HolodigmMusic.com
Underground vs. Mainstream
Casares asks:
I was wondering if the indie and folk genres have what it takes to produce a musician comparable to a group like The Beatles or Bob Dylan. I question this because I see groups, such as Bright Eyes, who have the ability to sell out the Hollywood Bowl at a ticket cost of $100 + and yet, they are still very "underground" in a sense. What is keeping bands like these from surfacing into the mainstream and gaining a dedicated international fan base?
Hartmann responds:
Every generation puts a hero up the pop charts. The evolution of music is deeply attached to the cultural phenomenon we call "coming of age." Growing up is a process that nobody escapes; it just happens. Technology gave birth to the record business with the invention of Edison's phonograph. In the beginning recorded music was a luxury enjoyed by those able to afford the cost of the hardware and the records were essentially loss leaders designed to sell the machines.
In the early nineteen hundreds terrestrial, broadcast radio became the primary delivery system for recorded music. The stations were small and their audiences regional. The music itself focused on the genres and styles indigenous to the immediate locale. There was no mainstream music format. Each region of the country presented the music most likely to attract the largest audience in the broadcast radius of the station. Jazz, Ragtime and The Blues dominated in the deep South. Moving North, Country music proliferated. In the North East and West big band music reigned.
During World War II the record business suffered its first major decline. Seventy eight RPM records were pressed in shellac, a substance produced in a handful of Pacific countries. The war precluded access to this essential material and the business was stopped cold in its tracks. Pun intended. However, the war effort generated enormous advances in source materials, recording technology and manufacturing mechanics. Low cost, 45 RPM record players arrived.
This new playback systems liberated teenagers from their parent's music. Young people now had the unique ability to choose their own music one song at a time. The collecting and trading of singles became the primary bonding mechanism for the baby boomer generation. Searching the radio dial young people discovered the latest hits and scrambled to own them. Into this fertile marketplace exploded Rock & Roll music. The fuel was the beat and the superstar was Elvis.
The enormous popularity of The king of Rock & Roll and the consolidation of radio stations into broadcast networks enabled national exploitation of regional artists. The mainstream was born. For more than fifty years national radio formats have successfully serviced a ubiquitous audience. Technical changes introduced thirty-three and one-third RPM albums just in time to flood the exploitation of FM radio. The Beatles led the parade and rock music dominated the airwaves.
The tremendous success of John, Paul, George and Ringo enthralled the world and every young musician yearned to start a band just like The Beatles. Millions tried and many succeeded, but none quite as well as The Fab Four. Regardless of the degree of success enjoyed by any given artist, high fidelity and stereophonic sound kept the public engaged and the music industry flourished behind its two primary activities performing and recording. The concert business nourished the record business and the sale of records precipitated attendance at live events.
The music industry was strong and a myriad of record companies emerged as the dominant marketing force. They controlled both radio formats and built vast distribution systems to service the thousands of record stores across the country and around the world. In the mid-seventies an extraordinary breakthrough shocked the industry. The vast number of record players extant, combined with efficient delivery systems and massive airplay to provoke a new phenomenon.
A young artist named Peter Frampton sold twenty-five million copies of the album "Frampton Comes Alive." This seminal event changed the record business forever. Lured by the huge profits attached to gigantic album sales, and the booming concert business, giant multi-national corporations began a process of acquisition and merger. This has resulted in hundreds of record labels being shrunk down to four major companies. With the record business under the control and direction of a few executives it didn't take much to bring the whole thing crashing down.
One fatal choice brought the postmodern era to an end and obliterated the mainstream. The decision of the Recording Industry Association of America, to destroy peer-to-peer file sharing and to sue their customers for doing it sealed their fate. In an effort to maintain the high profit CD as the prime delivery system for music, the big four walked away from digital downloading and denied their customer base. For the past decade CD sales have been in a constant decline.
The game has come full circle. The public has consistently demonstrated an interest in individual songs as opposed to the album format. This return to the singles game has resulted in music fans refusing to buy ten or more songs to get the one they want. With the loss of high profit CDs the infrastructure of the postmodern era could not stand. The loss of the record business is the music fans gain. More importantly, it places the power in the hands of the artists and music producers.
