Awesome! I F*&%ing Shot That!

In a time were the Ineternet as made music more and more intangible to consumers, the Beastie Boys come out with one of the most hands on concert dvd's of all time.

The Beastie Boys' most recent concert dvd, Awesome! I F*&%ing Shot That, put the power of creative control and content in the hands of the fans. A group of 50 or so fans were each given their own video camera and were asked to shoot the concert at Madison Square Garden from their particular seat.

Once the concert was over, each video was turned in and all the footage from every video was edited together to create complete coverage of the concert.

Does MTV Still Stand For Music Television?

Technology and the Internet create a reflex of nostalgia and regression when it comes to music and music culture for this blogger. One scene that has always been a strong force in music has been "college music." Touring colleges has always been a band's most loyal fan base. Technology has not posed as an obstacle as far as recognition is concerned for the college music scene, in fact it is creating an entirely new cyber scene that unknown bands are happily taking an interest in. 

One particular site www.mtu.com and has spread to "750 campuses and to over 7.5 million college students nationwide." http://www.mtvu.com/about This is a far cry from the days of the student unions booking shows and posting a flyer on the bulletin boards.

Today the bulletin board is digital and gives the students an assortment of interactive voting polls to voice their opinions and showcase their music. The budget is also of no concern as "mtvU is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, which also includes MTV, MTV2, VH1, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land, Comedy Central, Spike TV, CMT and others. " 

So put away the posters, staple gun and Birkenstocks and plug your headphones into your laptop and put on your Vans for the new age of college music.

Oldie but Goodie Still?

A question that truly seems to be "one for the ages" is whether the hottest bands on today's charts have lost the essence of what music should be when we look toward their personal musical influences.  In other words, has music depreciated because today's r+b artist do not own an Aretha Franklin album, reggae bands have never heard of ska, and rock musicians may not be able to tell you what Chuck Berry meant to rock and roll?

For instance, one of the most popular chart busting band's in today's market is Fallout Boy. This band has achieved triple platinum status and placed number one on Billboard charts multiple times. This particular band has noted their influences to be Green Day, Descendants and The Smiths. (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7546662/fall_out_boys_sugar_rush) 

I have pondered many times how serious can we take an artist when they began on the New Mickey Mouse Club? In a world filled with pop culture, artificially created boy bands/pop icons, sound bytes and tabloid stories; music has taken a back seat in many ways. The reality is despite such a shift, the industry still manages to sell 83 million Britney Spears records worldwide. (http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTopArt) Spears has long been influenced by Madonna.

The question is whether the truest forms of each musical genre have been passed down as each generation takes something from the eras before or have we gone so astray that music reaches the masses in the form of popular reality television concepts, like Making the Band where the only creative inspiration comes from a producer?

Cyber Concerts!

The advancements of technology negatively affecting the industry as a whole, artists not playing for the same reasons they did in the days of true rock and roll and albums completely losing their sentimental and commercial value leads me to ask, is there any light at the end of the tunnel? The short answer is yes. The reality of such a remarkable advancement as the Internet is undeniable. The notion that I can see the art live from my own home is even more unbelievable. 

Streaming video via You Tube, Google Videos, etc. allow for front row seats anywhere in the world at any time. Synchronicity Live is yet another one of the million sites where I can search and view a band at any venue that has linked cameras to the site.  The site has also included search engines and information about each band that furthers along your knowledge and interest in what you are viewing. 

The notion that a band can increase its audience from tens, to tens of thousands, and in some cases, millions, was not one a band would have been able to fathom a mere ten years ago. Other bands that have had important messages whether political or charitable can reach out to the world in an instant where before it was only those in attendance or a telethon of some sort. 

In many ways the technological advancements that are created on a daily basis may very well be the answer to education, knowledge and experience we need to survive on a global scale. Technology and music really can have a smooth synchronicity. 

How Alive Are You?

