Hey guys!
I know we're a pretty passionate forum here, especially about music. Not only that, but I know a good deal of us here are more involved than your average Joe--there's quite a few of us who write reviews, record music, have bands, listen passionately, blog a hell of a lot--everybody's got their own thing. And hell, even if you don't do anything in particular, a lot of us still have some really incredible ideas about the music industry.
And by incredible, I mean about how it needs to change.
I think our recent episode with the leak here is testament to just that: The industry isn't working like it should.
We can forget all the moral and ethical aspects of that explosion for the moment and think a bit about why this whole business happened--what's going on here? All sorts of stuff come out of that, and there's a whole lot of room for discussion stemming from even just that situation.
So let's discuss. Let's make it civil, and let's work together on figuring out how in the world we can start making things right in the world of big-box, Clear-Channel, mediocre-at-best music industry practices.
My friend is working on creating a great medium for this sort of discussion. It's over here: http://halfstack.lefora.com/forum/
It's in very very early stages, which is exactly why I'd love for you guys to come join up if you've got ideas or things to say--it'll give you the chance to really have an impact and be a beginning member of a board meant to last a while and serve as a soundboard across the nation. We're working on getting all kinds of people involved here, from independent producers, to fans, to industry heavyweights if at all possible. It's pretty ambitious, but I think change deserves ambition, otherwise it never happens.
Here's my 2 pennies: stop the pre-release crap dead. Let the critics and magazines get the music the same time as the fans. Shut down all digital online sharing sites. iTunes and Napster should be preview only with the option the buy. Abandon cd burner technology--if you want it ya buy it. Bring back the midnight madness release date sales to build consumer hunger for the much anticipated releases. Up and comers can still peddle their material through mysapce and home pages. Tighten up the industry and the $ will come.
QuoteAbandon cd burner technology--if you want it ya buy it.
Doesn't make much sense. That totally screws folks that want to trade live shows or back stuff up from their computer.
lif you hate clear channel, listen to local and independently-owned radio stations!
like mine.
:)
QuoteQuoteAbandon cd burner technology--if you want it ya buy it.
Doesn't make much sense. That totally screws folks that want to trade live shows or back stuff up from their computer.
yeah, I'd be totally against that. I enjoy making mix cds and I do backup a lot of my stuff on cds because my ipod has screwed up more than once and that saved me.
Quotelif you hate clear channel, listen to local and independently-owned radio stations!
like mine.
:)
We've lost just about all of ours to Clear Channel. >:(
Move to Charleston and spread the love! ;)
I'll agree 100% with revoking the press' advance copy privileges. Some folks out there put out an excellent buzz with their reviews, but there are some repeat offenders out there who are basically just getting "free stuff" because they work for a magazine. Some blog-class music critic is more than likely the one responsible for this album leaking X months early, anyway. It's just SWAG to them, afterall.
I like the idea of midnight sales.
I like the idea of offering exclusives, but I don't like having to buy the same album three times for three little exclusives (extra song, shot glass, t-shirt, etc). If the fan club official store offered more those little goodies, that'd be really sweet and I wouldn't feel screwed.
I agree also about killing the pre-release. If you're large enough, the buzz will come through the internet and pre-release hype.
OK I'll grant that dumping cd burner technology may have been slightly "Over the Top" (to reference the Sly thread). ****RANT ALERT****Hot button issue for sure one which I have come to understand the artist and industry side of more deeply since I've been working in an industry so deeply entrenched in patent battles. Nobody wants their property stolen and I view music as property of those who've wracked their brains and huddled in mountaintop retreats to produce beauty for their followers--beauty which should be respected.
