Bob Lefsetz is an American music industry figure,
prolific blogger and former lawyer in the music and entertainment business.
One of the mian themes he explores in his blog
is the diminishing role of the major record labels in current recorded
music, and corresponding increasing influence and importance of grassroots
artist activities such as live performances and direct online relationships
with fans. He directs much of his writing at artists and those working within
the music business.
His posts are often inflammatory, but at the same time
have a ring of truth about them, making them quite addictive reading.
I thought I’d share his latest one here with you, as it
echoes the sentiment of a discussion I had with a 16 year old American girl
recently, who when I asked her how she gets her music, she listed every
available source except the radio. and laughed when I asked if she bought
albums...
The Modern Era
Artists
are supposed to lead, not follow. How come they're still making albums?
Did
you see that Rihanna topped the British charts last week after selling 9,578
copies of her album "Talk That Talk"? This in a country of 60 million!
It was the lowest sales number in history!
Let's
blame it on the public. Let's blame it on the retailers. Let's blame it on the
record companies. When do the artists start blaming themselves?
People
only want the hits.
Now
this is not true of everybody. Are there still people purchasing the long
player and spinning it ad infinitum, learning every lyric? Of course! Just like
there are still people buying CDs, purchasing vinyl and composing letters on a
typewriter. The album is the sideshow.
And
so is vinyl. It's a trend so small, without the mainstream press none of us
would even be aware of it. Of course vinyl sounds better, but it's
inconvenient! Just like landlines sound better than cell phones. But you don't
see people forgoing calls outside the home, hell, they're canceling their
landlines, using mobiles in their abode!
While
you were busy in the studio, concocting your long player, figuring out the
running order, designing the cover, divining the perfect release date, you were
functioning in a bubble. That's not how anybody listens anymore.
You
want to know how they listen?
They
pull up your track on YouTube. Whether in an authorized version on Vevo or a
bootlegged take posted straight to YouTube. And they instantly decide whether
they like it or not. And if they don't, they forget about you. Just that fast.
It's like they're carrying your album straight to the dumper. As if you walked
into McDonald's, sniffed and left and they threw all the food out and closed
the doors. As for listening to all twelve of your tracks, are you nuts! Don't
tell me people have a short attention span, hell, they're marathoning
"Breaking Bad" as I write this. They just don't have time for what is
not exceptionally great, and if you can tell me ten albums from the last two
years that are good from beginning to end, I'm all ears.
Listening
has changed. It used to be entertainment options were limited. You bought
little and played that which you owned. And it's not only music, newspapers are
competing with blogs, TV is competing with YouTube, everything's changing, are
you?
You've
got to step up your game. You've got to focus on excellence.
Assuming
you want to break out of the wannabe ghetto.
Just
like in the U.S., where the middle class is evaporating, in art there are
winners and losers, rich and poor, which side are you on? It's okay if you want
to be a journeyman, eking out a living. Hell, maybe you're making a few bucks,
but don't expect to become any bigger than you are. Not unless you make an
undeniable track.
And
that track no longer has to be Top Forty beat-driven fodder. That's what
"Somebody That I Used To Know" taught us. That the world is not
controlled by gatekeepers. You can't make it if you really try, but if you try
and try, and create something undeniable, you can.
And
the public is going to discover it on YouTube! Radio comes last. Hell, radio's
been last ever since the advent of MTV. It's a coalition of followers, detached
from humanity, losing power every day.
So...
1.
If you're a wannabe, feel free woodshedding, put online as much as you want, no
one's paying attention anyway. You're just hoping to get lucky. Chances are,
you never will. But this woodshedding and the online response allows you to
explore and possibly find your niche.
2.
If you've already made it, there are two tiers of material, throwaway and
highly-hyped. Don't put a full court press behind anything that is not truly
stellar. Everything else is a glimpse of your methods. Kind of like a rapper's
mix tape.
3.
If there is an album, it's an after the fact event. A collection of what's
already been exposed. Kind of like the NOW series, except it's all been done by
you.
4.
Labels are focused on revenues, not careers. They want the album to live
because of its high price and the attendant marketing that drives people to buy
it. They're sticking to this paradigm the way a five year old continues to suck
on a pacifier. It's a no-win situation, but they don't want to let go.
5.
It's a singles world.
6.
It's a streaming world. Don't focus on Spotify or MOG, you're too stupid to
understand where we're going, hell, you're living in the past. Those services
are ahead of the game, you're behind. Just look at that Nielsen report that
said the number one listening outlet for teens was YouTube. YouTube is
streaming. Just like Jessica Seinfeld mixed vegetables in cookies, YouTube has
been selling you streaming and you're too ignorant to know it. YouTube is an on
demand item. It's pull technology. Feed it. You do this by creating something
people want to pull. And that requires either train-wreck novelty or quality.
And you can marshal your troops to go there, but this doesn't work more than
once if the music isn't good. As for mainstream press... Asking the newspaper
to drive people to YouTube is like asking NBC to tell people to cut the cord
and watch online video. It's like telling a right wing religious zealot to have
an abortion. It's a disconnect. Expecting old media to change is to believe
Coleco is going to rise from the ashes and return triumphant.
7.
The cycle has shortened. Your public can handle new music every other month.
8.
It's about the performance. It's about live. Not because the ticket prices are
high and you can make dough there, but because it's the one place where the
audience can expect something new, different and alive. If you're playing to
hard drive, repeating your record, you're missing an opportunity. What an
audience likes most is a special show. A different set list. A special guest.
This is the essence of the Grateful Dead's career. Every show was a unique
event. And just like in the heyday of the Dead, great shows live on, with
recordings. They embellish your career, they don't kill it. They make people
want to go to the show and have their own magic moments.
9.
All bets are off. Your music doesn't have to sound like anybody else's. It's
just like the seventies, when Warner/Reprise ruled. We want unique. As media
conglomerates merge, the public is running away. That's what the Web is all
about. Feed the people, not the machine.
Thought provoking stuff from Bob, huh?
You
can subscribe to his email list here. It’s well worth it. http://www.lefsetz.com/
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