By Lloyd Barde, Music Editor – Common Ground Magazine

There’s the Music Business, and then there’s the music. To describe the current state of the Music Business I like to use the metaphor of a "chalk mark on the sidewalk". It is visual, familiar to most, and apt in its depiction of the deceased at an accident or, more commonly, a crime scene. This industry, as it has existed in the past 50 years, is pretty much "toast". Still twitching, perhaps, but without much life pouring through its veins. What remains from the demise and near dissolution of the once mighty music business is a grappling for and grasping at a new map that is far from fully formed, nor is it hidden somewhere with obvious clues for its imminent discovery. I am not speaking of the music itself, which is gratefully more alive than ever. I’ll get to that good news soon.

It’s not about the Music

This may feel topical given the current economy and the way that everyone everywhere is somehow affected by this collapse of late. But the inherent illness of the music machine and the factors that paved the road even as it gave way are not that difficult to pinpoint. The causes definitely predate Napster, which is a common scapegoat. Well before there was even a concept of downloading and file sharing the record companies were already caught napping. The powers that used to be existed somniferously in a bed of greed, oversight and unfounded confidence while taking artistry and creativity for granted as if it were nothing more than a crapshoot. This is certainly not unique to the music business. Ask anyone in the book trade what’s happening, or any other form of arts and entertainment media. It’s across the board.

First there was the fact that recordings -- in this case, the compact disc -- are the only form of entertainment media that never went down in price. All other new formats were introduced at a high-end price and gradually dropped significantly to settle where the market dictated, or competitively below that finite line. Whether camcorders, hi-def TVs or computers, this has always been the case, at least until CDs came along. Had the price fallen back around the $10 range, or below, which would be commensurate with the actual costs and the dividing of the pie, things might have been different. But the price only ever went upwards, and at just under a twenty-spot, it made a huge difference.

And all of this was after the industry succeeded in getting everyone to buy their entire collection over again, not once but twice, as new formats made their way into the musical mainstream. Once the back catalog had been made available, and consumers had caught up with the changing formats, from LPs to tapes to CDs, the pipeline backed up. It quickly became impossible for the major labels to maintain their inflated level of existence that had been established on an unrealistically high plateau. Coupled with the basic greed of a top-down, product-only orientation that enslaved artists and diminished the true creative process of the artistry that gave the whole structure its energy and juice, it was, in retrospect, only a matter of time.

Long before the fuel line was tapped into by the overnight download inroads, there was such a preponderance of imprisoned artists, one-hit wonders and next big things that the circus tent was already bursting at the seams and the carneys began jumping ship faster than they could set sail. While one cannot underestimate the effects of free music availability and the shift it instigated, where the cornerstones crumbled was the inability to regulate the loss of revenues, royalties, and the very lifeblood that artists and their handlers and business reps rely on. And isn’t regulating artistic expression what this business, as we knew it, was all about, anyway? Sadly, it seems those are the old lessons that have been learned the hard way, at best.

OK, I am sure we all get the picture by now. I am not trying to instill guilt or blame or aim squarely at the morality and ethical issues behind this sometimes shady business. More, I am relating that it's not just I-Tunes and widespread mp3 file-sharing that brought this creature to its knees. Like most collapses that are economic in nature, the entropy and implosion is derived mostly from within, brought into being by those who were benefiting the most from controlling what possibly should be freely given since it has always been so carefully conceived from that very freedom of expression.

What does this leave for the music-makers? I am happy to report there is more great music than ever, and it is more readily available than anyone could have imagined. MySpace alone has 20,000,000 musical files to sample, discover, download, tell friends about, and journey through until the cows go home, tip over or fall down, whichever comes first. But there is no map of how to approach getting the music out there, and artists are at a loss as to how to decipher the many approaches and choices of what to do, where to look and what routes are lucrative or fruitful. The consumer perception has become that music is disposable, and that audio files are now so compressible and accessible that you can stream, download, or tap in anywhere and everywhere, and do so anytime. Getting rid of your day job is much more difficult when the idea is to give the music away, when sales have shrunk to figures that are only getting smaller every year, if not every month.

Will there still be CDs made and sold? Will there be a new format or is the digital world falling fully into place as the final frontier, the end-all be-all? Artists often ask me if digital only is a viable approach. That depends. Selling CDs at live gigs is still the way to go, as fans want souvenirs, and going home with a download card is just not quite the same, is it? I mean if you can't make and distribute (or at least pass around) a thousand CDs then maybe this is just a hobby, anyway. People want to own something, or feel connected to the artists. Further, with worthwhile packaging, such as digipacks that are eco-friendly, you can offer something unique & special. CD/DVD combinations are now circulating at a much higher rate, for example. Nicholas Gunn, head of the successful Gemini Sun label, has been releasing an “Audio Visual Connect Series" that offers CD/DVD combos for a price that is not much more than the CDs themselves.