**gettting down off my soapbox now**
EDIT: I'm not saying I haven't burned my own mix discs, but I've a new approach to speading the word on excellent music: if I feel strongly enough about a cd to want a friend or family member to have it as a gift (birthday, etc.) I buy them a copy instead of burning one.
the industry is imploding because it forgot what its foundations were built on. that's normal with everything. there was some really cool stuff happening, and it sustained itself, and then everybody wanted to syphon off of that and it became a money and power struggle, and now it's not about music anymore. to those people in the industry, anyhow.
not to us. music's not going to go anywhere. people will figure out how to make it - it's not really about industry, it's about creating something that you feel should b created. gillian welch: "we're gonna do it anyway, even if it doesn't pay."
the only way to make sure the right people are getting rewarded for their efforts is to think about what you're doing and make good decisions. if you're going to spend your money, make sure it gets infused into something worth sustaining. do we need best buy? no. it sucks. give your money to an indie record shop, or buy it directly from the artist at a concert. buy a t-shirt. talk about the music you love to other people, request it at radio stations. this goes the same with all of your purchasing. i have two stores that i love to buy my groceries from - they're both run by people that i really like and they stock their stores with items that i feel are good for the planet. so i make sure to alternate between both of them so that my money is going to a place that i feel good about. feed the people who feed you - physically and emotionally.
and musicians need to think for themselves and trust themselves. thank god there are people out there who understand that if you love what you're doing, it will show, and there will be people out there who will also love what you're doing. and it may not (probably won't be) everybody, and that's ok. in fact it's good because then we get diversity. i can almost dig everything if there's joy in it. real joy is where it's at.
QuoteHere's my 2 pennies: stop the pre-release crap dead. Let the critics and magazines get the music the same time as the fans. Shut down all digital online sharing sites. iTunes and Napster should be preview only with the option the buy. Abandon cd burner technology--if you want it ya buy it. Bring back the midnight madness release date sales to build consumer hunger for the much anticipated releases. Up and comers can still peddle their material through mysapce and home pages. Tighten up the industry and the $ will come.
Wow, thats tough! The cat's out of the bag with technology, which I suppose is the reason for this discussion. As with anything the more you tighten the belt the greater the black market becomes. I think the pre release must go unless it's just one tune at a time, or include some bonus stuff with an order of the official release. An example would be JJ showed up to record EU with 30 songs, so maybe include some of those as a bonus. Or try a giveaway with the sale of the official release. I think that touring is the way the band will make their $$ anyway. Also, folks need to get back to listening to QUALITY, not itunes or lousy compressed files.
well I guess if distribution is the issue you gotta plan at least 5 years in the future now just to keep up with the new technology. think about it people already have internet on there phone, soon their phone will be a computer with high speed internet access to some degree and then so on and so on.
so the facts are media like cds are going to be the same as vinyl has become, essientially there for your own enjoyment but I don't think music as far as hard copies go will ever be as huge as it was in the past. just for the fact that it's the computer age now. its 2008. that david byrne article on wired says it all pretty much, I don't have the link because I'm at work.
musicians need to get a website, a good server, host all of their catalog or whatever they want avaliable for people to get directly from them and just self distrubt. play shows, promote online in new innovative ways as the technology changes,etc.. that would be just a starting point
here's that article I posted it a while back in that major bitch off thread about the leak:
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne
I think basically the record companies role has been reversed these days.
people can buy a 200dollar mixer with a usb connector and get a decent sound with even a shitty mic. in that article it talks a bit about how some bands use to go bankrupt trying to make back all the money they ended up owing the music people. I think stuff like that is bullshit. the music industry is a piece of shit. the musicians should be getting most of the profits for their work but instead get just over a buck for a 16dollar cd. that's fucking bullshit straight up. the record company should work for the band, not the band working for the record label. I hope the industry completely collapses and the small market of music expands. then all the pre-packaged formulated crap pop on the radio that is COMPLETELY owned by the record companies will desolve and people will hopefully be exposed to the real beauty of music, not the manufactured product that its become.
Definitely stop the pre-releases. If I don't know the band already and Rob Sheffield or Dave Eggars gives it a good review in my language, I'll go buy it...and most likely it's already out anyway.
I think the artists should have all creative control and album-by-album contracts. This gives them more of the profits from cds, lps and downloads, which might, in turn lower ticket prices and t-shirt prices at shows.
Lastly, someone (society) needs to turn the top 40 stations away from artificial music. I HATE Nickelback, but I was thinking the other day that they deserve a lot of credit because they are one of the few, if not the only presence of "rock" in mainstream music (mtv, top 40, etc.)...the only presence of REAL instruments being played. Instead, we are hearing stripper songs by young guys and girls rapping about banging and being slutty. Don't get me wrong, the Rolling Stones sang about banging and being slutty, but it was masked quite a bit. But now, these no talent ass clowns are talking about it with no regard.
