers, marketing executives up at the top of 45 story towers are spending their time sitting in their cubicle ignoring demo after demo, choosing only to listen to the next MTV spotlight. All the while in front of their Apple computers crunching sales numbers of Ashlee Simpson rather than surfing the web, or digging for the most talented,
Isn’t it time for the people who spend their expendable cash flow going to local shows, and buying CD’s to choose what we listen to? Aren’t you sick of being force-fed what some trend following pacifist felt was just radio-friendly enough to give a five album deal? Sure you are…its been going on for decades now. But what can you do about it? Here are five people from different corners of the earth unfolding the waves of the music industry who may be able to offer up some advice.
Twenty-five year old Dallas, TX resident DJ Burdick, who originally hails from Seattle, Washington remembers his first CD (Top Gun Soundtrack), and first concert (Michael Jackson), now he listens to artists like Fugazi, Underworld, and Jimi Hendrix. Being a part of the staff at iSound.com (formerly known as bandhunt.com), DJ has watched on as droves of indie artists have swarmed onto the site.
"I don’t think they (major labels) are necessary anymore. In the past you’d have to have an avenue out to major retailers." Though this explains why artists have been so enamored with the contemplation of signing a major record deal, D.J. seems to think these days are behind us. "In the future I think it’ll be less and less necessary. I think in the future we’ll have to have a lot more smaller labels."
Which leads us to one of the few problems with independent artistry on the web. The droves are massive indeed as everyone and their grandmother’s domestic friend have found themselves with artist profiles, message board forum’s and streaming mp3 sections setting everyone at the same internet marketing level. Sites like Myspace.com and Purevolume.com have been leading this industry thusfar, and its consumers like DJ who download music from these websites just about everyday that will soon run the industry. Biased, but informed, DJ points out iSound.com makes life simpler then most of the other sites out there. "Its easier to find the songs you want based on the quantity of the genre, you know it’s not such a crap shoot having to look through a ton of bands to find a few that you like."
Though he is not as prone to independent artistry as most of the subjects, 22 year-old Toronto, Canada native Adam Gonshar is proprietor of his own site, andpop.com. Adam listens to a plethora of different sounds (Wyclef Jean, Nelly Furtado, Boyz To Men, Linkin Park). Although he rarely downloads and buys most of his music from monster retailer Best Buy (who can blame him at those prices), Adam has stumbled onto quite a few artists thanks to online streaming and audio samples. One artist in particular is a Kanye West disciple, John Legend. "Yea, the first time I heard John Legend, I heard nothing about him, from the second I first heard his music (over the net) I knew he would be big." Just like DJ, Adam feels the internet provides an alternate marketing tool most indie artist’s may not even realize. "It allows indie artists to get that exact same resources that major labels would provide. I think indie artists have taken advantage of over the last few years." Though, the internet isn’t for all artists, you’d be surprised who doesn’t grab much attention on the net. "P diddy doesn’t have a large fan base over the internet. We were trying to promote an interview we did with him (P Diddy), but there wasn’t a lot of fans (interested)."
Greg Sieme, 20, who heads up the new media (internet) marketing department at Equal Vision Records (Coheed and Cambria, Alexisonfire, Armor For Sleep) even admits most of his listening pleasures are speared by the internet. "Definitely, I find out about most bands through the internet, a lot of the bands I listen to I’ve found over the net. Minus The Bear, Hot Snakes, Mars Volta, American Analogue Set." Though Greg doesn’t believe all labels are completely useless, he does feel the sites like iSound.com, Myspace.com and Purevolume.com are a great beginning. "I think they’re awesome, they’ve helped out so much as far as featuring and giving a space to artists. It’s a great place to check out bands that you hear about and kind of investigate further." But what’s the difference between labels and record companies? "There’s so many big labels that just throw money at things. We’re not a label. I’m just not into them (major labels) cause so many artists get lost in the shuffle. There’s so many amazing bands, and they have to worry about Mariah Carey to keep them afloat, and I don’t think that’s really fair to them."
Most disheartening is the ongoing secnario at the top of those smoke tinted towers. Monopolization and price fixing has become a reality and further clouded their vision. Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, BMG Music and EMI Group, and a few accompanying chain stores (Musicland Stores,Tower Records) settled out of court in regards to price fixing between the years of 1995 and 2000. Settled for a drop in the bucket (approx. 160 million dollars), the labels were off the hook. Though any Tom, Dick or Harrietta who paid enough attention during these proceedings and purchased CD’s during the time in question were given an equal sharing of the settlement; the labels were given a slap on the wrist and sent to bed.