The digital world is often comprised of sound files that, in essence, leave off the heads and feet of the sound spectrum. Mp3 files are high end modulated, and the bottom end just disappears. There is no artwork to refer to, and no notes of who, what, when or why. The homogenization that has been occurring leaves graphic artists and top-notch sound engineers feeling as if their particular artistry is no longer appreciated, utilized or necessary, and certainly to the extent it was valued not so long ago, they are correct. In interviews with experienced industry leaders, I found that the widespread belief is that CDs are not going away, there is a resurgence of LPs, the glut of sound files is spreading the talent awfully thin, and the the free for all is already being corralled. It remains that a balanced combination of skills and planning are still at the core of success. Business savvy and long-term vision are the perfect mix, especially when coupled with talent, active management and inventive, coordinated marketing. Just ask Mick Jagger or Andrew Lloyd Weber! It is simply business acumen that has allowed their longevity and mega-success every bit as much as God-given talent.

The ability to make music, and to expose and circulate it, on the other hand, has never been more fluid or close at hand. Anyone can record music, and no prior musical experience is required. When my son and his friends were in high school 5-6 years ago, they took music-tech classes, and with computers and programs like Reason or Garage Band they collectively made jazz, rock, avant-garde, hip-hop, funk and reggae tracks that had immediate merit. When offering occasional input to the cool beats I was hearing, I once suggested that a little more of a certain percussive sound would really help. I asked "what is that sound there?" My son Robin replied "Oh, that's TAM". I asked if he knew what instrument it was, and he replied "not sure, it's just TAM". The fact that it was a tambourine and that it brought a little extra heat to the beat was beyond him! One of his friends who I temporarily "adopted" one summer has gone on to make his way in this new music biz, and has found a lot of success in the past five years. First as "Instant Messengers" (a truly inspired and topical name) and now as "The Life Forever," Cambo and his two cohorts are well on their way to living the dream and bringing home the bacon at the same time. They have a clear path of expression, a timely presence, strong voices with positive impact, and their collective fingers on the pulse. Add to that a professional management team and some great ideas about building a following, instilling levels of devotion in their fans, and understanding that it's not all about sales. As Cambo shared with me, “the world moves rapidly, and you must provide information and content constantly.” Cambo feels “if we generate 1000 diehard fans, we can deliver our message".

But when it comes to making music, the question remains: Can it change yours or someone’s life? If you have the confidence, even arrogance, and sheer tenacity to make an album, in whatever form, and create it from start to finish, make it good enough to be able to find its place in the world. Marketing is as important as talent, and management is not far behind. One must create a demand, become visible to the degree that you strive to be everywhere evident. This aspect of the model has never changed. Social networking is a help for exposure but is not solving it by any means. To take advantage is to do it well and do it now. What is required is to constantly build from the ground up, so it’s unfolding every day. It bears mentioning that this applies on all levels of art. Vincent Van Gogh’s letters became a form of marketing. Selling and relating sadness and tragedy, as gifted songwriters often find, draws audience into their life via personal honesty and story-telling. Art that combines all of these deserves to and will be heard.

Though the most played song these days may be “taps”, there is really no reason to mourn. The artists wanted to wrestle back control of their art, and presto -- it was relinquished and relatively all at once. Now what to do with it. The window of opportunity with the world of “free” music may not last too long, especially given how fast things change in the music world. It probably won't be long before the “major players” again seize control, including the avenues of social networking. The business of music is restructuring and will form and define itself. While the empire may have fallen, you can bet it will strike back. The corporate players want just as much power, and be assured the desire and determination to monopolize the music remains as steadfast as before.

So what about the listeners like yourselves who aren't making, profiting or benefiting commercially from the ever present flow of music in our world? Sites like Pandora.com allow you to create, at no charge, your own Internet “radio stations” and have attracted 25 million users to date. To create a station, you can, for example, enter the name of an artist or group. Thus, if you enter Third Eye Blind, songs by that band will be played for you. However, on a rolling basis, that “station” not only will include their songs, but it will provide songs by similar groups, such as Spin Doctors, Goo Goo Dolls, Nine Days, Incubus and the Gin Blossoms. Likewise, if you set up a Donna DeLory station, you will hear her songs as well as songs by similar artists, including music by artists who might not yet be well-known or that may be totally new to you. So, how does Pandora do it? Its Music Genome Project, which categorizes each song across many dozens of attributes, was started long ago and far away in Internet time back in 2000. Currently Pandora is a very hands-on business, with offices located in downtown Oakland. In setting up a station, you can click on a genre of music and a wide variety of songs will be provided to you within that genre. Similarly, you can enter a song title and away they go, all for you! You could enjoy music for the rest of your life, for free, on your computer and your wireless device, such as an IPhone. Along the way you can instantly download and pay for any song that really grabs you. With so much live music around the Bay Area, and access to literally millions of sound files in various formats, it’s a very rich time musically. Whether it’s old faves or continually discovering new sounds, the world of music is readily yours on a very broad and varied platter.



Feature Article (unedited) , COMMON GROUND Magazine, JUNE 2009 (Special Music Issue)