I know I sound like a prude, but I'm not...I like Mickey Avalon and other skanky artists I just think there should be some sort of censor of what can be said on air. As it is now, as long as you don' t say the seven words George Carlin said you can't say on TV, then you can be as suggestive as you can. I have a three year old daughter and she's too young to be influenced by that, but when she's older, that's the shit her friends are going to be listening to. She'll want to fit in, so she'll listen, and she'll have to decifer what is bullshit, or get caught up in it. I can only hope she's smart enough and listened to us enough to know the difference.
Wouldn't it be awesome if 14 year old kids were talking about My Morning Jacket and Wilco instead of Lil' Whoever and Shawty Whatever?
Hey guys, great discussion here. I'm diggin that.
We created a new forum because the old medium was sucking and had a dang spam filter that we had to deal with. So it's now moved to: http://halfstack.freeforums.org
I'd love to see you guys on there. The whole goal of the forum is to create a good connection point for artists, industry professionals, recordists, producers, anyone who has good input to give and a little time to devote to it. We're working on a couple industry guys, and I'm going to see if the Jacket's management team are interested in this also. My thoughts are, with how friendly they are and how fan-oriented their work has been, we could hope to see them there sometime soon. I would imagine people like that would not be a major presence on the board, but definitely a unique and helpful one when they have some time to write a little bit for it.
I'd love to see any of you with blogs, or Flickr's or anything even remotely related to the creation of music or the industry on there. I would say it's definitely worth checking out, and we can use all the people we can who are interested in building that kind of a community and connections across the nation and across the globe. The music industry is going to start hearing from us little guys sooner or later in some form or fashion. Our aim is to be that form or fashion and to hit on the sooner rather than the later.
So check it out! We'd love to see you there!
I think the real question is: will there even be a music industry in 10 years? Or will bands put out music with their own technology (the internet, CD burners, etc)? I think we're headed that direction.
mp3s in general should go
i decided today that i'm selling my ipod
sure it's convenient, but music isn't supposed to be a convenience. it is supposed to be appreciated.
eh.
i have a lot to say, but so very little energy.
i'll be back.
Or you could just give away your music and make your money off touring....
"In addition to touring, Big Head Todd & The Monsters are working on building their fan base by giving away free copies of their new album, "All The Love You Need." The band has teamed with several radio stations, who are mailing nearly half a million copies of the CD to listeners nationwide, according to a press release. The set is also available for free download at the band's website.
"We see the record as our main marketing tool," singer/guitarist Todd Park Mohr told the Denver Post. "It's no longer a source of income--not that it ever has been for me, given the way major labels work."
http://www.livedaily.com/news/13413.html
It's an interesting concept although a tough one for a smaller band that doesn't have the fanbase already. Still, a thought...back in the day before technology musicians and artists didn't have recordings to sell, they made their money from performing. And some actually did it to express themselves without a thought of making money, imagine that.
motherfucking fuck.
records are not fucking marketing fucking tools fuckfuckfuck no.
whoooooooooooooooooooooo hooooo. sorry. tower, that is not directed at you personally. reading that just made me feel like i wanted to throw my computer screen out of this window.
i might need to stay out of this thread.
QuoteAnd some actually did it to express themselves without a thought of making money, imagine that.
sorry, i need to respond to that.
fuck.
um, we pay the mailman to deliver our mail. we don't need mail delivery, really, we could pick up mail from one central location, but we really like mail delivered to our homes, so we make sure the mailman is taken care of.
it is difficult for people to understand that music, and art in general, is a job for some people. a job that probably takes up more time than most peoples' jobs. people get angry because they think that music is fun, and that musicians aren't "grown-ups", so why should they pay for THEM to do what THEY want when I'M not getting to do what I want, even though i enjoy their efforts and it makes my life easier to live when i listen to music that makes me feel good and has me think about stuff.
the hopes that you can sustain your life through music comes AFTER the record is made. you're right, some chumps think about music in terms of money at the beginning of a project. those people are usually losers and only get laid b/c they wear expensive jewellery. but it is IMPORTANT TO PAY FOR THINGS THAT YOU ENJOY. i know a lot of musicians in various stages of their careers/popularity, and i can promise you that nobody, not ONE of them, doesn't worry about money. a lot of them aren't eating properly.
end of rant.