Radio is no longer the primary delivery system for music. The brick and mortar record stores have all but disappeared and the record companies are stuck in the old paradigm with no rescue in sight. Digimodernization has opened up the Internet and provided every artist with the same power tool to exploit their music. The major labels can no longer justify the enormous costs associated with artist development. Sales can not support the old record business paradigm.
The good news is that a small group of corporate executives, lawyers and bean counters are no longer in charge of popular music. The former dictators of content, and arbiters of taste, must now wait to see what the fan base is embracing on the world wide web. Recording costs are low, distribution and promotion are free and every style of music has a well established fan base.
There is a channel open for every genre and each one has a clear path for artists and managers to follow. Success is no longer measured in multi-platinum sales. A platinum album is every bit as rare and unique as it was in the beginning of the postmodern era. Only a handful of artists have enjoyed million unit sales in recent years, and the number is declining rapidly. What the RIAA calls theft is, in the minds of the cyber-kids, no such thing. If it is on the Internet, it's free for all.
The liberation of the artist community from the iron handed control of the record labels is a sign of progress. The future is clearly in the hands of the creative community once again. Many artists are enjoying relative success in the music renaissance. Bands like Bright Eyes selling out The Hollywood Bowl, at $100+ ticket prices is no small achievement. They are making good money. This has been accomplished through a long process of nurturing their following through live performances. Their fan base grew without the benefit of massive, mainstream radio airplay.
Making a living from music is the first level of success and it is only accomplished by ten percent of the artists competing. The digital stage is set. The cultural interest in music is at its highest level in history. More songs are in play to more people than ever before. Into this environment a young artist will eventually explode. The fans will fall in love, just like we loved The Beatles.
This new found musical hero will inspire the public who will voluntarily pay for the music, when they could "share" it for free. This transition in thinking will only be provoked by a great talent, with a timely image and a lot of charisma. Such a superstar will make millions of dollars from the sale of downloads on a single day. Then the same monolithic corporations, who are running for cover today, will reassert themselves, buy up all the players willing to sell, and crash it all again.
Showing posts with label building bands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label building bands. Show all posts
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Digital Music Business FAQ - Stairway To Heaven - March 5, 2010
HolodigmMusic.com
The Stairway To Heaven
amarti76 asks:
In a recent lecture you talked about how an artist can make it to the big top through an alternative means, through climbing "the stairway to heaven". What are the advantages of taking this route as opposed to other more "conventional" methods. Is one way more preferable over others in order to ensure an artist long run success?
Hartmann responds:
The ancient music industry has evolved a system of mechanics and protocols that govern its traditional activities. The performance of live music in front of paying audiences can be as simple as one person singing in the street, for donations, and as complicated as tens of thousands crowding into sports arenas for major music events. The singular difference is measured by gross box-office potential. The dollar bills and loose change that land in the troubadour's guitar case are just as vital to his survival as the million dollar pay days that superstars take from larger venues.
The street musician is providing the very same service, from rock bottom, as the major artists provide from the big top. The primary difference is how many zeroes follow the number of dollars earned from the performance. The concert production business is the primary activity of the music industry and provides the core infrastructure around which the rest of the game is conducted. Every performing artist is in competition with all the other artists great and small.
Singers, musicians and bands seeking fame and fortune in showbiz must overcome the gravity in the elevator to the big top. There is a natural resistance from those in power to relinquish the rewards to the new contender. The baby band is competing for the same entertainment dollars as the established artist. Those earning the most, at any given time, fiercely resist the emerging artist's success by holding on to their spot in the ever changing music market place.
The competition is conducted by entrepreneurs and the creators of music through the traditional relationship between artists and personal mangers. Regardless of the nature of their financial arrangement this marriage of careers makes the manager the CEO of the artist's corporation.
The pursuit of their shared goals creates the commercial activity that generates box-office receipts and ancillary income streams through marketing of branded merchandise and recorded music.
Although every management team faces the same challenges in overcoming the circumstantial resistance to their success, each career has its own unique set of characteristics. Some are enabled by extraordinary talent, beauty and charisma. Often fledgling artists are supported by circumstances that have nothing to do with their inherent talent. They have access to the big top through one of the pathways on the stairway to heaven. Accessing these alternate routes is more about luck and natural selection than the artistic or entrepreneurial skills of the core team.
