Post by Klingoncelt on Aug 25, 2011 7:21:20 GMT -5
August 24, 2011
A Prize Worthy of Serious Consideration
On more than one occasion throughout the years, I’ve considered the unimaginable, that the business of recorded music could become as redundant as A Jester with a Lute. Intellectual Property Rights & Copyright Law were designed to promote creativity, these days however the laws is more of a corporate tool than a protective mechanism for a writers work – So now with a heady steam of Technological Interference embalmed in the process we have reached this unique juncture.
The Laws as it now stands is an ass;
The Business Model of the Royalty System is Unsustainable & in Terminal Decline.
The Owners of Copyright can no longer Protect their Artists/Clients Rights [as defined by laws founded on the physical principle]
The Laws are being used to prosecute the public in a McCarthy type fashion.
Yet – The Creative Environment has never been So Fertile.
Unfortunately the Business that once Organised Talent is no longer is Fit for Purpose.
There probability of a Band Landing a Deal is at an All Time Low.
The ability to Make A Career from Music – on any level – Tougher Than Ever.
“City Culture” Corporate Entertainment [the type of vomit we seen every weekend] Leaves No Space for Cultural Development, only Decline…
There is a real need for Localised Scenes & Emerging Talent to get off their arse, go Shout the House Down, if Not Now then WHEN
The Social & Political Environment more than ever Needs the Voice of The Artist, being a powerful means to Inform or Challenge the Official Version of Events.
The means of Distribution is Deregulated & now Free For All.
The means of Communication & Promotion are no longer Monopolised.
The means of Creativity & Empowerment are Readily Accessible if you are Inspired.
HTML5 will provide a basis upon which you can become extremely creative & redefine web-products, Apple have already adopted a royalty based model.
The Creative Opportunity that Technology provides is Hyper, but you have to be prepared to Re-Tool Your Skills & that Won’t Happen Overnight.
You have to be Extremely Thrifty in the Creation of Content, you need to get into a New Model Cost Base.
Those who have proved to be so Dominant as Social & Web Based platforms, still have Little Penetration into the handheld market.
With Billions of Connected Handsets as Personal Tools, never has the need for Quality Content been so Great, or the Opportunity so Clear.
We live in a multi-screen environment, many people inhabit a 4-screen world – We haven’t even begun to see the harmonisation of this yet.
“The consumer now prefers it this way”… The Tide of Public Taste & Opinion has already swept 50% of the music industry away, because technology exposed its flaws.
The Challenge is to Re-Organise The Talent, Re-Invent the Listening Experience, The Emotional Leverage is still very alive in people, we still aspire to the highest.
ALL of this & then some I would hope be viewed in a very positive light, of course with technology there is more structural development to come, in fact its ever evolving – but the one thing I believe you can be certain of is that “if your business does not have a web based strategy at its core [& you need to begin that now], inevitably & not to far in the distant future you will be out of business.
So how can you ensure things work ? Well the short answer is that you can’t, this is frontier stuff… In actuality it means experimenting & at times failing with technology & delivery, presentation, distribution, new products – If it were plain sailing then they’d all be at it… There’s a very powerful argument that a well managed niche is way more preferable that a broader commercial purge. The point is that now you have the chance to find this out, make your own market, maybe less profit than the old labels system, but also way less bullshit, how can you put a price on such things…
Here’s a way to distinguish between the 2 options of deals…
If you are signed to what we still for some unearthly reason refer to as a major label, then you may have an uphill struggle in even getting a record released… The odds are now very stacked against recording original music & thus forging an enduring career… For me however the danger today is that the label system can break you as quick as it can make you. You may be waiting for a year until they release the album you delivered in 2010, but fundamentally you have no control over your own future & career, if they [as they so readily do] “pull the plug” you are proper screwed & its not a decision you will be allowed to add anything for consideration to, in other words you will probably not here about it until its a fait de complait – “Oh didn’t you know, well it was always on the cards” … That’s old school we don’t give a fuck about out artists…
Now take the other route – Digital Independence, as the core to market, promote & distribute your wares… First thing is that you get to turn the tap on & off, whatever your pace dictates. You will not be left gobsmacked, about to board a flight in Hamburg when you get the call to say they are dropping promoting your album… In other words you won’t have a partner that would under-cut you and basically put you out of business, without regret… In favour of partnering with another artist… AS I have explained in previous blogs, the diversification of how a band will attain revenue is still very nascent, so just imagine where you will be in 5-years time if you build your own creative eco-system.