QuoteQuoteAnd some actually did it to express themselves without a thought of making money, imagine that.
those people are usually losers and only get laid b/c they wear expensive jewellery.
Laid, paid...is there a difference?
Anyway, I'm a musician and I would love to make it my job! I'm making a record right now and I can tell you with all honesty that I hope it becomes wildly popular, we sell a ton of them and I can quit my day job. I'm just saying that in this market and the way the industry has changed its worth thinking about using the CD as a marketing tool (response to the previous post). I love the idea of making a record that is a comprehensive piece of work, an actual album that fits together and works as a unified piece. Unfortunately I'm not convinced that most people consume music that way anymore. As a side note I rarely buy CD's but I do buy them from the bands I really dig and if at all possible, directly from them...despite getting the Big Head Todd CD free in the mail I actually bought it when they offered it for sale, granted they offered an DVD accompanied with it...but I would have bought merch or something else if I hadn't bought the CD.
The idea of making your living off your live performances certainly holds merit. It used to be that bands toured to promote their record...I think great bands now view it the other way around, if for no other reason than they have to. The thought of making their living off record/CD/iTunes sales is not so realistic anymore.
And while music is "fun" in many ways, recording and honing a live show is tedious and takes a lot of concentration. When I leave to work on our recording my wife always says, "have fun"...somehow she doesn't understand the process well enough to figure out after 10 hours of working on overdubs I'm fried.
All that being said, I hope everyone on this board buys our new record when it comes out this summer and I can quit my job and come play for you in your town and be a big, big star wearing expensive jewelry and getting laid! One of the board members here (LizKing531) is actually working on artwork for it and it looks great!
sorry that i got so hot up there. it's useless to get so emotional about this stuff. it also makes you look bad and also makes it hard to get your point across properly.
i hope your new record is very popular and you get to quit your job, too, tower. i think that is the goal of most people who are trying to make it work in the land of music. :)
No sweat, didn't take anything personally...everyone's got their own ideas and in a perfect world people would value good music and musicians and pay for their efforts (guess I'll find out if I'm one of them) and treat the shitty overproduced and contrived pop music like a turd on the side of the road.
It's tough as a musician who "hasn't made it" when making a record. Do we put the most "radio friendly" songs on it or do we put the songs we like most and hope people "get it"? And who even knows what "radio friendly" is...alright enough quote marks for now.
Speaking of musicians on here, if you guys haven't checked out Lauderdale, their record is really good! I think they should make it, but what do I know.
QuoteNo sweat, didn't take anything personally...everyone's got their own ideas and in a perfect world people would value good music and musicians and pay for their efforts (guess I'll find out if I'm one of them) and treat the shitty overproduced and contrived pop music like a turd on the side of the road.
It's tough as a musician who "hasn't made it" when making a record. Do we put the most "radio friendly" songs on it or do we put the songs we like most and hope people "get it"? And who even knows what "radio friendly" is...alright enough quote marks for now.
Speaking of musicians on here, if you guys haven't checked out Lauderdale, their record is really good! I think they should make it, but what do I know.
neil young said it good once, as soon as you start to appease people they get bored. just be yourself, do your thing, take criticism, and play your fucking heart out. what else can you do? fuck the haters, what's wrong with playing music that gets you off? fuck trying to read peoples mind. that's just my thoughts on that part of things.
I played and toured in a band for a couple years pretty hard and it wasn't exactly a balling lifestyle. a lot of fun but splitting up 300-400 bucks average between 4-5 people every few nights isn't really that great of a living unless you've got a good promoter. there's this band "bump" whose from around my area and they fucking suck ass but have a good promoter and get on festivals like 10klf and whatnot, make 30-40k a year. but they suck. so to me the whole system is fucked. unless you have a connection right now to a good promoter or you already have a huge draw, most musicians are dead in the water before they even start.
QuoteSpeaking of musicians on here, if you guys haven't checked out Lauderdale, their record is really good! I think they should make it, but what do I know.
yes i think so, too. plus they're all awesome.
