TheCapitalClinic

Uzi’s blog, “Repost [of Bottom of the Hill head soundman, Paul’s]Open Letter to A.F.I. (Written in 2003)”, speaks eloquently to the hazards of the artist’s life, particularly as musicians move up the “ladder of success” from intimate basement gigs to arenas holding thousands. It is instructive and, seen in one light, pretty depressing. Indeed, it is all too reflective of the “social DK” that results from lack of civility, self indulgence, and many other human short-comings that are, ironically, the very stuff of the artist’s decrial. The old system is on the verge of breakdown.

As the sales of physical cds dramatically decline, it is clear that new, hybrid revenue models must evolve that combine digital downloads sales, online ticket and merch sales, virtual remixes and branding, direct or indirect participation in digital ad sales, and many other innovative ways to leverage artistic effort to generate revenues so that musicians can continue to sustain their work.

Paul’s open letter lays out an all-too familiar tale of the artist’s struggle that calls for a note of encouragement for musicians at all stages of their careers lest they become cynical purveyors of their “art” or, worse, simply give up their calling, because, like it or not, direct face-time/interaction of artists with their fans [and for many a tough life on the road] will be a necessary ingredient to sustain their connectivity and, thus, their artistic resonance. What encouragement can one provide?

The leverage derived from web-enabled platforms will no doubt be key to find the right revenue-to-effort ratios to give reasonable returns relative to the man-hours or "the blood, sweat, and tears expended". As has been an constant theme of ours, the heavy-lifting will always be the responsibility of the artists striving to push out the envelope of their art. And in this regard the “Gig Math” still does not add up for most artists.

One note for optimism might be found in the following postulated scenario and the operation of power laws in the life of committed artists as their exposure is enhanced through the leverage of a digital platform. For purposes of this exercise, let’s assume that the power law at work is 10 to the nth degree.

1). At the first level, the artists’ most loyal fans are “family and friends” [10-100] – this is, almost by definition, an intimate and positive experience.

2.) At the next level, as the digital platform cascades connections by one order of magnitude from multiples of tens to hundreds, a new dynamic takes hold that requires a new set of networking skills to maintain the level of connectivity, that while no longer intimate, remains largely positive through the intervention of “first level family/friends speaking one-to-one with their “friends”.

3.) At the next level of connectivity and beyond, say, the multiple of tens to the third power and beyond [or from hundreds to thousands and tens of thousands] the law of large numbers creates statistical variances that are less predictable [as evidenced by the appearance of the “sell-out” jerks described in Paul’s letter]. At this level, the pro-active intervention of “digitally-engaged artists” is, in my view, critical to sustain career development in a positive, albeit less intimate, framework.

What do I mean then, by the pro-active intervention of the Digitally Engaged Artist? Well, isn’t that what we are all trying to discover and do here?