There are five paths on the stairway to heaven. The most powerful is "nepotism." If your father is an established star with proven talent and popularity, you as his offspring will be given an opportunity to demonstrate your craft. If you reveal prodigious creative and technical ability the public may embrace you as a star not having fallen far from the parental tree. Such public appreciation can lead to instant access to the star making machinery and insure your success.
A second route to the big top is "personal wealth." If you are a trust fund baby with deep pockets, you can invest your capital in the development and maintenance of your career. During the postmodern era the costs of mounting a live act were traditionally born by the record companies. With the advent of digital downloading the major labels can no longer justify huge investment in new artists. The loss of this financial source does not effect an artist who can fund his enterprise.
Corporate "sponsorship" can also provide an alternate route to the big top. As the digital convergence continues to erode the traditional systems for marketing and promotion, more and more business enterprises are seeking a direct connection to their customer base. By providing vehicles, cash and equipment to musical attractions many companies are actively engaged in the growth and development of new artists. This will increase as Internet advertising proliferates.
The fourth pathway is the slippery slope of "talent TV." There is no question that the talent contest television format has catapulted a handful of artists to the top of the charts. A few of them have even built what appears to be enduring careers. Conversely, it has brought the dreams and aspirations of many thousands of aspirants to a dead halt. Regardless of how far into the process one evolves, the careers produced are more about celebrity than talent. The notoriety accumulated in a few television exposures does not form the basis of an enduring career in music.
There is a long established tradition in showbiz that performers can sometimes "sleep" their way to the top. This is probably the riskiest and most painful method of building executive access to the people, systems and mechanics of the music industry. However, its efficacy cannot be denied. If you are an artist married to the president of the record company, it is reasonable to assume that you will get productive attention from the vice-presidents and staff, thus ensuring a concerted effort. There is a recent case that proves even in divorce such an artist can come out well ahead.
Regardless of how one gains a place in the elite fraternity that occupies the top ten percent of the music industry, surviving there is a daunting process. There are no guarantees in showbiz and in a game where duration is the primary goal, very few careers last a lifetime. The ones that endure are built one performance at a time by establishing a personal rapport with their fans through the concert arena. Artists starting their careers on the stairway to heaven must build the same management team, to stay on top, that would have been required to get there in the first place.
The Stairway To Heaven
amarti76 asks:
In a recent lecture you talked about how an artist can make it to the big top through an alternative means, through climbing "the stairway to heaven". What are the advantages of taking this route as opposed to other more "conventional" methods. Is one way more preferable over others in order to ensure an artist long run success?
Hartmann responds:
The ancient music industry has evolved a system of mechanics and protocols that govern its traditional activities. The performance of live music in front of paying audiences can be as simple as one person singing in the street, for donations, and as complicated as tens of thousands crowding into sports arenas for major music events. The singular difference is measured by gross box-office potential. The dollar bills and loose change that land in the troubadour's guitar case are just as vital to his survival as the million dollar pay days that superstars take from larger venues.
The street musician is providing the very same service, from rock bottom, as the major artists provide from the big top. The primary difference is how many zeroes follow the number of dollars earned from the performance. The concert production business is the primary activity of the music industry and provides the core infrastructure around which the rest of the game is conducted. Every performing artist is in competition with all the other artists great and small.
Singers, musicians and bands seeking fame and fortune in showbiz must overcome the gravity in the elevator to the big top. There is a natural resistance from those in power to relinquish the rewards to the new contender. The baby band is competing for the same entertainment dollars as the established artist. Those earning the most, at any given time, fiercely resist the emerging artist's success by holding on to their spot in the ever changing music market place.
The competition is conducted by entrepreneurs and the creators of music through the traditional relationship between artists and personal mangers. Regardless of the nature of their financial arrangement this marriage of careers makes the manager the CEO of the artist's corporation.
The pursuit of their shared goals creates the commercial activity that generates box-office receipts and ancillary income streams through marketing of branded merchandise and recorded music.
