Paste Magazine -- a well-written and well-designed national monthly publication that has very eclectic coverage and includes a bit of global music alongside all sorts of other thoughtful styles -- needs your help (they also produce an annual international issue). If you don't know the magazine, check it out. Let's show them that the global music community appreciates what they do. More info here.
Though the music industry remains in flux with drastic shifts in distribution and an overflowing market thanks to increased access to tools of production, one thing has become clear: live performance is a primary profit engine for professional musicians. But you can only play so much in your local market and when you are thinking of touring you are faced with the chicken-and-egg dilemma (which comes first?): you can't tour without fans,and you can't make fans without touring. Here is an idea for gradually increasing your touring base. Create a local fan base by playing somewhere regularly. It could be weekly or every other month. That probably depends on the size of your city (the population not the height of the buildings), how much other activity is competing with you, the demand for your particular music, etc. Create a community and following with your local regular gig; reasons for people to come back every time and to tell other people about your regular gig. Once you get momentum there, look at a map and draw a circle that includes all the other towns and cities that are drivable within a few hours of your town. Identify a town that would be ripe for another regular gig; maybe every other month. Find the right venue; one that already has a following similar to your band's following, or possibly one that is totally different but for which you could create a new local scene. Tell the two scenes about each other. Fans may have friends in your new sister city. Once that bi-monthly gig is going get another on going in another town in a different direction from your home base. Once that's going, draw another wider circle on your map, encompassing towns that are a little further away from home. In the further cities, maybe you only play there a few times a year. Keep those email lists growing and make sure to categorize fans by their location, so you can target local fans every time you come back to the city. In some cases, as you continue to widen your concentric circles it might be a year between concerts in a given city. Eventually, if you can widen these touring circles further you will be able to align enough cities to have a full-fledged tour reaching to cities that were too far before, but are now within reach of the concert last night. You'll also be building a fan base all along and a touring record that a future booking agent can look at as evidence of your potential on their roster and your potential in other regions/cities. Sure, everyone wants to have a national tour... but this Big Idea could be a way you can get things started on your own as an investment in your musical career.
Has your "world music" act done this? Share your battle stories by submitting a comment with the link below.
DubMC.com is the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.
This article kicks off a series of short summaries of business books, applying them to your business in global music. After all, if you have made it to DubMC, chances are you want to know about the mechanics of commerce as it applies to music across cultures. We start off with The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre & Every Business a Stage, by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore.
The basic tenet of the book is that as a society our marketplace offerings evolve from commodity (a coffee bean), to product (bagged coffee at the super market), to service (a cup of coffee at a diner), to experience (learning a new language to order your coffee beverage, a realm of scents, the opportunity to see and be scene on colorful overstuffed furniture, merchandise you can wear, and, at one time, music for you to hear and possibly purchase). Your five dollar venti skinny mocha latte is not just a drink. You've also paid for an experience. As the realm of recorded music has not only become commoditized (yes, that's what it's called if your recording is sitting in the i-Tunes library selling a few times per year for $.99), but free-ified, note that the economic engine of music is tipping towards live performance; which is more of an experience than listening to a recording. And even in the realm of free music -- whether condoned by the content creator or ripped and posted on a peer-to-peer network -- for many, the recorded music listening activity is more of an experience these days, shrouded in online interaction, conversation, and sharing of information/emotions/identity.
The authors present the thought that any business (and I would include artists, labels, presenters/venues, agents, etc.) can profit more from offering an experience instead of only a product (a recording) or service (a performance with little context or interaction). That is, if you can differentiate yourself from others by tapping into all five senses, creating memories, and/or offering something personal, isn't what you have to offer more valuable? And if it is more valuable, people are more likely to buy, or buy more frequently, or pay more.
