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The American Dream Is Myspace, The American Disease Is The Music Industry

by Polar Levine

MusicDish Network Sponsor

I was walking through Battery Park the other day and there was a very realistic mini-me Statue Of Liberty getting all interactive with a couple of its admirers. I like that. Fifty yards further north there was another Statuette engaged in photo op. Ironically I came upon this very analog interaction on my way to the Digital Music Forum where I gained entry, by way of mediachannel.org, posing as a journalist.

These conferences are potentially excruciating as they are informative. But the reality check they offer on the state of the music industry in which I toil and complain is generally worth having to get functional before noon. Also a compelling element of the conference was a panel on Day 2 of the event that was moderated by my friend, Aydin Caginalp, the smartest and most decent practitioner of the second oldest profession (law). He's one of the only people on the bidniz side of town to recognize that Napster 1.0 was the The Future. And he knows that the big locomotive hauling The Future will, as always, arrive on schedule regardless of how many bales of money little men in suits pile onto the tracks. Aydin is still way ahead of the curve. Ahead of us all. He even had the good sense and good taste to invite a guy who, like himself, had the vision to see past the self-serving cretinous bullshit that is driving the entire machine off the cliff. This was Jim Griffin, Managing Director of OneHouse LLC.

Over lunch, after his panel performed, we talked about our kids and how mySpace and youTube are The New Future and the most viable antidote to the damage done to our creative culture by the corporatization of the human spirit. Here's a movement built from the ground up by a community of pop-cultists and all their pals. Hordes of renegades making things because it's fun and then giving them away for free. And, of course, there's the deconstructing and reconstructing of content that the zombie elite refer to as ³property². This is truly the American Dream in action. Ok, so Murdoch and Google gobbled up mySpace and youTube. We all know that as soon as they suck the blood out of their new acquisitions, newer and even cooler renegade versions of mySpace will immediately begin to chirp and fly. This is, after all, The American Dream and it's spreading all over the world without help from the military/industrial complex.

As long as we're discussing a music industry that has lost its soul and is out shopping for a new one, let's get cosmic for a minute and ponder that eternal existential mind-fuck -- duality. In this context, the creative act of composing and performing music inhabits the etherial plane and the task of revenue generation, the material plane. When it comes to marketing the fruits of the etherial realm, the material machine will always be a few steps behind the curve. That's because the machine requires time-consuming analysis, hardware and software development, and passage of ugly legislation before its shit gets to market. And the etherial... well, go figure. It's mercury under a hammer. In other words -- people want music when they want it and we get jolly over the giving and receiving of music to and from friends and loved ones. The act of giving and receiving is one of those rare mysterious human impulses that are rendered free of charge. We like it that way. As Mastercard likes to say while it's boosting our wallets -- some things are priceless. And if you get too pushy about subdividing the etherial plane into market niches and pie slices, The Ether will bite you hard on the ass. Just ask the Big Four major labels.

The Sony/BMG guy up on the stage is wheezing about establishing a standard DRM (copy-protection) format that will ³serve the interests of the consumer². DRM!! Nobody on Planet Earth but chumps in suits gets sexy over DRM. Well, maybe also people whose perversion of choice is hacking DRM digits into digital dust. The major labels have spent a fortune suing their customers, screwing their content providers and trying to legislate a cease and desist order on the unstoppable megaforce of history. The labels would get better returns by paying the pharmaceutical industry to develop a Stupid pill to prevent the human mind from maturing past the age of fifteen. Then the market for Britney and 50 Cent could expand unto eternity.

Halfway through the first panel of the first day I was already getting itchy with the non-stop chatter about monetizing music.  But the thing that really yanked my tail was when the Sony/BMG guy referred to the music his company hijacks as ³our music.² A warm green puss dripped off the dais and onto my shoes.

By nature I'm a pain and there were a bunch of asses in the room so I did my thing. I got on the mike and suggested that there's this dynamic that's been going on since humans started making noises; it's the relationship between noise-makers and those who vibrate in time to their grooves. Everything else about the distribution of music is just so much commentary and larceny. It might serve those employed in the dark arts of moving music between the Givers and Receivers to start thinking creatively about the mysterious chemistry between those two parties. That's where the new money will be. And to stay relevant, the industry has got to invite the artists and the fans to the table and seriously factor their interests into every business paradigm. Otherwise the fans will always find a way to get it for free and the endlessly exploited artists will prefer to give it to them for free rather than to give it to the corporations for not much more. As success through the DIY route continues to become a more viable option than the old paradigm, the balance of power is shifting to where it rightfully belongs -- the musician and the audience.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission

Bum Rush the Charts

A few days late on this, but check out Bum Rush the Charts for a great idea you can use in your own marketing.