Although every management team faces the same challenges in overcoming the circumstantial resistance to their success, each career has its own unique set of characteristics. Some are enabled by extraordinary talent, beauty and charisma. Often fledgling artists are supported by circumstances that have nothing to do with their inherent talent. They have access to the big top through one of the pathways on the stairway to heaven. Accessing these alternate routes is more about luck and natural selection than the artistic or entrepreneurial skills of the core team.
There are five paths on the stairway to heaven. The most powerful is "nepotism." If your father is an established star with proven talent and popularity, you as his offspring will be given an opportunity to demonstrate your craft. If you reveal prodigious creative and technical ability the public may embrace you as a star not having fallen far from the parental tree. Such public appreciation can lead to instant access to the star making machinery and insure your success.
A second route to the big top is "personal wealth." If you are a trust fund baby with deep pockets, you can invest your capital in the development and maintenance of your career. During the postmodern era the costs of mounting a live act were traditionally born by the record companies. With the advent of digital downloading the major labels can no longer justify huge investment in new artists. The loss of this financial source does not effect an artist who can fund his enterprise.
Corporate "sponsorship" can also provide an alternate route to the big top. As the digital convergence continues to erode the traditional systems for marketing and promotion, more and more business enterprises are seeking a direct connection to their customer base. By providing vehicles, cash and equipment to musical attractions many companies are actively engaged in the growth and development of new artists. This will increase as Internet advertising proliferates.
The fourth pathway is the slippery slope of "talent TV." There is no question that the talent contest television format has catapulted a handful of artists to the top of the charts. A few of them have even built what appears to be enduring careers. Conversely, it has brought the dreams and aspirations of many thousands of aspirants to a dead halt. Regardless of how far into the process one evolves, the careers produced are more about celebrity than talent. The notoriety accumulated in a few television exposures does not form the basis of an enduring career in music.
There is a long established tradition in showbiz that performers can sometimes "sleep" their way to the top. This is probably the riskiest and most painful method of building executive access to the people, systems and mechanics of the music industry. However, its efficacy cannot be denied. If you are an artist married to the president of the record company, it is reasonable to assume that you will get productive attention from the vice-presidents and staff, thus ensuring a concerted effort. There is a recent case that proves even in divorce such an artist can come out well ahead.
Regardless of how one gains a place in the elite fraternity that occupies the top ten percent of the music industry, surviving there is a daunting process. There are no guarantees in showbiz and in a game where duration is the primary goal, very few careers last a lifetime. The ones that endure are built one performance at a time by establishing a personal rapport with their fans through the concert arena. Artists starting their careers on the stairway to heaven must build the same management team, to stay on top, that would have been required to get there in the first place.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Digital Music Business FAQ - The Mainstream - February 18, 2010
HolodigmMusic.com
The Mainstream
George Gavin asks:
Do you believe that as the recording industry continues to lose money, and may eventually fold, that a popular mainstream will be able to survive in the face of millions of bands and no superstar to represent them? I know you say that the music world is waiting for a superstar, but there is no guarantee it will come (I think).
Hartmann responds:
The postmodern record business is in a state of explosion. All the pieces of shrapnel are flying toward the perimeter at the speed of light. As the old reliable systems and mechanics break down confusion remains for the survivors. Massive staff cuts at the big four labels are justified by the revenues lost to peer-to-peer file sharing, a cultural phenomenon that is not going to go away.
The label A&R, publicity, promotion, video and marketing divisions barely exist. Most remaining employees are at the executive level. They are charged with "saving" the record business. But they don't know what to do and it cannot be salvaged by trying to revive the compact disk. The CD will be sold by artists to their fans and it will be more of a souvenir than a music source. Most hard copy record sales will occur as a gesture of support generated by fans at the band's live events.
When no genre is ubiquitous all genres become viable. There is no mainstream music market. Every artist must project his music and live act toward the core audience that follows his particular style and musical niche. If a band cannot dominate its genre, it will never generate crossover appeal to fans of other styles. This is actually a good thing. It means that if you are truly talented, you can market to the group most likely to embrace your music and build a following.