Pine and Gilmore say that staging experience is not about entertaining customers, it's about engaging them. Entertainment is only one form of engagement. They developed two dimensions of creating experiences: Absorption (mental) versus Immersion (physical) and Passive Participation (watching/hearing) versus Active Participation (doing). If you were to draw these two spectra as a "t", the realm of experience would be divided into:
- Entertainment (passive/absorption)
- Educational (active/absorption)
- Escapist (active/immersion; meaning, greater immersion than entertainment or education; think Disney World or virtual reality)
- Esthetic (passive/immersion; meaning, viewing fine art or the Grand Canyon; or, watch, don't touch)
The writers reccomend that businesses "theme the experience." This is a great tip when conceiving a recording or a live show. They say a theme should: Alter the recpient's sense of reality. Affect the recipient's sense of space, time,and matter. Integrate space, time, and matter into a cohesive whole. Create multiple places within a place. Fit your character. If it is not a good fit, it's not believable or credible. The authors write, "A poorly conceived theme... gives customers nothing around which to organize their impressions, and the experience yields no lasting memory."
The authors have many other compelling concepts along these lines, but here we have enough to play with for our purposes. So here are some questions to provoke how you might change the way you do things with this new knowledge and concept:
ARTISTS/LABELS
1. What feeling do you want people to have when they hear your music?
2. What can you offer beyond the music -- the notes and rhythms, the lyrics, the actual performance -- so that fans have a more full experience?
3. What themes for your next recording would help people be drawn further into your music? What narrative can your album tell? How will you augment that narrative beyond the music?
4. How do you use visual elements (album covers, artists photos, concert posters, giveaways, t-shirts, stage lighting, video or slide projection) to create an experience for your fans? How are those visual elements tied to a larger theme or narrative?
5. What online tools do you have access to right now that can engage fans or potential fans in the realms of education, entertainment, immersion?
6. What is something you can do that no other musician/label has ever done to create the ultimate fan experience?
PRESENTERS/VENUES/AGENTS/ETC.
1. How can you help the artists you present augment the fan experience?
2. What standards could you convey about themes, narratives, visuals, etc. to the artists you present?
3. How are the physical spaces you use to present artists curated to immerse audience members further into the experience?
4. What information or resources could you provide to audience members before, during, and after the show to engage their senses and create memories?
5. How could you engage merchandising to create a further fan experience of an artist's theme or presentation?
6. What tools could you use online to increase interaction between fan and performer, or between fans and othr fans? What other interactions could fans/audience members have that would strengthen their connection and experience of your venue/brand?
Global and cross-cultural music has an advantage in creating experiences for potential fans in that there is a cultural wealth that can be tapped to engage people, whether they are fans "from back home" or fans who want to learn more about and experience "the world." Even artists composing and performing in the continually emerging hybrid music forms have an opportunity to create first-time dialogues/interactions or engage people in ways that shift their realities. It does not need to be explicit or academic. It can be done in more subtle or even in physical ways. Many traditions in the realm of "world music" are steeped in interactive traditions like call and response, improvisation, and ritual music. Why are we not engaging the audiences of today in these traditions -- or hybrids of these traditions -- that bring audience members further into the fold? Activities as simple as explaining a ceremony a rhythm or melody is drawn from or humorously telling (oftentimes translating) the story of a traditional lyric, augments the experience. Music is not a universal language. That's like saying language is a universal language. Music is a language, but each form is not universal. And it often needs translation literally and culturally. Giving audience members a context or better yet an experience will keep them coming back for more.
DubMC.com is the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.
The media landscape has continued to shift drastically in recent weeks, which will continue to have an effect on media coverage of world music, and all music for that matter. While much is being said about consolidation, also of note are innovations emerging in these unprecedented times. The Jay Leno Show is inventing a new model of the not-so-late show format. NPR had two reports on the success of some "ethnic media" (isn't all media ethnic?) as other media is challenged by these economic times. Many newspapers and magazines are going online only, being threatened by bankrupcy, or folding. Music magazines including Global Rhythm, Blender, and No Depression have shuttered their doors (not to mention Tracks, if you can think that far back), while Denver's Rocky Mountain News has closed, Ann Arbor News and the Christian Science Monitor have gone online only, and a dozen other newspapers are cutting back on staff, seeing some music critic veterans (from the L.A. Times to the S.F Chronicle) leaving long-held posts. Of course, most of them still have blogs, e-newsletters, and freelance outlets.