So it’s now 2005, and the same old complaining can be heard amongst executives. Exlcuding internet sales, slumping CD sales have been an issue without a tissue for quite sometime. While most labels will blame this disease on free downloading and file sharing, most true consumers are quick to point out the cause to this result, the price of a full length CD. Which forces 25 year-old Rob Todd of crushmusicmag.com. "I always check Myspace.com, then Purevolume.com. If I don't have their music I try to find as much available to stream before I even think about downloading." Like most of our subjects, Rob believes $10.00 is a more than fair price for a round piece of mirroring plastic glass. Since the innovation of the CD back in the early eighties, CD’s prices have managed to drop in very small amounts. Starting out in the twenty-twenty-five dollar range, still today you can’t walk into a major chain retailer without seeing $15.99 on most price tags. While you can receive this price at a few retailers (such as the aforementioned Best Buy), it’s simply not realistic to find it at the majority of outlets. Due to these prices and a lack of wholesaling discounts for small business, we are watching the gradual decline in Mom and Pop CD stores. Even the few Indie music stores that are lingering are being forced to send their cash flow to cheaper Canadian distributors. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I prefer the confines of the half-cleaned, speaker blaring, hang-out ridden run down indie CD store to the bright lights of Wal-Mart any day of the week.
Simple as can be, indie artists are everywhere. Pre-internet days, we needed labels to go out there and find these artists. It’s only now that we’re realizing most of the labels just don’t do this. But now that we have the resources right at our fingertips, isn’t it time to re-evaluate the entire relationship between artist, listener, and record producer.
Helping re-evaluate the relationship are a few web sites out there. First on the list is musicemissions.com, a site that prides itself on its trademark phrase, "Music Reviews For The Rest Of Us". Though from time to time you’ll find a billboard heat seeker, the perspective between these HTML codes is simple, passion. "MusicEmissions.com is an independent music review site that sets itself apart by unbiased reviewers." In the eyes of Dennis Scanland (editor/owner), indie artists have a better future on their own. "They easily do and quite often create a bigger buzz than major label artists. Grass roots marketing and street teams are the way that an unknown artist can make waves online. Look at the latest album from Spoon, one of the greatest albums of our time and they were dumped by a major label."
Jodi Krangle who runs musesmuse.com (industry tips, reviews and skills for songwriters) doesn't feel conglomerate record companies do enough for the up and coming artist. "If they were actually going to promote artists that deserved to be promoted, they'd serve a purpose. I mean, the problem I see is that the record companies aren't willing to take any chances at all. They sign people who they think are really good, the person that signs them disappears because of high turn-over, and the newly signed band languishes on the back shelf somewhere... The big record companies would rather promote U2. U2 doesn't need any more promotion. It's just very frustrating and a lot of artists who are really good don't get the promotion they deserve." Disassembling this clustered mess, Jodi further explained. "Record companies won't wait longer than a year for a band or artist to achieve super stardom, so there's no artist development. It's hugely frustrating for the artists, I'm sure, and it's frustrating to me as a consumer."
This all reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend a while back. The difference between a label and a record company is the labels just want stick their logo on your spine. The record companies would love to release your music. How about we all grab our share of the music industry. Do what you can by supporting your favorite indie artist, label or reviews site. Let’s all stop polluting the beautiful music industry with the limits of predictability.
| | Posted By hstisgod @ 2:12 PM | [Comment on this blog post] |
| BLASTT's comment posted May 26th @ 9:42 AM:
Stop whining. |
| hstisgod's comment posted May 26th @ 1:58 PM:
1800 words of fact, opinion, and banter, and all your tasteless mind can come up with is "Stop whining". That's all you've got? Comon man, atleast blog together a few hundred words in response to why I should "Stop Whining". Perhaps then I'll respect you more. |
| Master_Shake's comment posted May 26th @ 6:33 PM:
Ignore BLASTT. I'm sure he didn't actually finish reading your blog. I can't stand people who think they seem cool by "hating 'whiners.'"
