We’ve moved! In an attempt to condense several blogs, websites, Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook accounts – the old blog (Music Industry International) has moved into the new (Music Globalization).
There are some exciting things going on with the music industry today that are crippling some while allowing others to thrive. This month’s issue will skim the surface on issues of change, while future posts will build off the previous in more in depth discussions. So what are we looking at for this month you ask – well let’s take a look:
§ 1- News Updates
§2- Music Overload
§3- Getting Noticed
§ (1) NEWS UPDATES
Let’s get the general housing keeping out of the way first. I’m working on some very exciting projects at the moment, one of which can strongly benefit mid size indie bands. First, I’m associate producer for the National Governors Association event at The HardRock Casino on July 18th 2009. Politically this event is a who’s who, as Governors from all 50 U.S. states will be in attendance. I’m sure seeing Governor Schwarzenegger and Governor Palin in the same room will be interesting to say the least, but I’m more excited about the entertainment. Musically, this event is off the charts. There is such a mixing pot of entertainment ranging from R&B star Brandy, to the most decorated country music songwriter in history Paul Overstreet, all the way down to the events A-list movie star host Joey Lauren Adams. No worries, pictures and updates will be delivered following the event!
Secondly, I’ve been writing for the past year preparing for a series of books to be released in the Fall ’09. The books, which are referred to as “how to guides” will serve as an A to Z guide helping bands organize tours, promotions, and marketing plans to expand their fan base into international markets. Not only will the books serve as a functional guide, it will also include a music directory for all relevant booking agents, managers, publishers and record labels in a particular target country. I’m flanked by an unbelievable team of writers that will cover particular subject areas such as: touring, customs, recording, artist development, etc. I’ll talk more about each particular book and authors in up coming posts, but get ready as this book will definitely help bands increase their sales potential way outside of a regional market.
§ (2) MUSIC OVERLOAD
There are literally hundreds of different website and tools to help bands promote their music nowadays, and as this may be beneficial in some genres, overall I think this is killing the industry. Killing may be a bit harsh, but it is definitely setting the table for a blindsiding problem followed a need for gradual change. This topic was discussed in my older blog (Music Industry International), as it was originally created during a year of research during my graduate studies in International Music Marketing at DePaul University. I promise I will not dive into the mind numbing flow charts and pie graphs, but I will lightly graze the topic to get the ball rolling.
The easiest way to describe “The Overload Theory” is through an analogy with cable television and radio. Think back to the days of television when you had only 13 channels. Youngsters, this will require some imagination. People over 25, this should be a horrific memory I’m sorry to dig back up. With 13 channels you always knew what was one, you knew what to expect, and change wasn’t difficult to adapt to. It is somewhat like the older days of radio where stations only played the core genres: rock, blues, country, jazz, and later R&B. 13 channels was so manageable - then came cable. People went from 13 channels to 200 hundred. This change was AWESOME, as you had the option to watch almost anything. With the added 187 channels, there was a lot of great things but a lot of crap as well. Regardless of the crap, the fact we had options was amazing. Radio adapted as well. Instead of listening to what the gatekeepers wanted us to listen to, niche stations began to emerge. If you hated R&B, you then had the option to listen to reggae, rap, or hip-hop. Despite being overwhelmed, having options was liberating. But just as you begin to learn the lay of the land, just as you begin to know you’re favorite shows came of channels 17, 58 182, and 193, then the damn cable company shuffles the channels on you. Sh8#! Just as you started to figure it out. Channel 4 moved to 62, Punky Brewster which was once on 78 in now on 131, and the Jetsons went from 17 to 194. “Please don’t to it again cable company, I’m trying to re-adjust.” Radio then followed suit.
Transition to today. MySpace, Facebook, CD Baby, Amazon, MP3 Blogs, and thousand of emerging sites are now providing opportunity for rising bands. Just as the early days of pre-cable when you knew what to expect on television, followed by the post-cable days when you had to adjust, finally to knowing where to locate them - these new emerging outlets are shuffling the deck once again. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great thing! I enjoy the fact lines are blurred between musical influences and global sounds that I may not have been exposed to in South Africa are now obtainable. However, this shuffling the deck generates many problems.
(1) Things are difficult to locate. Locating music isn’t the problem, as it is literally everywhere. Locating the music I want to hear is the issue. Just as people become familiar with a particular site such as MySpace, a new site emerges that makes finding music on MySpace a thing of the past. This causes potential listeners to constantly jump form one site to the next, diluting their comfort level with each site along the way. You become accustomed to particular sites and the second you get comfortable someone says, “Ohh you got to check out this new site, it has the best music.” This may not be a big issue to some, but the constant exposure to new sites hurts the band. If I’m band X, and I set up a MySpace music account, I further have to spend time managing that account. The minute a new music site emerges, I’m expected by my fans to be present on that site as well. Then a new one, then a new one. Sooner than later, band members now have to manage dozens of profiles on dozens of sites just due to the fear of not being exposed to the appropriate market. This takes up time, time of which the band could be practicing and writing new material.
(2) Emerging music sites are now diluting the band. I’m sure I’ll have some strong opposition to this bullet point, but sites like MySpace (although great promotion for some) hurts legitimate musicians. Bands will probably be pissed by this statement, but let me give the perspective of a listener and not someone dependant of the site. MySpace (and other music sites) water down professionalism of talented bands because the site mixes them with non-talented bands. All the sudden bands like U2 are mixed in with The DeFunk Garage Band from Kent, Delaware. Everyone, talented or not, can set up a MySpace music account. That means the major recording artist that spent 100k on a studio album is mixed in with the 11 year old kid who used GarageBand on his MAC to mix an album. Here is how the frustration works for a listener: Say I want to listen to the top bands in Minnesota. I log onto MySpace and set up my filter system by selecting Top Artists in the area. “Top Artists” is pretty subjective; as the 11 year old GarageBand mixer may have everyone at his elementary school as friends on his account. Guess what- if this is the case he will be considered a “Top Artists” just off his friends alone. So…….I’m back to looking for the up and coming Minnesota bands. If my search generates 100 bands, chances are 25% of these bands will be crap. When I say crap, I mean the kid that isn’t a professional musician that just has a MySpace account. Chances are I’ll get frustrated stumbling across this garbage material that I will not view profiles for the other legitimate bands. Why – because there is chicken salad mixed in with the chicken sh*% and it takes too long separate the two.
(3) The MySpace’s of the world have created a logjam. Because of the fact every musician (good or bad) has access to a platform of promotion, the United States has gone from 100,000 musicians to 10,000,000 overnight. That means that legitimate band who rely on their music for a profession is not competing for gigs with the half-assed emo band from down the street that plays in the basement for fun. The market is busting at the seams because there is way to many artists. This creates a scenario where legitimate bands need a new market, and that new market is overseas. Bands must move out of the regional mindset into global thinking. For Gods sake, the U.S. market only makes up 4% of the worlds consumer marketplace, so up to know many have turned a blind eye to 96% of the market. That is ridiculous, and from a business standpoint ignorant. However, navigating the international terrain is extremely difficult to obtain. It takes business savvy, an understanding of the international music market, cross cultural communication skills, and some international legal knowledge – all of which are hard to come by. Lucky for you, the next post will uncover tips on how to move touring abroad off a bands wish list and into reality.
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