World music professionals should be happy though to hear that National Public Radio continues to thrive, since NPR programs have long been supportive of global music in its many forms. In this article, business magazine Fast Company writes:
"NPR's listenership has nearly doubled since 1999, even as newspaper circulation dropped off a cliff. Its programming now reaches 26.4 million listeners weekly -- far more than USA Today's 2.3 million daily circ or Fox News' 2.8 million prime-time audience. When newspapers were closing bureaus, NPR was opening them, and now runs 38 around the world, better than CNN. It has 860 member stations -- 'boots on the ground in every town' that no newspaper or TV network can claim. It has moved boldly into new media as well: 14 million monthly podcast downloads, 8 million Web visitors, NPR Mobile, an open platform, a social network, even crowdsourcing. And although the nonprofit has been hit by the downturn like everyone else, its multiple revenue streams look far healthier long term than the ad-driven model of commercial media."
Go NPR! And, while we're at it, go PRI too! Especially The World, which has the only daily national radio global music feature.
DubMC.com is the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.
Megan Romer wears two hats. In part one of this two-part installment, she wrote about the "tribe" that has formed around the GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance. In this, part two, she talks about a totally different approach to developing audiences for global music.
About.com, the outlet for whom I write and am solely in charge of world music content, is a New York Times company and consistently ranked in the Top 15 (not percent - the actual number) of most-visited websites in the US. "Guides," as we writers are known, are highly trained in Search Engine Optimization, web-friendly writing, e-commerce, metrics tracking, and so on.
So what does this mean for the world music community? Nothing at all. I don't write for the world music community. Die-hards have wonderful, dynamic websites that they can visit to learn more and dig deeper into obscure genres and old favorites, analyze industry news, keep track of various goings-on... there are several, all of which are great, all of which I spend a lot of time at: World Music Central, National Geographic World Music, Soundroots.org, DubMC, and so on. Those are the websites that are written for and by people like you and me.
My website is different. I see it as my job to harvest the ripe, low-hanging fruits, those that are ready and waiting to be picked: people who saw Celtic Woman on TV and kind of liked the pure Irish stuff, but aren't quite sure where to start if they want something that isn't too rough, etc. People who like Bob Marley, but are completely baffled by the huge variety of reggae (and offshoots) on the market and definitely know that they don't like Beenie Man but aren't quite sure who they might like. People who saw the Edith Piaf movie and want to buy a CD but aren't really sure which one. I see it as my mission to turn these people into fans, however briefly. And it works. I have the metrics to prove it. I know that people have purchased lots of Karan Casey CDs because I told them that they'd like her if they liked Celtic Woman. I know that people are buying the wonderful Afroandina Christmas CD because they, like me, are dead tired of Jingle Bell Rock, and want a little something different. I know that people are more interested in the World Music Grammy Nominees than, in my opinion, they should be.
And that's okay! So what if 95% of them buy a single Ladysmith Black Mambazo CD (because they like Christian music and want to hear more of it from around the globe) and never buy another world music CD again? Even if 1% of them go on to see Soweto Gospel Choir live, and then perhaps attend a festival where LBM are playing, and hear Toumani Diabate for the first time, really enjoy it, move on to Toumani + Ali Farka, and from there move on to Vieux Farka, and so on, we're doing great. Every one of us discovered world music somehow -- very few of us (especially those of us who are of the Caucasian Persuasion) were raised on anything much world-ier than Harry Belafonte and Pete Seeger's version of Wimoweh. Perhaps Paul Simon or Peter Gabriel got us hooked. Maybe we heard Cesaria Evora on NPR, or picked up a Putumayo CD at the gift store.