You get to decide, you get to make your life in music a pleasure as opposed to a pressure, you can draw your own commercial line of fulfilment, if you want more then that’s your prerogative, if you can find enough, then good for you my friend, because enough is all you need…
Nobody as yet has the silver bullet, but there’s a very solid foundation from where to start. However don’t be afraid of screwing up, making errors because your judgements have very little historical reference as this is all New Technology based on Hypothesis & Theory. Whereas we used to line up the marketing of a new album to positively explode the instant it was released, you now have to accept that things can’t be manipulated in that way with any degree of certainty, so one has to build outwards, with less of an eye on “instant cash” & a fundamental commitment to the building process.
Simply because you are who you are does not guarantee anything in this world, the dilution & fragmentation of information no longer gives you access to a Big Brother Style Network… Because your audience now has a choice far greater than anything most traditional business ever had to compete with & coming to terms with that, whatever your vocation will give you a head start as other struggle to adopt technology & accept change…
In 2011 – What is an Independent Artist?
I would define that in 3-basic parts…
1. Independent Financially – no 3rd party owners or financiers, no pressure from excessive or wasteful investment – You Own It For Life…
2. Independent Creatively – total creative ownership – as your music evolves internally, with the freedom to say what ever you want to say…
3. Independent Technology Base – designed, committed to & structured around your own Fresh Model, under your own Lock & Key.
If you analyse what you need to be an effective creative / producer of music and take a broader view of content creation, particularly visual, then the shape & skills a music entourage need might look a little different to say 1980… The transition is from one of creative dependancy, where a number of wheels are turning simultaneously but not at your discretion, to a creative sufficiency & a means to potentially sustain your art & presentation – One that you alone can control & maybe even profit from.
Now surely that’s a prize worthy of serious consideration !!!
posted by: Andy Taylor
A Prize Worthy of Serious Consideration
On more than one occasion throughout the years, I’ve considered the unimaginable, that the business of recorded music could become as redundant as A Jester with a Lute. Intellectual Property Rights & Copyright Law were designed to promote creativity, these days however the laws is more of a corporate tool than a protective mechanism for a writers work – So now with a heady steam of Technological Interference embalmed in the process we have reached this unique juncture.
The Laws as it now stands is an ass;
The Business Model of the Royalty System is Unsustainable & in Terminal Decline.
The Owners of Copyright can no longer Protect their Artists/Clients Rights [as defined by laws founded on the physical principle]
The Laws are being used to prosecute the public in a McCarthy type fashion.
Yet – The Creative Environment has never been So Fertile.
Unfortunately the Business that once Organised Talent is no longer is Fit for Purpose.
There probability of a Band Landing a Deal is at an All Time Low.
The ability to Make A Career from Music – on any level – Tougher Than Ever.
“City Culture” Corporate Entertainment [the type of vomit we seen every weekend] Leaves No Space for Cultural Development, only Decline…
There is a real need for Localised Scenes & Emerging Talent to get off their arse, go Shout the House Down, if Not Now then WHEN
The Social & Political Environment more than ever Needs the Voice of The Artist, being a powerful means to Inform or Challenge the Official Version of Events.
The means of Distribution is Deregulated & now Free For All.
The means of Communication & Promotion are no longer Monopolised.
The means of Creativity & Empowerment are Readily Accessible if you are Inspired.
HTML5 will provide a basis upon which you can become extremely creative & redefine web-products, Apple have already adopted a royalty based model.
The Creative Opportunity that Technology provides is Hyper, but you have to be prepared to Re-Tool Your Skills & that Won’t Happen Overnight.
You have to be Extremely Thrifty in the Creation of Content, you need to get into a New Model Cost Base.
Those who have proved to be so Dominant as Social & Web Based platforms, still have Little Penetration into the handheld market.
