Music Industry, R.I.P.

Another grand day in the Ozarks today. This is what we used to call Indian summer, 86 for a high today. And, it’s been warm and sunny every day for a while now. We did have a big gully washer of a rain storm Wednesday night but, for the most part, gorgeous days.

I had some Chinese food last night and this was the message inside my fortune cookie.

Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.

I just read a Reuter’s article about this new Radiohead record that’s coming out next week. If you don’t know the story, Radiohead will be offering the music for download on Wednesday. The purchase price is listed as, “It’s Up To You”. So, the fans can pay whatever they want. I think that you can’t actually get it for free, you have to pay the credit card processing fee, something around 40 cents.

Radiohead is not signed to a label contract at this time and several things about the way they are releasing the new record, “In Rainbows”, have the music industry in a tizzy. They don’t like the pricing idea or the fact that Radiohead is releasing the record ten days after they finished mixing. You see, in the music industry, it is not uncommon to have a turnaround time of 6-18 months. In other words, the artist finishes the record and it hits the shelves 18 months later.

The music industry is also concerned, in general, that digital downloads are turning the business into a singles driven market rather than an album driven market. This is from the Reuter’s piece.

Tony Bongiovi, a record producer who has been in the music business since the 1960s, said the fast turnarounds could hurt a music business that he believes is losing money as it becomes more singles-driven, rather than album-driven, in the age of iTunes and Internet file-sharing.
Some bands wouldn’t work to complete an album if they could put out a good single right away, he said.

LESS CASH FROM SINGLES?

According to Bongiovi, a singles-driven market would lead to less money for musicians and producers, and, ultimately, to fewer artists getting a shot at the big time.

“When you go into a record label now, its got to be such a sure thing. Otherwise, there’s no money for you,” he said.

Tony Bogiovi, by the way, is Jon Bon Jovi’s uncle and, what he said there is indicative of why the music industry is dead.

In essence, what he is saying is this; “If we can’t tell you what to buy and how to buy it, then you are going to be in trouble because, guys like me aren’t going to make as much money and if that happens, you are going to have less stuff to buy”.

Really, what he is saying is insulting to the consumer. I don’t think that he thinks that though. I think that he thinks that you guys, the consumers, really need guys like him. That guys like him are really the ones responsible for the music that you love.

What Radihead will do next week, is deliver the equivalent of Muhammad Ali’s anchor punch, to the music industry. It’s a knockout blow and they never saw it coming. It boggles my mind that they didn’t see it coming.

So, the music industry is concerned about three things; the turn around time of a release, the pricing and the ability of consumers to buy singles.

There is no need to wait 6-18 months to release a record. It is time spent in committee, working with a team of art directors, publicists and marketing strategists. It has nothing to do with music, it is time spent, once again, deciding how to manipulate the public.

What is a realistic price for music? In any other business, the price of the product is driven by what the consumer is willing to pay. The vast majority of consumers of music feel that a fair price is zero, because they can get all of the music they want for free. You know that, I know that, Radiohead and Prince know that but, evidently Tony Bongiovi doesn’t know that.

Radiohead is in a good spot and they are no fools. They don’t need the Tony Bongiovi’s of the world. They don’t need the music industry. They don’t need a producer, they know how to make a good record. They are obviously very adept at the publicity angle because this release is bigger news than anything that the labels have right now. And believe me, the publicists for major acts are giving it their best shot; that’s why Bruce Springsteen is going to be on 60 minutes talking about Guantanamo and the like. That’s why you hear about a “feud” between Kanye West and 50 Cent. That’s why you see previews of Britney Spears video at the same time her life is in turmoil. All of that stuff is driven by publicists. And, it’s all based on the negative. Meanwhile, Radiohead is getting more press and coming off as the Robin Hood of rock and roll.

Radiohead will do fine with this free release. A lot of people will pay the 40 cents. Some will pay more. They will gain new fans and their existing fans will feel even more reason to be loyal. They will probably license some songs for car commercials, beer ads and movies (the real money) and all of this will make the live performance end (the other real money) more lucrative.

As for the reality that the music business is now “singles driven”; that is what the public wants. That has always been what the public wanted. It has also been exactly what the music industry did not want the public to have.

The music industry started as a singles business. You can go all the way back to when people were buying piano rolls. As long as there have been long playing albums, people complained that they didn’t want to buy a whole record to get one song that they really wanted.

When Tony Bongiovi complains that; “Some bands wouldn’t work to complete an album if they could put out a good single right away”, it is the essence of arrogance. Here is a very partial list of acts that started out by trying to put out a good single; Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Buck Owens, Ray Charles…You get the idea. I think that Bongiovi is dead wrong, as wrong as a body can be. If new acts would concentrate on making one good song and the labels encouraged that type of thinking then, more acts would have a shot at the “big time”. More acts would have a chance to develop because, if you put out a single and it flops, you may learn something for the next one and you haven’t blown a huge budget on promotion and publicity. If the music industry used that kind of thinking, they might have a chance but, that would entail embracing the capabilities of digital download and it seems unlikely at this late date.

All in all, people hate the idea of the “music industry” and where music is involved; they don’t like the notion of being thought of as “consumers”. Music is something you are supposed to “feel”. Your like of a piece of music comes from the heart. Your playlist on your I-Pod is an expression of your personality, it is who you are. In the end, it’s not really about the price, it runs deeper than that. It isn’t like buying a Twinkie or a Pepsi, something that is consumed and disposed of. The best part is, the music will live as the industry dies.

Had a good gig at the Double E in Highlandville last night. It was a bit loose. I was probably a big part of the loose factor. I didn’t have any time to warm up. I never used to need time to warm up but, it now seems necessity. The first set and a half was ragged on my end. The crowd was very friendly and seemed to be having a fine time. We played outdoors on the patio and people really enjoy the under-the-stars, have-a-cocktail and kick back vibe. It’s fun, that’s the main thing right now. What I mean is, it will get tight if we keep doing it. If we have fun the crowd has fun.

Related posts

• Calling The Music Industry Stupid Has Become The Equivalent Of Picking On The “Slow” Kid (0)
• Let’s Get A Hippie In Here (6)
• Doctor Doctor (2)
• Hard Times For The Labor Of Love (2)
• Friday Night Cage Match/Fondue Party/Evolving Conversation/Dancing About Architecture Vol.11 (10)

Tags: In Rainbows, music industry, Radiohead, Tony Bongiovi