The record companies had their day and they abused their power. Now, neither the fans nor the bands care much about what happens to them. They will continue to shrink and eventually become licensing and downloading systems with very little infrastructure. The labels will continue to push the few artists they do sign into the radio system but as the buyers disappear selling CDs will not be a profitable enough venture to survive. Bands will sell directly to the fans.
Perhaps the digital sword will cut even deeper into the record business and all the catalogs of masters will be sold or licensed to the phone companies, ISPs or new ventures formed specifically to exploit mid level artists and old product. The superstars will probably avoid the big four labels altogether and deal directly with the distribution systems. The high cost of developing baby bands will make the labels second stage players who will try to buy acts that can succeed on their own.
Every major historical advance in the music business has revolved around a superstar emerging in synch with changes in technology. Nobody is debating that the influence of dgimodernization has had a profound effect on the music industry. The loss of a primary income stream has forced artists back to the drawing board. They must now survive the old fashioned way, by excelling at the symbiotic art and science of performing and recording. A universal star could still emerge.
It is reasonable to assume that many of the Guitar Hero fans will graduate to real instruments. With sophisticated music programs available at most universities it is logical that college kids will learn many more chords than the three Elvis Presley used to generate his career. These young musicians are not going to graduate from college and give up. Music business curricula will teach them how to market and brand their product. The realistic progression for the next era in music is that quality would rise to previously unimagined heights. From this collegiate rock movement a new universal star could rise, or not. Perhaps music itself is THE superstar of the digital age.
The Mainstream
George Gavin asks:
Do you believe that as the recording industry continues to lose money, and may eventually fold, that a popular mainstream will be able to survive in the face of millions of bands and no superstar to represent them? I know you say that the music world is waiting for a superstar, but there is no guarantee it will come (I think).
Hartmann responds:
The postmodern record business is in a state of explosion. All the pieces of shrapnel are flying toward the perimeter at the speed of light. As the old reliable systems and mechanics break down confusion remains for the survivors. Massive staff cuts at the big four labels are justified by the revenues lost to peer-to-peer file sharing, a cultural phenomenon that is not going to go away.
The label A&R, publicity, promotion, video and marketing divisions barely exist. Most remaining employees are at the executive level. They are charged with "saving" the record business. But they don't know what to do and it cannot be salvaged by trying to revive the compact disk. The CD will be sold by artists to their fans and it will be more of a souvenir than a music source. Most hard copy record sales will occur as a gesture of support generated by fans at the band's live events.
When no genre is ubiquitous all genres become viable. There is no mainstream music market. Every artist must project his music and live act toward the core audience that follows his particular style and musical niche. If a band cannot dominate its genre, it will never generate crossover appeal to fans of other styles. This is actually a good thing. It means that if you are truly talented, you can market to the group most likely to embrace your music and build a following.
The record companies had their day and they abused their power. Now, neither the fans nor the bands care much about what happens to them. They will continue to shrink and eventually become licensing and downloading systems with very little infrastructure. The labels will continue to push the few artists they do sign into the radio system but as the buyers disappear selling CDs will not be a profitable enough venture to survive. Bands will sell directly to the fans.
Perhaps the digital sword will cut even deeper into the record business and all the catalogs of masters will be sold or licensed to the phone companies, ISPs or new ventures formed specifically to exploit mid level artists and old product. The superstars will probably avoid the big four labels altogether and deal directly with the distribution systems. The high cost of developing baby bands will make the labels second stage players who will try to buy acts that can succeed on their own.
Every major historical advance in the music business has revolved around a superstar emerging in synch with changes in technology. Nobody is debating that the influence of dgimodernization has had a profound effect on the music industry. The loss of a primary income stream has forced artists back to the drawing board. They must now survive the old fashioned way, by excelling at the symbiotic art and science of performing and recording. A universal star could still emerge.
It is reasonable to assume that many of the Guitar Hero fans will graduate to real instruments. With sophisticated music programs available at most universities it is logical that college kids will learn many more chords than the three Elvis Presley used to generate his career. These young musicians are not going to graduate from college and give up. Music business curricula will teach them how to market and brand their product. The realistic progression for the next era in music is that quality would rise to previously unimagined heights. From this collegiate rock movement a new universal star could rise, or not. Perhaps music itself is THE superstar of the digital age.
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