Live Nation began as a live events company and has expanded to almost every realm of the the music industry. Live Nation is a spin off of Clear Channel.  Clear Channel is a media conglomerate that was once the largest radio station owner in the country. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/16/AR2006111600537.html) 

Live Nation has recently become a record label, is a soon to be ticket distributor (rivaling the long standing Ticketmaster) and cornered the market with real time bootlegs making music available for purchase as you walk out the door of a Live Nation sponsored concert.

The reality is Live Nation creates, plays, places on tour and controls the music that the Live Nation venues and radio stations play. This specific company owns the majority of major venues and radio stations both in the country and soon to be, around the world. The radio and television dictate what is popular and is also owned and/or directly working alongside Live Nation. These partnerships are evidenced by advertising, sponsorship and product placement, which can be found at each and every event, or played on airwaves completely dominated by Live Nation. 

The above information begs the question, how are we freely choosing our music? Moreover, are most people even aware that their musical preference has already been chosen for them?

The Trickle-Down Affect of Illegal Downloads

The Recording Industry Association of America, has reported that billions of dollars have been robbed from the music industry due to illegal downloads. This statement being true, not only affects the pockets of big time executives and artists but has diminished the chance for opportunity through out local scenes in America.

Touring used to be a great way for local artists to gain recognition in large numbers that would otherwise be impossible. Whether local bands jumped on an entire tour with a nationally recognized band or just opened for them one time they were able to play to audiences that they could not attract alone, thus increasing there fan base.

Today, since major bands aren’t bringing in the revenue they once did before the phenomenon of illegal downloading, the solution has been for nationally recognized bands to have bigger and better tours. Unfortunately the way bands tour has also been affected. Local bands aren’t getting the opportunities they once had. In order for major bands to make up for lost revenue on a tour they have to tour with another major band in order to get twice the audience they would have had. Therefore you can no longer have a local band open for you, if they only bring in 500 to 1,000 people.

So if major bands are opening for major bands, when does the little guy get his chance to shine? How are any new talents going to be recognized if they don’t have the chance and opportunities they once had? 

Support Your Local Music

The time was the early 90’s. The place was Seattle, Washington. The movement was Grunge. The focus and growth of this music revolution stemmed from a desire to be as much like the Seattle’s local music scene as possible. A record label called, SubPop Records, exploited this idea. During this time, millions throughout the world imitated the Seattle music scene’s music, clothing, speech, and hair. 

Following the grunge explosion, the entire country's local scenes made it their mission to push their local bands to extremes, in an attempt to recreate what was taking place in Seattle. In many cities such as Athens, Georgia and a band called REM, it worked. 

Many criticized this movement as ,lacking authenticity and not a true music revolution. Despite the merits of these arguments, one thing was for sure and that was local bands were given stages to play. Local bands were encouraged to create music and the clubs were packed with eager audiences. 

The birth of the download caused the death of local music. Record sales have diminished to such an extent that the industry needs to compensate with alternative revenue generators. One of these moneymaking schemes is to double ticket sales and merchandising at live shows.

The only way to increase the door sales at local clubs and boost merchandising sales is to knock what was once the place of local band as opening act and replace with two headlining acts on the same night. The same principal applies to major tours. Gone are the days where a band has a friend in another band that gets to open for the headliner. The end result is a stifling of diverse and innovative music and more of the same homogenized corporate sludge. 

A Brief Depiction of Musical Evolution

Vinyl compared to what we have today not only seems antiquated but time consuming, inconvenient and tedious. In the new millennium, the search and or purchase of vinyl has become more of a collector’s hobby. Although there were many benefits at the time for this technology.

The time of the Eight Track overlapped with that of the vinyl. Created in the mid 1960’s  its popularity lasted till the 19080’s. Locating the beginning of a song was much easier then with vinyls. Instead of trying to place a needle on where you thought a song began (while risking scratches on the delicate surface) you could just align the head to a given location. Unfortunately the sound quality was compromised in the rest of its technology.