This was an experiment by followers of podsafe and independent musicians to push a selected 99-cent single to the top of the "most popular" list on iTunes for one day.  Did it work?  Here are the results...

Overall Top 100 Songs Chart

Netherlands: 15
Norway: 55
Canada: 53
US: 99
Germany:98
Sweden: 98

Not bad, considering there are hundreds of thousands of songs on iTunes.

More impressive to me was the press these guys were able to get.  Washington Post, BBC, San Jose Mercury, Billboard, Spin, CBC, and Business Week were just a few of the media outlets which have Bum Rush the Charts a mention.

Expect more from this project in the future, with other songs being selected.  Get on their mailing list to stay updated.

How Musicians Get Record Deals

Since 1995 I've been working with bands and I can tell you now that the big thing which separates the ones who end up getting deals and making a ton of cash from those who don't isn't talent, but mindset.

Have you seen this DVD called the Secret?  It's been EVERYWHERE lately.  It's so popular that Oprah had two shows about it last month.

Anyway, part of what this thing talks about is visualization.  Anybody who is successful at ANYTHING knows this.  You have to see yourself doing something before it happens.

Check out this article.  It's something you'll want to incorporate into your "practice" time and it's something you'll want to bookmark, I promise you.

Music Row Cleans House

Lonestar just lost their record deal.  Diamond Rio lost their deal a few months ago.

These acts, and acts like Reba, Vince Gill, and almost everybody else in music aren't selling records like they used to, but their careers are far from over.  Forget the fact the Reba and Toby Keith are getting into acting...  What I'm talking about here is that lots of people still pay a lot of money to see them perform live.

If acts like Reba, Lonestar, and Vince Gill, acts which have an established fan base, can't sell a record, what makes you think you can?  Sure, it's possible and I think you should go for it, but it's also important that you have other streams of income coming in, if you want a longterm career.

Records are selling for $10 on iTunes now.  Let's say you keep $5 of that...and you won't.  If you want to make $50,000/year, you'll need to sell 10,000 copies of your record every year.

That's great, and not hard to do, but also not a lot of money...especially if you've got an act with 4-5 people in it.

If you're looking to work in the music business full time, you're much better off playing shows where you can make a few thousand (or more) per night in ticket sales and then backend that with records and other merchandise.  Sure, it's a bit more "work" than just collecting a check from iTunes, but you'll make a lot more money faster and you'll establish a relationship with your fanbase that simply selling downloads can't.

Then, if you get a record deal and sell a ton, great.  And if you get dropped, you'll still have something you can go back to...just like Reba, Vince, and all the other people who are being dropped from their record deals.

18-Year Old Gets Deal Via YouTube

Esmee Denters, an 18-year-old from Holland, just got a deal thanks to YouTube.

Using a webcam, she recorded karaoke videos.  8,000,000 views later, she's been in the studio with Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland.  This got the attention of Billy Mann, a songwriter who has composed hits for Pink and Jessica Simpson.

More info on Esmee...

Breaking Up The Band

by Andre Calilhanna

MusicDish Network Sponsor

Being in a band is often the most gratifying element in a musician's life. A band offers the opportunity to freely express oneself, create music, establish friendships, perform, travel... there's a lot to like. But there's also the brutal reality of the music business, replete with stories of unwary artists being swallowed whole.

There is also the everyday reality of the group situation. Make no mistake, bands consist of complicated interpersonal relationships. Being in a band, particularly one where members are writing original material, requires a level of trust and a type of closeness that goes beyond any casual friendship.

Musicians, by nature, exhibit a certain, even heightened, level of ego. On the flip side of that ego is a tender and vulnerable underbelly that leads right to the emotional core. Exposing that vulnerable side of oneself to one's band mates helps define and cement the musical relationship. It can also set the stage for some bruising conflicts.