My website doesn't necessarily create demand -- often it is more of a service. You, new world music listener, might like this CD. It's not too out-there, you'll relate, you'll dig it. Hard-core fans might not say it's the best, but I've been where you are, and I know that you'll find it accessible. But I do try to write with an emphasis on the importance of expanding your horizons, learning about other cultures, etc., which hopefully translates occasionally into a slight sense of obligation and need. I try very hard not to be pedantic or know-it-all-ish... I spend a good portion of my blogging time trying to make myself seem human and even sort of "normal," so as to try to get newbies to relate to me in a way that they wouldn't be able to if they actually knew what a blowhard I am in real life. And it works. My traffic continues to grow, and I continually see metrics that show me that certain types of sales are on the up-and-up. I feel good about what I do, even though I've gotten a fair bit of flak for it from my snobbier friends, and even from certain managers, bands, and publicists who can't understand why I won't spend my time reviewing their super-obscure CD when instead I could be devising new ways to push people into the Ladysmith-Soweto-Toumani chain that I described earlier.
The market needs expanding, and is totally expandable, but I think that universal expansion strategies simply won't work. A multi-pronged strategy is the only way to go.
The one thing I know for sure, though, is that the snobbiness has GOT to go, at least publicly. We (as a world music community) should be encouraging our tribe to spread the word in positive ways, instead of making blanket statements like, "anyone who thinks that Ravi Shankar is the best sitar player in the world is obviously too stupid to get past the Beatles and do some exploration on their own." Let's think of ways to do better, to foment positive-diacritical messages, instead of negative-critical ones. We bear a huge responsibility as an industry, and hold enormous power in our ability to truly change the face of culture as we know it by introducing and creating positive inter-cultural dialogue and cross-pollination, and we need to do it. In-fighting doesn't seem to be working, nor do the "I know more than you" pissing contests that seem all-too-regular... I think if we all took the other approach (in a rational, businesslike way, not in the hippy-dippy way that we sometimes lean towards), we'd be doing ourselves, our artists, and the world a huge favor.
When DubMC launched a conversation about entrepreneurial approaches to global music, Scott Southard of booking agency International Music Network, applied Seth Godin's notion of "tribes" to the world music field as well as calling for dissolving traditional roles and practices in the music industry. Now we turn to a two-part article by Megan Romer, who wears two hats (marketing director, Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance, and guide to world music, About.com). Here in part one, Romer explores the concept of "tribe" for her festival audience and challenges booking agents to walk the walk regarding booking fees and audience development.
I tend to look at the idea of "spreading the word" from two different directions, as my two main gigs leave me interacting with two fairly disparate market segments, neither of which are "die-hards" or part of the "tribe," necessarily. So I'll take this one by one.
At the GrassRoots Festival, we've managed to build a tribe around the festival itself. By creating a festival with a truly grassroots feel, eschewing corporate sponsorship and private-interest funding, as well as most grant moneys (we have partaken in some of the county tourism funding a few times, in bleak economic years), we have complete artistic and programming freedom. More importantly, though, our constituents feel as though THEY are the owners of the festival, not that it's owned by Budweiser or the Park Foundation or whoever else. This sense of ownership leads to an intimate sense of community, which translates to an absurdly high rate of repeat attendance (well over 90%).
Economic impact surveys and other market analysis reports we've done, alongside anecdotal evidence and other less-formal analysis, indicate that our crowd is largely middle-aged, middle-class, and middle-income folks, many of whom have some sort of positive association with, but who are not part of, the countercultural movement of the sixties. It would be remiss to avoid stating that the majority of our audience caught wind of the festival conversation due to our founders and perpetual host band, Donna the Buffalo, who tend to tour within both the bluegrass and jam-band circuits, though their sound is decidedly Americana-rock (with reggae and zydeco influences), and not necessarily "jam-band" or "jam-grass." Their own fan base is enormous, extraordinarily dedicated, and highly self-organized. The majority is middle-aged, middle-class, and middle-income, though they (known as "the herd") definitely represent people from all walks of life. Older and more discerning than fans of, say, Phish or Widespread Panic (though there is certainly some crossover), they are a solid, expandable (and expanding!) market. This is our core, and the "tribe" to whom we cater the most carefully.