Cassette tapes, come to fruition in the mid 1960’s as well, but the cassette tapes that generation X and the ipod generation are familiar with did not become popular until the 1980’s..At the time of there popularity they seemed much more convenient in size then the vinyl record and eight track. The Walkman was what the transistor radio was in the 1960’s and what the mp3 player has become today. Although the technology of finding tracks and particular parts of tracks was never perfected, the cassette tape reigned in popularity until the early 1990’s.

Then came the compact disc. The first compact discs and their players were released in 1982. Although received well their popularity peaked in the 1990’s. This device is small in size, digital audio music quality and ease. The compact disc continues to reign in power among the other past technologies. But as the popularity of digital downloads, mp3 players and ipods continue to grow, the future of sales and marketability for the compact disc is a dismal one.  

The House that Ahmet Built

Capitol Records, RCA, Universal, Atlantic, you all probably recognize those names, especially in association with big time artists. But how much do we really know about them besides the fact that they are multibillion dollar companies. The only thing I knew about Atlantic records was that they had signed Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, that was it.

This documentary was not only educational but completely shocking. The accomplishments of Ahmet Ertegun, founder and CEO of Atlantic Records exceeds that of anyone else in the music industry.

Ertegun came from Turkey as the son of an Ambassador in the 1930's and, like a magnetic force, was drawn immediately to American music.

Ertegun and Atlantic Records has been responsible for signing artists from all ends of the spectrum. The biggest names in jazz, motown, soul, disco, pop, rock and even hip hop all "lived under his house".

Ertegun was personally responsible for Ray Charles hit "Mess Around", Joe Turner's "Shake Rattle and Roll" and Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" to name a few.

 

The most special aspect of the documentary was that it started with Bette Midler asking him who, out of everyone he has worked with, who would he like to meet with again. Ertegun's response was, "everyone", and so the film follows him as he talks with almost all of the artists that he had signed and worked with over the decades.The documentary was released a year after Ertegun's death in 2007.

It is a truly special film to watch as we have all been affected one way or another by the music he has made available to us.

Staying Alive!

Sometimes I sounds pessimistic about the present and future of the music industry but here is one thing about which i am optimistic: live shows!

One good thing that has come from the decline in album sales is more tours and live shows! If an artist can't make as much money collecting royalties, touring (more specifically, ticket and merchandise sales) is the next best option for money making.  

For those of use that love any style of music, the live show will always be where the heart is. No matter what kind of music you are into, you will never be able to purchase a live show from the Internet or ipod! 

Super Bowl XLII portrays the future of the music biz???

The role of record labels has been diminished mainly due to the lack of necessity for "in's" with physical distribution many have questioned what labels will turn into.

Originally record labels had promotion and management companies working beneath them. With the affects of the Internet on the industry, record label executives have needed to re-evaluate what their appeal should be to artists. 

Many have stipulated that record labels are, just going to turn into management companies anyway. Lee Heiman, CEO of Track Entertainment has also stated that, major record labels are going to morph into advertisement agencies. www.trackentertainment.com

Proof of the reality of Heiman's statement  be seen in the below video:

Just goes to show you, all you need is a top-of-the-line advertising compaign to release a new artist!

Crunching Numbers

Here are a few statistics that you may find interesting about the music industry from the past eight years:

• Sony BMG Music Entertainment experienced a 11.9% profit decrease last year.www.BMI.com/news
• In 2007 Sony BMG also eliminated 25 jobs in the physical distributions department, 8 in the finance department and eliminated over one half of the retail coordinators staff. www.billboard.biz
• 2006 saw a 16% decline in album sales.www.BMI.com/news
• In 2005 ring-tone sales exceed $500 million. Album sales barely reached $19 million with an overall 7.2% decrease .http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-01-25-ringtones_x.htm
• 2005 also saw 150% increase in digital downloads.www.BMI.com/news
• 2000-2004 showed a 21% decrease in physical album sales.www.billboard.biz

As album sales steadily continue to plummet, it seems as though buying or collecting albums will become a novelty similar to what vinyl collections were when we were kids. www.rollingstone.com

You may be thinking, 'so what, at least people are still buying it.' and that is true. But when you look at the bigger picture there are disadvantages to digitally purchased songs or albums. For examples, album art, which was once viewed as a fine art is now reduced to graphic design. There is no longer the novelty of flipping through the inside cover to discover goods the artist may have packaged. Lastly, sound quality doesn't have the depth it did with analog recordings.