Although you have some strong points, I believe that the problem lies deeper ingrained in society than some corporate execs. I think it lies in the moral value system of America, the media's agenda, the priorities of teens, and the overall laziness and "fun is everything" feel of this generation. I notice that anything getting signed to a major label really can't play their intruments (or sing for that matter). The youth just doesn't want to try something new, or get back to rock's roots and build off their forefathers, or learn their instruments. They don't want to use their music for useful agendas to change the world. All the lyrics are about depression, hate, anger, shifting the blame, abuse, failed relationships, and drugs. What happened to being happy? This stuff is perfect for the 12 year olds who lap it up, thinking that it actually applies to their little puppie dog relationships that last 2 weeks at best. I just don't get most of it. Do kids actually love this stuff, and allow talent and songwriting to suffer for the subject matter, or do they simply want it because that's what the music industry is pushing? If they introduced Led Zeppelin or Pearl Jam or Frankie Goes to Hollywood to MTV non-stop, would kids buy it again? or would they demand their depressing emo or slap-happy punk-pop back?
And as for indie labels...well, even there 90% of the music sucks just as much as what may be signed. Anything emo, indie rock, or punk-pop can be dismissed. Hardcore, real punk, metalcore, deathmetal, and all that shit really isn't any good. It all sounds the same, they don't really differntiate from song to song, they're not to skilled, not really knowing their way around their intrument, and their songwriting is very bland and one-note. I just don't get it.
I will say the underground prog metal scene is very good, but not commercially mainstream acceptable at all. It'd be nice to see grungy music make a come back. And I have no problem with more bands in the same vein as Jet, reviving '70's rock. Maybe something in the same sound of heavier Cream. I just feel like there's nothing new and good out there.
As for CD prices, yeah, they are way out of hand. It takes 50 cents to physically make a CD, so where dowes the extra $15.50 come in? The company execs private jet expenses? I think $6-$10 would be a perfect idea. Even with high prices, I still find the illegal downloading biz pretty wrong. If I like an artist enough, I'll be willing to pay for their music.
I think rock is on the way out. I wouldn't be surprised to see it go out to pasture like blues or jazz, and become only a studied genre and thrive simply in the underground scene, and, as you say, on the indie internet. |
| hstisgod's comment posted May 26th @ 6:47 PM:
Now thats what I call a reply...REgardless of his standpoint in regards to my blog (ie; *coughs* opinion), he still made an effort to stand behind his convictions. We seriously park our car's in the same garage man. You got quite the smile out of me asking whether these 2 week relationshipers would slap their parents for buying them a frankie goes to hollywood CD and whine for more whining. Now thats my idea of a contemplation. You've certainly taken this piece, and turned it upside down to reveal a viewpoint I did not cover. But I guess I was just trying to point fingers at the greasy fux stuffing their face full of $14.50 chunks. In conclusion, I also do not download anything mroe than 3 mp3's from an artists. Any more than three and I purchase the product. Thanks again for your reply... it was tasteful.
-Brian
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| NoiseOrdinance's comment posted May 27th @ 5:16 PM:
this goes along with snakey. you make some good points, however, as for rock being on the way out, i definately have to disagree. what makes rock stand out from other musical forms is its ability to mutate like a virus. how many different forms of 'rock' have their been? rock, hard rock, jazz rock, punk rock, prog rock, blues rock, country rock, classical rock, rap rock etc. can the same be said of any other genre? (country punk? rap bluegrass? regge techno?). i agree that the current sound of commercial rock is on the way out (thankfully) because the market is finally saturated with the 'whine-fest,' however, i personally belive this will not end rock, but rather open up a space to be occupied by the new sound of this ever evolving art form (whatever that new sound may be). as pop, hip hop and radio rock (think linkin barf) become ever more produced and 'commercial' sounding, inevitably the desire for something raw and, as you put it, 'grungier' will grow until the demand is met. it was so when the 'grunge' movement overthrew the 'hair metal' scene in the early 90's. also, the underground metal scene continues to expand as more talented and inventive bands emerge, following the evolutionary path of rock, every generation's rock music has been heavier than the ones before, so don't dismiss rock/metal as a contender for the musical or commercial gold metal in the decade to come. the very nature of this style of music is resiliance and adaptabillity. now granted, the record industry may not stand behind this new wave at first since they will not initially see it as a money maker (again, just like 12 years ago with Nirvana and other groups of the era), however, once they realize there is money to be made from this musical backlash, they will jump right on the bandwagon and sign up every band with a drummer who looks like a serial killer and the process will repeat itself once more. whatever the next step in rock/metal sounds like, all i can hope is that it turns emo-crap, pu-metal and hip-pop into parodies like Nirvana and Soundgarden did to Winger and Poison. |
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