Because we have these dedicated fans who would buy tickets to the festival even if we, say, programmed a lineup of 80 bands whose names started with the letter D, our programming choices become much easier. We have the freedom to book the best, not just the most famous, which is why we have, for example, Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys perform each year. Never heard of 'em? Neither have most people. But ask any Cajun musician who the best accordion player in Southwest Louisiana is, and they'll tell you that Mr. Walter takes the cake. If we were a different festival, and one who had to make programming decisions based solely on draw, we'd probably be booking some very different musicians on a regular basis, but we are able to book less-famous musicians who are equally as talented, and "break" them to our audience on an annual basis.
I think that festivals and venues that have a solid, built-in crowd have a responsibility to make bolder and more important booking decisions. The crowd is there. They're clearly interested in music, and not the Top 40 kind. They're ready to be entertained. People like us don't need to, and therefore shouldn't, book acts like The Wailers - shadows of something that used to be great - when we could be exposing people to Tinariwen instead (something we did on their very first American tour). Substituting draw for quality tends to be a vicious cycle that too many festivals and venues fall into, and they are never entirely able to pull free.
One thing that makes it very difficult for small, non-profit festivals, is the refusal of certain agents and managers to look at us as a market expansion opportunity, and instead see us simply as yet another gig. We can't pay what highly-funded major institutions can, so we are often overlooked or simply turned down by some agents. We can offer a built-n crowd of nearly 15,000 people, the majority of whom are die-hard music fans who are actively seeking new things to listen to, the majority of whom say in surveys that they will buy a ticket for any band who they've seen at the festival - and yet we get quoted $25k for virtually-unknown-band-from-wherever. If agents want to truly help their artists, they need to start realizing that certain outlets will provide enormous market-expansion opportunities, even if they can only pay 2/3 of what a wealthier outlet may provide. As an agent (or band, manager, label, publicist), one should ask, "which is better - a guarantee of $5k for a wedding or an 80% door deal at the hottest, happeningist world music club in a cool neighborhood in a cool city?" or "which is better - $15k to play at University of X, where events are poorly promoted and attendance tends to be slim, but endowments allow for big fees, or $7.5k to play at Festival X, where there are 10,000 new people just waiting to absorb something new?" Do we want a fat paycheck now, or long-term success? I hear a lot of agents talk the talk, but most don't yet seem to be walking the walk.
Back to the market segment, these GrassRoots folks really take care of themselves, and they do the hardest work in bringing their friends into the fold. My struggle of recently is to figure out ways to really empower them, to let them keep their tribal mentality going all year 'round, and to figure out ways that they can do the marketing for me. Because I know that we'll probably sell enough tickets to squeak by no matter what, this gives me a fair amount of freedom as the marketing director (a similar freedom that the artistic director has), and I get to do a lot of creative brainstorming, which is great fun for me.
One of the initiatives that I've come up with recently and will be rolling out shortly is to create a Kiva.org lending group. Simple? Absolutely. Ridiculously, even. It costs nothing, takes virtually no time, but allows our constituents, who tend to be socially progressive and culturally-minded, a chance to connect with each other without input from me. Will it work? I have no idea. It could have zero benefit, for all I know. But it's the sort of non-marketing that I'm trying to move toward. Hopefully a few dozen people will sign on, and every time they get their monthly loan repayment, they'll remember that they're a member of the GrassRoots Kiva group, and it'll be in their mind when they see a similarly-minded friend at a concert that weekend. Facebook, MySpace, etc. - they're all great, especially for disseminating info, but they don't create the sort of fundamental empowerment that is really needed to spread the word. There are better outlets, and we just need to keep our eyes open for them.
Read Part 2 here.
Two recent articles suggest a change in tone in media coverage about World Music. In "State of the World: How Globalistas Are Tearing Down Cultural Barriers," Exclaim Magazine's David Dacks argues this month "World music is no longer 'other folks' music';
this new world is multi-polar. Bands find themselves with greater
diversity of fans than ever before, as the choose-your-own-adventure of
online music leads passionate appreciators to choices they'd never
considered. World music has evolved beyond a take-your-medicine embrace
of cultural 'otherness,' it's about recognizing the multiple levels of
cultural exchange — even the shallow ones — that are redefining the
idea of 'mainstream.'"