Quoteneil young said it good once, as soon as you start to appease people they get bored. just be yourself, do your thing, take criticism, and play your fucking heart out. what else can you do? fuck the haters, what's wrong with playing music that gets you off? fuck trying to read peoples mind. that's just my thoughts on that part of things.
yes x fourty billion eight hundred and sixty-seven
Quoteto me the whole system is fucked. unless you have a connection right now to a good promoter or you already have a huge draw, most musicians are dead in the water before they even start.
it can be a very frustrating world. i don't understand it. whenever i start thinking about things in terms of "business moves", i get all messed up. then i take a break and remember what's important. and then everything is better again, and i find the joy.
there is no point, zero, in doing music unless there is joy. fundamental joy, even through the shitty and stupid and ridiculous.
tower, what are your plans with this record? are you going to release it yourself and tour with it? or are you hoping to get a label to pick it up before you release it? is this your first time putting something out? i have a little bit of experience putting out indie records on a label that i started, and i would be happy to pass on anything i've learned, or answer any questions (if i can) that you have. you can pm me if you want.
it can be a very frustrating world. i don't understand it. whenever i start thinking about things in terms of "business moves", i get all messed up. then i take a break and remember what's important. and then everything is better again, and i find the joy.
there is no point, zero, in doing music unless there is joy. fundamental joy, even through the shitty and stupid and ridiculous.
[/quote]
definitely, I loved playing live. there's really nothing that compares to it. now though I feel much more satisfied lately locking myself away and just recording and filtering through all the ideas in my head. another thing with "promoting" music is you have to pick a certain # of songs and those are what people end up knowing you as. it's almost like people want you in a box so they're familiar and it's easy for them to grasp. which a lot of the time seems to be the opposite. I like what dave matthews said too, "music existed before words". I love making music more than almost anything in the world I just hate all the bullshit baggage that comes with it in order to be "successful". more bands and vocalists or whatever you'd call them seem to be fixated on being famous, being a "rock star", like being a celebrity and all you need for that is money, a pretty face, hot body, and know how to twerk that shit.
where i'm not entirely sure i agree with the plea to call the government into action, i think there are a couple of interesting points in this facebook group's mission:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=672445647#/group.php?gid=17408766786&ref=mf
(you have to be on fb, i guess, to see this)
here, i'll just repost it:
QuoteAlthough live music performance is multi-sensually stimulating, Recorded Music has the ability to capture unique auditory moments and replay them for future life experiences. When our memories of live music performances fade or cease to exist with the passing of their creators, Recorded Music preserves and secures rich cultural references for future generations of music listeners. Whereas file sharing has contributed to the severe devaluation of Recorded Music and negatively impacted the financial viability of all individuals involved in the production of Recorded Music, we as a music appreciating society are compelled to pursue and support innovative compensation strategies to preserve the future of Recorded Music.
Morally, those who are passionate about Recorded music must once again realize the intrinsic value of an art form that has the ability to inspire the masses. From the urban sprawl to isolated rural communities we need to champion a message that conveys the importance of supporting the Recording Artist. This is not about the elite Recording Artists/Bands that are making the millions...this is about the majority of Artists who are living well below the poverty line in their pursuit of enriching our world with their passion for music.
Together we need to lobby our jurisdictional governments to take action... Remember to let your voice be heard at the ballot boxes. We must challenge our respective representatives to implement legislative changes to reinvest in the music industry infrastructure. This must go beyond token cultural grants to establishing fiscal frameworks that will stimulate the global music economy.
As Recorded Music lovers, Songwriters, Performing Artists, and others involved in music production or distribution we must unite to send a global message .....Stop! The Devaluation of Recorded Music.
Quotewhere i'm not entirely sure i agree with the plea to call the government into action, i think there are a couple of interesting points in this facebook group's mission:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=672445647#/group.php?gid=17408766786&ref=mf
(you have to be on fb, i guess, to see this)
here, i'll just repost it:
QuoteAlthough live music performance is multi-sensually stimulating, Recorded Music has the ability to capture unique auditory moments and replay them for future life experiences. When our memories of live music performances fade or cease to exist with the passing of their creators, Recorded Music preserves and secures rich cultural references for future generations of music listeners. Whereas file sharing has contributed to the severe devaluation of Recorded Music and negatively impacted the financial viability of all individuals involved in the production of Recorded Music, we as a music appreciating society are compelled to pursue and support innovative compensation strategies to preserve the future of Recorded Music.