As Ari Tuckman, a psychologist with experience counseling bands, puts it, "Bands are minefields for arguments. Get three or more people together, all of whom have ideas they are passionate about, and disagreements are guaranteed."

Inevitably, each group's unique mix of talent, personality, experience, and enthusiasm will be tested over time. Often, the disparity between any of these elements signals a need for change. Change may mean altering certain functions within the group dynamic. It may also mean changing the group dynamic by letting someone from the band go.

Using Communication to Address Issues

Jay Levin, producer and managing partner of Turtle Studios in Philadelphia, makes no bones about it. "The music industry is the most competitive business in the world, so if you're serious about it, you have to acknowledge the competition, you have to acknowledge how difficult it's going to be. You simply can't afford to have any significant weaknesses.

"Personnel weaknesses are absolutely at the top of that list. It's not mean because it's not optional. If someone is the wrong collaborator, for any reason, including any aspect of talent or personality, then tolerating that person almost certainly means you will fail."

Some situations are simply not the right fit of talent and personality, and that may take time to manifest. Sometimes, as Tuckman quips, "good people are just not good together."

One simple way to avoid unnecessary complications and aggravation is through productive communication. In a band situation, this includes defining the goals of each member and the collective group ­ from who does what in the musical and business areas, to what the band is ultimately trying to accomplish in the long and short term. The problem is many bands simply aren't on the same page and don't even know it.

"One thing that comes up a lot is mismatched goals," says Levin. "You'll hear one version of what the band is trying to accomplish from one person, then a very different version from another. Sometimes you'll see a band where every band member is on a totally different page, or a band with factions."

Starting out with mismatched goals is one easy way to ensure problems, because while everyone might be putting in equal effort, the individual efforts may literally be pulling the group in different directions. The trick is to sit down and define short- and long-term goals collectively, and delegate and distinguish what's expected from each member of the group at the outset. These goals will invariably change over time, so this process should be dynamic and be continuously revisited.

There is the possibility that this communication will reveal discrepancies regarding different or changing personal goals among band members.

"There are different scenarios," Tuckman asserts. "One is when it's just not a good fit any more ­ maybe musically somebody wants to do something different, or maybe something has changed in terms of their availability or commitment. If someone simply isn't a good fit, everyone can just get together and talk about what's going on, what are the goals, and how to achieve them. Just because you clicked at one time doesn't mean you still do, and maybe you never clicked as well as you thought you did.

"If, on the other hand, one of the members is clearly problematic, that's a time when the band needs to sit down with that person, or perhaps one or two people in the band need to sit down with them, and confront them about what it is they are doing. For example if someone is drinking a lot, and that's causing problems, because they're too hard to be with or they're screwing up rehearsals or they're screwing up shows, the person needs to be confronted on that behavior ­ not to cast blame but to affect a change.

"The other members have to determine for themselves exactly how much they are willing to put up with. At what point is it no longer worth having whatever it is this person brings to the band, if it means you have to put up with all this other destructive nonsense as well?"

Conflict, typically, may be something you think you should avoid. This is not necessarily true. As Tuckman asserts, "Conflict can actually be productive if handled correctly." The important thing is to differentiate between a personal issue and a clash of ideas, goals, or perspective.

In other words, try to handle conflict by relating not to the personal traits of the person involved, but by addressing a specific action and its effects on the band. By differentiating between the person and the action, you stand a much better chance of affecting a change. It is important to resolve conflict before it gets too large and becomes the proverbial elephant in the room, the lingering problem that no one wants to talk about.

"The bad blood that comes from an unresolved argument spills over into everything else," warns Tuckman. "These resentments come out eventually, often in ways completely unrelated to the initial circumstances. This can snowball until the specifics of each incident are forgotten and replaced by a general sense of frustration. By this point, it's almost impossible to talk constructively about these feelings because they are so intense and no two people remember anything the same way."

Confronting a Band Mate

Tuckman offers these steps to consider when confronting a band mate:

1. Identify the problem. Let's say your vocalist is new to live performance and is having trouble staying in key while playing live.

2. Provide specific examples and offer objective measures. For example, address it with "At the last few performances, there are a number moments during the set where you were singing flat." Having tapes of the performances to back your claims will help define this an objective assertion, rather than a general attack or just your opinion.