Meanwhile, last week rock critic Will Hermes argued in the New York Times, in an
article titled
"Changing Sounds of Africa," that "...African artists are using digital technology to create musical hybrids
and distribute them globally. At the same time Western fans of rock,
rap and electronic music are using digital access to discover sounds
that push familiar buttons in novel ways. Together these factors have helped dispel the notion of world music as
a folk-rooted category geared strictly toward older listeners. Congolese acts like Konono N°1 and Kasai Allstars, for example, working with European producers and artists (like Bjork,
who recorded and toured with Konono N°1), have connected their
hypnotic, urbanized traditional music to Western fans of techno and
psychedelic rock."
I have argued for years that global and cross-cultural music -- in spite of the pitfalls of the concept and term "World Music" -- will continue to be viable commercially and culturally, and better yet find growth in North America, regardless of what it is called. The Internet and other emerging connecting technologies, an increase in human migration (and thus a more diverse America), global urbanization (which brings people of diverse cultures into closer and more frequent interaction, and, in spite of fears about fuel prices, significant increase in global travel all converge to create a society that will discover and embrace a variety of global and cross-cultural sounds. It is inevitable. And I would argue further that it is not only the most extreme cultural hybrids that integrate hip hop, rock, or electronica that will find growth. Even traditional and folkloric music forms will thrive. And sometimes they will thrive in unexpected ways. Like the Korean communities in Queens, NY that dance to tango or the Chicanos in Southern California with Brazilian samba bands. Does anyone really think world music in America will die out when the white people of America die out? Quite the opposite.
DubMC.com is the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.
According to this article in Saturday's Guardian newspaper (U.K.), the BBC is no longer giving out their BBC World Music Awards.
Yesterday, National Geographic announced the launch of their new record label. We caught up with label manager Mat Whittington for a Q & A about bridging the worlds of DJ/electronica and "world music," the evolving role of recordings in the changing marketplace and National Geographic's vision for its new record label.
1. As manager of Thievery Corporation and now manager of National Geographic’s new recording label, you have had a foot in the DJ/electronica world and another in the realm of “world music.” What are some of the things the “world music” industry can learn from the dance world?
Mat Whittington: It's tough to say really. I think in the electronic music scene there are less creative boundaries for the artists because of the nature of the music. You make a hip-hop track with X, a Brazilian track with Y, a reggae track with Z and they can all co-exist on the same album without much afterthought. It's hard to imagine that kind of musical diversity on say, a Ravi Shankar or Cesaria Evora record. Maybe that's the lesson though, better A&R to make the music more interesting, exciting, and current.
2. There seems to be a perception by some in the music media and in broader society that global music is solely for Birkenstock-wearing, granola-eating fans. What artists have you seen emerge that challenge this notion?
MW: M.I.A., Vampire Weekend, The Very Best, Thievery Corporation, Manu Chao, Yeasayer, Calexico, Balkan Beat Box, Buraka Som Sistema, Extra Golden are just a few of the many. I think that the general public as a whole is probably more open to music from around the world than they ever have been before. They just need to be exposed to it, therein lies the rub.
3. How have those artists been able to sidestep this stigma?
MW: Probably by never defining themselves as narrowly as 'world music' or any other such nomenclature. The music itself is the key. I think the artists listed above, and many others, are certainly influenced by music from around the world but it's not the defining characteristic of the music.
4. How do you think the role of language affects the success of international music in the US?
MW: I think that if an artist can overcome a 'musical barrier' with the listener, than the language barrier is less important. If you can't understand the language then the music, or the overall 'feel' of a song is the only real hook that can grab you. When I worked with Thievery, English was the minority language on most, if not all, of the records and they all sold very well. "Je Pense A Toi" by Amadou & Mariam is one of my favorite songs and I speak restaurant menu French. That song just splits my heart in two every time. I've no idea what it's about and I don’t want to know lest it ruin my own mental/emotional image of the song. Sometimes mystery is better than knowledge.
5. What suggestions do you have about how a musician or band categorizes their music in terms of genre?
MW: Don’t. Just make your music, let Dmitri and I worry about the rest.
