Picking up where I left off, here’s Gerd Leonhard’s quote from the end of Part 1 plus one more:
– “The music industry must admit that it has failed to act. Their leaders’ clueless-ness, incomprehension and general lack of willingness to embrace true change allowed the paying for music to become voluntary. Congrats.”
– “Today, we have the paradox situation that any startup that wants to use music will not even try to go legal right from the beginning, since there is no reasonable way of doing so. Look at the biggest exits in this turf, during the past 2 years: myspace, youtube, last.fm – either they did not bother with proper music licenses, or it was unclear if and where and when they would even need one. Non-compliance succeeded and was handsomely rewarded.”
Handsomely rewarded for everyone but the musicians…
This is, of course, Gerd’s point and it’s mine too. The music industry as a whole has blown it. They have misunderstood and feared the greatest thing that’s ever happened to them. Gerd’s letter is about what the industry needs to do about it. My posts are for you, the musicians.
First, don’t believe the “sky-is-falling” hype from the major labels and the music industry. And don’t believe iTunes to be the solution either. I can’t find it, but I remember reading recently about the math of the number of iPods sold and the number of iTunes’ downloads. The math would say that most iPods are NOT filled via iTunes. Duh.
Not only is the sky not falling, it is expanding in a number of ways.
Technology: We’re rapidly approaching a time of always on, ubiquitous internet connectivity. We will soon be able to access everything digital, all the time. But that’s not the expansion. Because technology is nothing more than a platform or enabler, the true expansion is what’s coming as a result of this connectivity. Completely new expectations will develop and businesses will form to meet them. On top of that, technology will also expand the amount of music because of new techniques for its creation.
People: People love music. Period.
Entertainment: Technology and a host of other factors are bringing about entirely new forms of entertainment and entertainment outlets and they all need music.
People: This time I mean more people. You have access to more people – locally, regionally and globally.
Second, embrace the change because it’s not a change at all.
Music is, and always will be about connections. Whether between artist and fan, or fan to fan, music – all art – brings people together because of the change written about in Part 1. The current blur of file sharing and peer to peer problems proves this point. People identify and connect with music. They will not be denied. And in my mind, the rapid rise of this “problem” is a result of pent up frustration with the current model – and I don’t mean DRM.
Ever since music moved away from a night out with folks at a club, the social aspect of music has suffered. LP’s, 45’s, 8 track tapes, cassettes and MP3’s have not helped. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great, but they have left the connections part of the art form pretty dry. People have been longing for better ways to connect through music – to each other and to the artists they love (and vice-versa).
There’s never been a more powerful connection engine than the internet, and it’s just getting started.
I suggest you clear your mind of all the technology and controversy and think connections (envision a smoky old club if it’ll help). How can your fans (real or potential) connect with you? Why would they want to? Who are these people, what change do they want and what’s it worth? What change do you provide? Once there’s a group of them, how might they want to connect? How can you help them?
Now go back to the technology. Think of the internet as a way to hook up with all those people. Exactly where, when, how and why. Think Facebook and MySpace, but remember they are the first generation. An always on, ubiquitous internet will bring what they are doing to entirely new levels.
I’m saying all this on a music & money Monday because music is a multi-billion dollar industry and it’s only going to grow. Position yourself properly for where it’s going and your career will grow too.