3. Communicate clearly and objectively why this bothers you. You may say, "In many ways, the vocals are the most important part of the music. It is imperative that we always sound great. This is impacting our chances of attracting fans, getting better gigs, and progressing as a live act." Do your best to avoid a blaming tone and don't attack or put the person on the defensive. Keep the discussion limited to the topic at hand. Dragging in other subjects will result in a giant tangled ball of unresolved issues.

4. Get the other person's input on the situation. Maybe they see things differently. For example, maybe he's having difficulty hearing onstage and has never communicated that to you or doesn't know to ask for more vocals or guitar in his monitor. Maybe his earplugs are the cause of the problem.

5. Communicate clearly what needs to be done and why it's important. If you feel the situation still needs to change (e.g., this has been going on in recordings and rehearsals, too), suggest vocal lessons with the specific goal of improving pitch recognition and matching. Of course, as you discuss the situation, you too may need to make some changes. For example, maybe you need to alter the guitar part in the chorus to make it less busy and help the singer hear his note.

6. Clearly communicate what changes need to be made, and when, and what will happen if they aren't. Be specific, since confusion comes from vagueness. Set a time frame for when the pitch issue needs to be resolved. If changing the monitors and earplugs doesn't help, set a time frame for when vocal lessons need to begin. If things still do not improve, be prepared to make good on whatever your stated outcome is.

Obviously, many of these conversations aren't easy to initiate or follow through with, but the reality of the group ultimately disbanding due to unresolved issues is a likely alternative. You owe it to yourself, the band, and the individuals involved to promote an environment where ideas, frustrations, and criticism can flow in a constructive and creative fashion. In doing so, many potentially lethal situations may be nipped in the bud, or at the very least, can be addressed and dealt with before feelings turn sour and beyond repair.

Which is to say, maybe you have to deal with the fact that someone has to be let go. Again, it's not typically an easy notion to arrive at or execute, but sometimes it's simply a matter of saving the band. And, harsh as it may sound, there are always other musicians out there who can fit into to your project.

"Talent is a valuable commodity, but not necessarily a rare commodity," muses Levin. "There is always someone with talent out there. What's rare is to find someone who is both talented and highly professional ­ and better yet, someone who shares your vision. The more time you waste on unworkable talents, the less time you have to find the people you really should be working with."

It has been stated already, but sometimes good people aren't good for each other. There are many reasons why a certain musician is not the right person for your band. According to Tuckman, "You need to like your band mates enough to tolerate being around them a lot. You have to perform well together, in terms of the art of performing and writing. But you also need to be able to work well together, that's more the business end of it, including the division of labor and the thousand behind-the-scene details. To do well as a band you need to hit all three ­ to do badly as a band you only need to have a problem with one."

"This will sound awful," says Levin in summation, "but my main advice to musicians is, feel free to fire somebody. Fire five people if you have to. People who are unreliable, or who come with a lot of baggage or attitude, or who won't practice, or who irritate other people ­ you can waste literally years of time and energy trying to make things work with those people. And for what?"

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA is a psychologist in private practice in Exton, PA. He has worked with bands and musicians on finding common goals and resolving disputes. A frequent presenter, he has appeared on radio and TV, and in newspapers. More information about his practice may be found at www.TuckmanPsych.com..

Jay Levin is the co-founder of Turtle Studios in Philadelphia and has served as its managing partner since 1997. In addition to producing recordings, he has performed as a pianist and singer in over a dozen blues, jazz, soul, rock and country bands. Jay is also a seasoned technology analyst with 15 years of experience, and works as both a consultant and a volunteer leader with several of Philadelphia's leading non-profit and cultural arts groups. Learn more at www.turtlestudios.com.

Reprinted with permission from "Fast Forward," a publication of Disc Makers.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission

American Idol's Backend

Gotta love American Idol.  Not for the music, but for how they market the brand.

The latest is Idol Camp, $2900 training retreat for kids who are interesting in being the next big thing.  On a campus in Northfield, Massachusetts, campers will be able to take classes in vocals, business, stage performance, dancing, and more.

Is it beneficial?  Hard to say...  But where else can upcoming musicians get this type of training and live the American Idol experience without being on the show?

It won't work for every person reading this blog, but for a lot of acts that I work with, a "fantasy camp" like this can be a big income stream.  People will pay good money to be able to write with you, record with you, or do something with you.  Take advantage of it!