6. When you look at the “world music” marketplace, what do you see that you think is not effective?
MW: Wow, so many things, but I think the biggest one is passion alone is not enough. This is a business. I know you love your 20-piece (insert country of choice) Orchestra but they are all going to need flights, hotels, work permits, AND go home with enough to pay the rent. Why are you going to spend your money signing, releasing, and promoting artists that MIGHT play 3 US shows a year. The constant discussion about what 'world music' is. It's totally ridiculous. Should Mariza appeal to the same people Buraka Som Sistema does? Why? Because they're both from Portugal? Because they both sing in Portuguese? The music is miles apart. That's like saying, "if you like Bob Dylan, you'll love Britney Spears" because they both sing in English and are from the US. The first thing I did at Nat Geo was ban the term 'world music.' It's useless.
7. What do you see is the role of recorded music in the emerging music marketplace?
MW: not news that sales are down but the recording and releasing of new music is still THE driver to all the other parts of the business. Touring, merch, ticketing, fan clubs, are all driven by new product from artists. Almost exclusively that is new music. Everything is spun off from that, and it's hard to see that changing even as the amount of money derived from it's sale decreases.
8. Tell us about National Geographic’s plans as a label.
MW: We plan to sign and release modern music from around the globe from a variety of artists, genres, and countries. We're looking for musical explorers, the Jacque Cousteau's of rock and roll. As for the label, think indie label ethos but with a massive worldwide media company. We will also work with our Film, TV, and Kids, Games & Magazine group's to assist them with their music needs, and we obviously work very closely with our Music TV Channel which is rolling out all over the world right now. I know that we have a very unique offering for artists. It's very exciting. From an artist’s view, not only are they able to tap into this wealth of resources but money made by the label goes back into the overall funding for the Society, meaning that via the success of their music, artists contribute, both artistically and financially, to the mission of National Geographic. It's a record label with a conscience.
DubMC.comis the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.
We asked Rounder Records vice president of A&R Scott Billington how the definition of a record label is changing and what models are emerging and here is what he had to say...
Over the past few years, as the retail market for compact discs of non-mainstream music has declined and in some instances all but disappeared, it’s become frustrating not to be able to reach out to many of the musicians with whom we’d most like to work. For many touring world music bands (as well as musicians in many other genres), the main venues for music/CD sales are either via the web or at gigs. The result is that many CDs are selling only 10-15% of what they would have a few years ago. Tower is gone, and many other retailers are scaling back on CDs. Digital sales have failed far short of making up the difference.
Our business has been to provide services for artists— high-quality production and funding of recordings, graphic design, marketing, radio promotion, advertising, indie or in-house publicity, etc.-- then to recoup our expenses by selling music. It’s tough to see that this is no longer a viable business unless we are working with an artist with a large and firmly established fan base. Then, our marketing and sales capabilities can be very effective.
But where does this leave the developing artist? Most of the major labels are now asking for 360 degree or multiple rights deals, in which the record company takes a portion of tour income, merchandising, song publishing, etc, in addition to CD sales, in exchange for artist development. Still, most of these deals are aimed at having a big success in the pop market.
Is there, then, a place for record companies to continue working with non-mainstream musicians who want the services a record company might offer? Surely some musicians are better off doing the support work themselves, at least if they’re inclined to be involved with the business side of their careers. However, I still like to think there is a way for record companies like Rounder to work with developing and niche artists. I don’t believe, however, that it can be based solely on CD and music sales. Perhaps there is a middle ground between the major label 360 degree deal and the old-fashioned record deal, where the record company invests in the overall career of the artist in exchange for other rights, probably including a percentage of tour income.
I know that many musicians would not see this as a pretty picture, but we all still need some sort of infrastructure to develop new music. Madonna and Nickelback can get big 360 degree deals, but most developing artists can’t. There’s still a need for an organized effort, or maybe a trusted filter, to bring the best music to the fore and to truly get the word out to people. Nobody’s quite figured out the right business plan for the digital era, but we’re trying.
DubMC.com is the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.