With Billions of Connected Handsets as Personal Tools, never has the need for Quality Content been so Great, or the Opportunity so Clear.
We live in a multi-screen environment, many people inhabit a 4-screen world – We haven’t even begun to see the harmonisation of this yet.
“The consumer now prefers it this way”… The Tide of Public Taste & Opinion has already swept 50% of the music industry away, because technology exposed its flaws.
The Challenge is to Re-Organise The Talent, Re-Invent the Listening Experience, The Emotional Leverage is still very alive in people, we still aspire to the highest.
ALL of this & then some I would hope be viewed in a very positive light, of course with technology there is more structural development to come, in fact its ever evolving – but the one thing I believe you can be certain of is that “if your business does not have a web based strategy at its core [& you need to begin that now], inevitably & not to far in the distant future you will be out of business.
So how can you ensure things work ? Well the short answer is that you can’t, this is frontier stuff… In actuality it means experimenting & at times failing with technology & delivery, presentation, distribution, new products – If it were plain sailing then they’d all be at it… There’s a very powerful argument that a well managed niche is way more preferable that a broader commercial purge. The point is that now you have the chance to find this out, make your own market, maybe less profit than the old labels system, but also way less bullshit, how can you put a price on such things…
Here’s a way to distinguish between the 2 options of deals…
If you are signed to what we still for some unearthly reason refer to as a major label, then you may have an uphill struggle in even getting a record released… The odds are now very stacked against recording original music & thus forging an enduring career… For me however the danger today is that the label system can break you as quick as it can make you. You may be waiting for a year until they release the album you delivered in 2010, but fundamentally you have no control over your own future & career, if they [as they so readily do] “pull the plug” you are proper screwed & its not a decision you will be allowed to add anything for consideration to, in other words you will probably not here about it until its a fait de complait – “Oh didn’t you know, well it was always on the cards” … That’s old school we don’t give a fuck about out artists…
Now take the other route – Digital Independence, as the core to market, promote & distribute your wares… First thing is that you get to turn the tap on & off, whatever your pace dictates. You will not be left gobsmacked, about to board a flight in Hamburg when you get the call to say they are dropping promoting your album… In other words you won’t have a partner that would under-cut you and basically put you out of business, without regret… In favour of partnering with another artist… AS I have explained in previous blogs, the diversification of how a band will attain revenue is still very nascent, so just imagine where you will be in 5-years time if you build your own creative eco-system.
You get to decide, you get to make your life in music a pleasure as opposed to a pressure, you can draw your own commercial line of fulfilment, if you want more then that’s your prerogative, if you can find enough, then good for you my friend, because enough is all you need…
Nobody as yet has the silver bullet, but there’s a very solid foundation from where to start. However don’t be afraid of screwing up, making errors because your judgements have very little historical reference as this is all New Technology based on Hypothesis & Theory. Whereas we used to line up the marketing of a new album to positively explode the instant it was released, you now have to accept that things can’t be manipulated in that way with any degree of certainty, so one has to build outwards, with less of an eye on “instant cash” & a fundamental commitment to the building process.
Simply because you are who you are does not guarantee anything in this world, the dilution & fragmentation of information no longer gives you access to a Big Brother Style Network… Because your audience now has a choice far greater than anything most traditional business ever had to compete with & coming to terms with that, whatever your vocation will give you a head start as other struggle to adopt technology & accept change…
In 2011 – What is an Independent Artist?
I would define that in 3-basic parts…
1. Independent Financially – no 3rd party owners or financiers, no pressure from excessive or wasteful investment – You Own It For Life…
2. Independent Creatively – total creative ownership – as your music evolves internally, with the freedom to say what ever you want to say…
3. Independent Technology Base – designed, committed to & structured around your own Fresh Model, under your own Lock & Key.
If you analyse what you need to be an effective creative / producer of music and take a broader view of content creation, particularly visual, then the shape & skills a music entourage need might look a little different to say 1980… The transition is from one of creative dependancy, where a number of wheels are turning simultaneously but not at your discretion, to a creative sufficiency & a means to potentially sustain your art & presentation – One that you alone can control & maybe even profit from.
Now surely that’s a prize worthy of serious consideration !!!
posted by: Andy Taylor
