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Check Out David Byrne's Article at Wired
Maureen suggested that I check out this article by David Byrne about various options that artists (both emerging and established) have in this rapidly changing industry. Check it out at
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne.
I think it's a great read and something that every artist on the site should digest.
For what it's worth, here's the comment I posted at Wired:
First of all, I really enjoyed your article and I think that it does a great job of highlighting the new options that are available to artists as they ask themselves the fundamental question: NOW how do I pursue a musical career? Despite the continuous bombardment of bad news – deteriorating earnings of the majors, ugly layoffs and the masses of artists that are getting dropped – I think that it is actually a great time to be in the music industry, provided that an artist or business is open to doing things entirely differently. Most artists will tell you that they have never made money selling, as you put it, “plastic discs”. In fact, most artists’ income comes from the road – via sales of tickets (or a cut of the door) and merchandise. As you suggested, in the good old days, artists would go on tour to promote sales of the next album. Today, an increasing number of artists GIVE AWAY their music in order to promote attendance at live shows and get their name out there. The industry numbers are pretty staggering – according to eMarketer, global concert ticket sales and tour merchandise is expected to reach $23.5B in 2011, up from $16.6B in 2006. When you juxtapose this segment of the industry against sales of recorded music, which is flat to declining, live music as a life line for artists becomes even more interesting.
I also wanted to mention that as numerous artists are getting dropped by their labels, there is an increasingly growing “Artist Middle Class” that has emerged. Many of these artists have avid fans, tour on a regular basis, and are able to sustain a living in pursuing their careers as musicians. While I do believe labels can still currently provide much-needed marketing expertise, I strongly agree with your assertion that several artists have been highly successful in landing their band names on the tongues of the public and money in their pockets by taking control of their careers and running their music as a business – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is often the “poster child” example. The “DIY” movement that you discuss reminds me of the hardcore bands of yesteryear (the film “American Hardcore” is a great study in the DIY ethic), but now the effectiveness of tech-empowered artists who run grass-roots marketing campaigns via the web is stronger than ever. As the industry continues to evolve, I believe that there will be more and more cyber and street-smart artists that will retain creative and financial control, continue to develop innovative ways to promote their band, and preserve their dreams of authenticity by creating music for what it was intended to be: ART.
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne.
I think it's a great read and something that every artist on the site should digest.
For what it's worth, here's the comment I posted at Wired:
First of all, I really enjoyed your article and I think that it does a great job of highlighting the new options that are available to artists as they ask themselves the fundamental question: NOW how do I pursue a musical career? Despite the continuous bombardment of bad news – deteriorating earnings of the majors, ugly layoffs and the masses of artists that are getting dropped – I think that it is actually a great time to be in the music industry, provided that an artist or business is open to doing things entirely differently. Most artists will tell you that they have never made money selling, as you put it, “plastic discs”. In fact, most artists’ income comes from the road – via sales of tickets (or a cut of the door) and merchandise. As you suggested, in the good old days, artists would go on tour to promote sales of the next album. Today, an increasing number of artists GIVE AWAY their music in order to promote attendance at live shows and get their name out there. The industry numbers are pretty staggering – according to eMarketer, global concert ticket sales and tour merchandise is expected to reach $23.5B in 2011, up from $16.6B in 2006. When you juxtapose this segment of the industry against sales of recorded music, which is flat to declining, live music as a life line for artists becomes even more interesting.
I also wanted to mention that as numerous artists are getting dropped by their labels, there is an increasingly growing “Artist Middle Class” that has emerged. Many of these artists have avid fans, tour on a regular basis, and are able to sustain a living in pursuing their careers as musicians. While I do believe labels can still currently provide much-needed marketing expertise, I strongly agree with your assertion that several artists have been highly successful in landing their band names on the tongues of the public and money in their pockets by taking control of their careers and running their music as a business – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is often the “poster child” example. The “DIY” movement that you discuss reminds me of the hardcore bands of yesteryear (the film “American Hardcore” is a great study in the DIY ethic), but now the effectiveness of tech-empowered artists who run grass-roots marketing campaigns via the web is stronger than ever. As the industry continues to evolve, I believe that there will be more and more cyber and street-smart artists that will retain creative and financial control, continue to develop innovative ways to promote their band, and preserve their dreams of authenticity by creating music for what it was intended to be: ART.
Comments
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posted on Dec 27 at 4:18 pm
That's an interesting anecdote that I didn't even think of. Yes, live music is alive and well, particularly here in SF. There's something about a live show that just can never be replicated in a recording.