Although the numbers make the industry's future seem bleak there is still hope as the industry continues to figure out ways work around the obstacles.

The Story of a Break-Up

Working as Management for Contempt Records has opened my eyes to intricate aspects of the industry I never took the time to learn.  Like many young people with minimal income, I too viewed music as a luxury I could not afford. The solution was easy. Download Limewire and get whatever song or album I wanted for free. In fact I will admit to you that over 80% of my ipod is probably filled with stolen goods.

Until I physically went through what it takes to produce an album:

• rehearsal time
• studio time
• producers
• engineers
• creating album art
• mastering the album
• duplication
• additional merchandise
• videos
• photo shoots
• promotion

Just a simplified list of the things that go on to create one artist's album. All of which cost money. Money that the label or artists doesn't get to see until everything that had been paid for is recuperated. 

I never thought that organizing the above list was or could ever be in the control of just a couple people. Working with Contempt Records I have been put with a small group of people that really have a passion and drive for music that I feel is becoming rare. In an industry that Rolling Stone Magazine has liked to portray as in a "free-fall" it is even harder to stay driven. 

I have gained a greater appreciation for music then i had before starting to work for Contempt, and through that experience, I have turned my back to what once was a very strong love affair with Limewire.

An Attempt At Survival

With the industry heavily focused on how to profit beyond physical CD sales a few strategies have been implemented. According to a December 7, 2007 Rolling Stone Magazine, the newest Internet music fad is online subscriptions. By simply subscribing to an online entity such as Rhapsody for a monthly fee, a person is able to listen to an endless amount of music, instead of purchasing one track at a time or buying an entire album from one artist. 

The reality of these offers is, sales will only cover individual song sales instead of albums and further weaken the record label industry as the cost to make an album will not equal the revenue generated from the purchase of one song unless it is a best selling hit.  Subscriptions such as this are practically the equivalent to subscribing to Sirius satellite radio. 

Others feel Subscriptions may be a remedy for record labels to sustain steady revenue and become the new business model for such companies. The industry seems to believe that by supporting Web sites that offer subscriptions, the revenue lost through Internet piracy can become manageable once again. According to the December 7, 2007 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, record label companies such as Columbia, Universal, Sony and Warner music are enthusiastic about their plans for Internet subscriptions and believe it is “a move against Apple’s digital-music dominance.”

Ding! Ding! Round One!

Since the start of the new millennium the Internet has been knocking down the record industry brick by brick. First, came the Napster scandal. On April 13, 2000 the international heavy metal group Metallica filed a lawsuit against Napster, “alleging that the company encourages piracy by enabling and allowing its users to trade copyrighted songs through its services.” www.wired.com/politics/law/news/200/04/35670 

Although exposed by the media, this did not stop the creation of similar programs such as Limewire, Kazaa and SoulSeek. The attempt by the industry to regulate illegal downloading has been an extremely slow process that has not allowed for record labels, studios commercial and independent music stores to recover.

Proof of this inability to recover was when Tower Records announced it would be closing its chain of record stores 

in late 2006. This was a devastating blow that is still viewed as a tragedy by the industry. The chain of stores had been 

in existence since the 1960's and provided America with close to ninety music retail stores across the country. 

www.thenation.com/doc/20061211/fraser 

Tower Records going out of business, was not only a huge eye opener to the executives of the music industry but proof that 

peoples attraction to music was no longer physical.