Morally, those who are passionate about Recorded music must once again realize the intrinsic value of an art form that has the ability to inspire the masses. From the urban sprawl to isolated rural communities we need to champion a message that conveys the importance of supporting the Recording Artist. This is not about the elite Recording Artists/Bands that are making the millions...this is about the majority of Artists who are living well below the poverty line in their pursuit of enriching our world with their passion for music.
Together we need to lobby our jurisdictional governments to take action... Remember to let your voice be heard at the ballot boxes. We must challenge our respective representatives to implement legislative changes to reinvest in the music industry infrastructure. This must go beyond token cultural grants to establishing fiscal frameworks that will stimulate the global music economy.
As Recorded Music lovers, Songwriters, Performing Artists, and others involved in music production or distribution we must unite to send a global message .....Stop! The Devaluation of Recorded Music.
yeah they started off good but kind of lost me at the end. the easiest way I could put it is there are public libraries where you can rent out books for free. if you wanted you could even copy pages out of them for reports and stuff. I think music is that same type of valuable information. bob dylan said music can tell you how to live. and that seems true right? just like literature, only its sung and heard through the ears. music has inspired certain movements. all sorts of stuff. then you have the whole cultural aspect of world music and having the possibilities to really understanding other societies better. learning about music that has never been touched by the system and is just pure. music to me, this is all totally just opinion but it seems like one of the easiest ways to get certain messages across but since here in the US for example the music we listen to is controlled, people aren't exposed to anything inspiring whatsoever. there's a video on google of naom chomski talking about the propaganda machine working up through school, even when we're little. I see music as part of the same thing. it's limiting our perspective of the world not giving people access to it. all artist deserve rights and money and all that, but I think more so then say a painting music should be spread more freely.
how I have no idea, but I think if we were playing more intelligent, outspoken, or experimental music even on the radio people would be more inspired to actually change other shit. kinda just a theory but it seems like cause and reaction and music is a really good way to get people to react to stuff.
it's really cool what you're doing tom, I don't know if I've send it yet or not this threads been goin a few days. keep up the good work
I pretty much agree with Bluntmaster and the David Byrne article. Artists and labels have to roll with the digital tide here r else become extinct The cat is out of the bag. Deal with it. Record labels will still survive I daresay. They're like fucking cockroaches. However they will be very much reduced in power and influence (hurrah!) and hopefully this will see the power switch from the labels to the artists. The way it should be. As for pre releases bands should do what Radiohead did and put the album as soon as it's complete on their website. They can then sell this at various different bit rates including lossless and at different prices. Include jpg's as well so people can print out the sleeve etc. The CD will still be released at a later date but the future of music distribution is ONLINE. All the way. Don't fight it, embrace it would be my advice to the labels. But this should be obvious.
As for the value of music what people have to realise is that music is nowhere near as important as it once was. It has nowhere near the cultural impact or force it did, say back in 1968. It is ephemeral. It's a mp3 file on a pc. A file on a mobile. The world has changed. Plus kids have so many other things to amuse them. Shit, video games are bigger than music now imo. Look at the hype and coverage of GTA 4. Again, live with it. CD's will soon appear like vinyl did. A relic of a bygone era. It's sad but that's the way things are going.
And MMJ Fanatic - do you work for the record industry? Unless it was a joke? It has to be a joke. Unless you like getting fucked up the ass till you bleed by the record industry? Shut down all online file sharing sites? Get rid of cd burners? Madness and complete fantasy.
apologies to everybody who's seen the various places i've written this, but tom - i think you should read musicophilia - i think it might really interest you. i've always thought that music was the most universally accessible way to bring people together at the same time. it's listening, but it's also physical, highly emotional, sometimes visual (think about people who see colours with various notes or chords, or begin to "see" imagery when music is heard). everybody's on the same page at a concert - they're experiencing time at all times - they remember when the song (or show) began, they hear everything as it's passing, they can begin to figure out what might be coming next, and if they know the song, they'll kind of know when it will end. stick 10,000 people in one place and everybody is going to be sharing a collective unconscious while heart of gold plays.
