A Quick Look at the Digital World

There was a time when the ultimate dream was for a band to get their cd onto the racks at the local record store. Today, with the click of a virtual signature on a virtual contract for company's such as Orchard distribution. 

Orchard makes it possible for any band can get their music approved and posted across the world on the leading distribution store outlets such as i-tunes,napster or rhapsody. 

The statistics on digital sales and the effect on physical distribution are staggering as pointed out in this study;

This quarter, 81.5 million CDs will be sold. While that's down 20 percent from the same period last year, digital singles sold by the likes of Apple's iTunes store grew 54 percent, to account for 175 million songs sold. In other words, the quantity of downloaded songs far outweighs the quantity of CDs sold as a whole. How many of those purchases are "singles," as opposed to digital album sales conducted online or subscription downloads? Last year the industry saw about $2 billion in revenues from online music sales, and nearly $800 million of that stemmed from single-track sales, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's report. That leads me to estimate that at least 40 percent of sales are singles, which means that this quarter we could see something in the range of 70 million "singles" sold digitally.http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070321

Keeping Track Of Artists In A Digital World

The internet has provided what used to be considered A+R in the music industry with comprehensive websites such as Mediabase. Although there are websites such as PureVolume.com and MySpace.com that show hits per day, interactive fan responses and overall image packaging, there is a lot of inaccuracies and tampering that takes place. 

Mediabase makes it possible for the buzz of a band to be accurately monitored with the click of a button . This website displays charts, ratings and the varying radio formats across the country. These charts show exactly how many plays a given band is receiving, which station and over how long a period of time. Furthermore, the website indicates, with icons, next to certain bands if their particular play count is rising and how fast. 

What this means to an industry which has done away with personal A+R agents, is that the internet has become a strong force for musicians to quickly gain national notoriety. 

Aside from this being a great tool for the industry to research what music is spreading throughout the country, mediabase is a free service that allows bands and independent labels to register and monitor any and all plays found on their directory list. 

To ensure accuracy, if the chart does not show a play that is included in their list, the company encourages you to contact them and have them individually confirm the plays. 

To all those bands and labels, I would say fair play is mediabase, the problem is getting the airplay to chart!

Is the Future of Music a Reality?

The eighties brought us the age of watching music at home as something new and exciting. By the nineties, we had a variety of music channels which allowed for us to view different types, styles and eras of music either with live performances or music videos.

VH-1 allowed for one audience while MTV targeted a more youthful demographic.  

Today there is less music and more reality shows on both stations. The future of pop music is being created with the advent of music reality shows, like American Idol and America's Next Rock Band, which eat away at the very fabric of what music is supposed to epitomize…creativity. This trend began before reality shows were created for musicians. 

Some musicians were made a reality, in Orlando Florida with Britney, Backstreet , Christina and NSYNC reigning the charts in the late nineties and early millennia. But now looking back, was that more credible?

The reality of reality television is not very real at all. Will the future hold the same for music?

What do Punks, Computers and Ice Cream Have in Common?

The punk movement always thrived on a DIY ethic. “Do It Yourself” or “DIY” came to be known in the punk scene as no one was apt to help these artists on their way to. This notion of doing it yourself works well with the punk’s crusade against consumerism and capitalistic views.

This view of DIY of course applies to almost anything whether it be home improvement and repair, sales, or promotions. The irony is time has created a hypocrisy that could not have been imagined by even the most creative capitalists ever to walk the Earth.  

A paradox exists when you bring DIY and MAC or Ben & Jerry into the equation.

The originators of the above all began as anti-capitalists that favored anarchy as a form of government , dressed against the norm and listened to music filled with political and social angst . It would only seem the natural course, for these people to do everything themselves. Including climbing the corporate ladder?

Along that same ironic path, two other free spirits created the computer age and have followed the path to capitalism with their inventions.  Despite their economic growth and billions in revenue, the principle of DIY came full circle. Maybe not with ice cream as much, but millions of people today are creating music with Apple Pro Tools and movies on Final Cut Pro. The catch is that these freedoms to be creative, come at a hefty cost that ranges from $500.00 to $100,000. 

Oh and I think you can download some Sex Pistols on I-tunes if you are interested!

Music Opens Pandora's Box?

It seems more apparent these days that music is losing genre and title. Companies such as Rhapsody amongst others are homogenizing the industry by grouping Led Zeppelin with Britney Spears, in a “virtual room” of music. 

On one hand, music is for the masses so why can’t the masses feel free to choose whatever music they desire free from labels and categories? 

The answer falls on how serious you take your music. For many individuals music opens doors that shape their mind and identity. Those individuals may or may not find what they are looking for in a virtual mega store like Rhapsody. The exposure to variety cant hurt but sometimes too much on the menu makes it difficult for you to find something to eat.

Pandora is a database that supposedly allows you to choose a band of your liking and instantaneously give you a break-down of similar bands you may also find interesting. Pandora has expanded to individual member listening rooms for people to log onto and hear what others are grouping together as their favorite artists. Thus opening the Pandora's Box of the music world!

 

 

Jack Johnson Howls For Ginsberg

There was a time when an artist was an artist no matter if you drew, painted, sang, played an instrument or wrote eloquent and profound poetry. To a large extent this still holds true but how many artists today really give credit where credit is due?

One instance that brings a sense of optimism to a dismal music industry is Jack Johnson’s, “The News” and the accompanying dedication to Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan. 

Currently we are undergoing a time in the music industry where pop singers are not being influenced by the roots or origins of music as an art (including poetry). Instead they are following a simple song structure that has been provided for them with accompanied by a digital beat. 

It is apparent that increasingly more artists are merely repeating what former pop stars have already done with a more modern twist. Their performances are more formulaic than ever before and their influences have substantially strayed from the days where people sang to make music and poetry or even as a political platform against injustice.

Artists such as Jack Johnson, not only brings environmental awareness as  his last album was recorded in a solar powered studio. But he also bring a refreshing wave of tradition and is making something that has lost much substance and originality, beautiful again. 

My Music God Wears Sunglasses

Rick Rubin has been credited for being one of the most important and influential people in the music industry. When it comes to the weird, eccentric and unexpected there is almost always a trail leading back to Rubin. His trademark thick crazy beard and sunglasses have been ever present for the past 30 years as his way of going against "the man". 

However this man who has not only produced records but practically created the music industry that exists today is also giving in to the affects of the internet.

According to an article in Rolling Stone Magazine, as co-head of Columbia Records, when Rubin was presented with the idea of as an on Rhapsody line subscription to music, Rubin reportedly responded with, "Well, if you can't beat them, join them."

As an avid music fan, it is quite discouraging to hear an innovative and idolized figure have an almost defeated tone. 

Although discouraging I can not forget who this person is and that there must be something he knows that the average person doesn't. For instance, although the internet is affecting the industry in a negative way now, maybe it will evolve into something that can bring back the previously reached sales numbers and job positions?

A Broken Record

We have been seeing commercials for Rhapsody.com for about a year now. Each cycle of it's commercials are intended to presented a new artist, beginning with Kanye West and now the oh so repetitive Sara Bareilles' "Love Song". 

It is just a prime example of how major companies are becoming advertisers for new artists instead of record labels taking care of promotions. In a previous blog, Doritos was the advertiser for a new artist during a super bowl half time commercial. And just as advertisers make their logo and product ever present through out society they are doing so with new artists and their songs.