Everyone reaches their own version of a breaking point. It’s the moment when the incalculable doom of your current situation demands you to do something. Divorce attorneys are experts at exploiting that point in marriages, and music bloggers (you know who you are!) are very quick to point this phenomenon out as the music industry lurches toward its seemingly self-inflicted, horrible demise.
I make a point to keep up with what everyone else is doing, and the (often self-appointed) Greek chorus of experts is consistently chanting from the proscenium. You’ve heard their refrain, haven’t you? It goes something like this: “Music should be free …. fan financing is the wave of the future … Twitter shall make you riches beyond belief …. the major labels don’t get it … hare krishna … shanti shanti shanti … om ….”
These experts made their fortunes in the old industry, or in a totally different industry! They were A&R guys, promoters, lawyers, managers, and label heads who sit high upon their bank statements and offer advice. Case in point: Bob Lefsetz. Bob’s probably a great guy, and a blast to sit next to at a Steely Dan show, but he’s quick to tell you why the major labels don’t work while overlooking the fact that they paid him a LOT of money for a LONG time. Now that he’s not on the payroll, he can criticize them all he wants. Again, he made his money. He’s got nothing to lose.
The music industry collapsed under the weight of greed. Record labels got greedy and came up with creative accounting practices to keep their coffers lined at the expense of the artists. But the fans got greedy too. Nobody likes to admit that. Out of the fans’ greediness came peer-to-peer. In response to rising prices and inferior music tools Napster gave the labels a wake up call.
Everyone loves to kick you while you’re down, but no one wants to help you back onto your feet. That’s the real answer to today’s music industry. Too many bridges burned. Putting that train back on its tracks would force a webinar’s worth of experts to get day jobs. And really, who wants that?
Labels eventually pushed inferior product, fans refused to pay for it. Value for dollar was no longer. Are you listening EMI? Or are you too busy pushing even more Beatles product on the world?
So please, all you music industry experts: stop blogging, get off the SXSW panels, avoid the Ed Hardy, and convince the major labels to create good music for less money. Tell Irving Azoff that we won’t spend $200 to see the Eagles again, and please (please!) stop letting Perez Hilton think he knows ANYTHING about running a record label. Instead, take all your money and create a label built on good ol’ artist development. That’s what’ll create the coveted Springsteens and U2s of tomorrow.
Find, support, and promote the acts that will change the world. You did it before, stop listening to “experts,” and do it again. And fans? Same to you!