anyhow, goatboy, you're right. i loved reading that david byrne article a few months ago. there's no point "fighting" how everything is flowing - it's pointless. there are creative ways to try to keep within what exists. but i'm not sure if cds are dead. people thought books would die because of computers, and i still buy books. do kids buy books? maybe kids don't buy books anymore. but they're probably reading information via the internets.
ok, i referred to this in the fleet foxes thread, but i did have a pretty intense dream the other night. have you guys gone to their website and seen what kind of touring schedule they're on? these guys JUST FINISHED THEIR FIRST TOUR. and now they're going to open for wilco. what in the fuck? that doesn't happen anymore - not like that. that internet "leak" was the most amazing thing. and i'll be the first to admit that i haven't researched too far, but, i don't really think there were crazy amounts of press and stuff from sub pop at that time... in fact, i think they had just signed or something.
so does that mean that this whole thing spread from word of mouth? (or the modern equivalent, file sharing?) because if that's the case, fuck it, we're going to be just fine.
Quoteok, i referred to this in the fleet foxes thread, but i did have a pretty intense dream the other night. have you guys gone to their website and seen what kind of touring schedule they're on? these guys JUST FINISHED THEIR FIRST TOUR. and now they're going to open for wilco. what in the fuck? that doesn't happen anymore - not like that. that internet "leak" was the most amazing thing. and i'll be the first to admit that i haven't researched too far, but, i don't really think there were crazy amounts of press and stuff from sub pop at that time... in fact, i think they had just signed or something.
I was looking at this earlier. I love all the ?!!s & WTFs?!! on their myspace page regarding their sold out shows in the UK/slots opening for Wilco :)
i know - it's totally awesome. :)
those boys are about to do some pretty intense things while being fairly fresh from the oven. they seem like sensible and nice boys. i'm sure they can handle it.
holy shit, I think I figured something out. I'm sure it's been thought of before by someone but after reading that new interview with jim and carl under "the band" section I got a sense of the other view point from jim's words and it gave me another part of the solution.
I want to quote the whole thing but the sites down now. the one point he said about the old days giving your friend a record, "vinyl" is the word he used and telling them to listen to it in it's entirety, maybe 8 to 10 times or whatever then who knows maybe you'll get it if you don't like it the first time. totally right on. then he goes further to compare now to the 40s or 50s I believe since people are downloading only "singles" or one song at a time. essentially making their own playlist.
this article is old but when I read it it really made me think about a lot of things:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html?referrer=emailarticle
it's basically about this world class violinist playing in the subway, million dollar + violin, etc and is a study on how many people stop to listen, look up to check it out, etc.
start up. stop selling mp3s one at a time, as a band make it a police to only sell the album as one thing(make it your own personal call as a musician), opposed to a bunch of seperate tracks.
another bad ass thing david byrne said was something about how it could take him two weeks just to write an intro to a song compared to some other person who makes a song in one day and the price is the same on itunes for the two different songs. is that logical? should labor/skill/etc be a factor, like higher grade art should cost more money then the more manufactured prints or whatever other bs. since companies technically are making way more money on cds by artists like ms. spears and bsb or whomever else unbreaks your heart american idol style, they should have more money to put elsewhere in the company which would be longevity acts like Radiohead, Pearl Jam, My Morning Jacket :), and the new and fresher ones that start popping up. record companies need to realize once again that some music can still age over time and maybe one day because huge. that hope seems lost and they just want to make their buck before it burns to the ground. blah blah sorry just rambling again.
my point to this being i download only full albums. rarely do I ever just download one song, I still do enjoy the experience of listening to an album all the way through. I appreciate that part of the art dearly. the technology is still growing and is not quite where it needs to be. I will say having every single one of my favorite albums plus tons of stuff I've been waiting or wanting to explore all right there in my pocket is nice.
sometimes I think about cds still since I just got the ipod as a christmas present in 07, but then I just look at the stacks and stacks and stacks of cds scattered all around my cd player, the two huge 4 up CD books that i have full, then having to filter through them one by one and find a cd while I'm working (a luxury I would die without). it's just not as practical. once the whole bitrate/lossless/quality issue is handled, which it will be, I think people might start accepting mp3s or whatever other audio format that comes out more openly. we're in like 4/5's of the way through the change it feels like. I don't know, if artists are worried about people not hearing it how its supposed to be then make it only available the way they want it....