Bob Lefsetz: The New Music Problem
I love this guy, I get his email updates every day. There is nothing like a good old rant about the music industry. This guy does it so well.
We want to know what to listen to.
Once upon a time, labels, radio and press performed this function. They drove us to the best of what was available, which wasn’t very much. The tunes were professionally recorded, sometimes boring or repetitive, but the scene was easily digestible, you could know every record available, you could find the gems.
Now we’re confronted by chaos.
The labels say to leave it to them. But unlike decades ago, labels don’t come close to signing the best of the best, they just sign what sells.
And what sells is what’s on the radio. And what’s on the radio is dance music.
So if you’re into dance music, laced with a bit of hip-hop, you’re living in aural nirvana. The system has become incredibly refined, tune into the Top Forty station and you’ll be plugged right in.
But naysayers are plentiful. In an era where more people are making more music in more genres, and it’s literally freely available, many reject the lowest common denominator cynicism of the labels and radio. They want music that touches their souls.
Touching souls. That’s a fascinating concept. A study was done to discover what generated online virality. It turns out facts barely matter, we want to share emotion. Music does this best, but we’re doing a bad job of sharing our tastes.
The problem is we’ve only got time for great. Overloaded with input, we graze for superiority in a sea of mediocrity, and it’s nigh near impossible to find.
There are tireless self-promoters, telling us to listen to their stuff.
There are fans whose taste is so eclectic, nobody could identify.
And now that everyone’s got a voice online, press is irrelevant.
What is the way out?
Matching listeners with superior tunes.
Note, this is different from any time in modern history. There were tons of mediocre tunes on the radio in the sixties and seventies. Video sold crap in the eighties. But there was a limited universe, it worked. You bought the second-rate album, played it ad infinitum and went to see the band live because you didn’t know any better.
Purveyors believe we still don’t know any better.
But we do.
The techie solution is data. This is the flaw of Pandora. Data has about as good a chance of delivering what we want to hear as a computer has of finding us a mate. Or to make it even crazier, dating sites have found out people don’t know what they’re looking for, they say they want tall blondes but they keep clicking on the profiles of short brunettes.
I didn’t make that up. That’s true. The breakthrough in online dating is showing you what you click on, not what you say you want.
But although I do know people who’ve gotten hitched after meeting on dating sites, most people are frustrated, they don’t find Mr. or Ms. Right. Why do you expect a computer to deliver the right song?
So it’s clear that recommendations will have to come from human beings.
But the dirty little secret is that recommendations can’t be tuneouts.
Contemplate this. You can only forward MP3s and links of songs that not only you like, but that you guarantee the recipient will like. That’s the mark of a great connector, he knows what you need.
But since so many people are recommending less than perfect tracks, we end up tuning out all recommendations.
But upping the recommendation game also pisses off the musicians. What we’re saying is that most players don’t get to play. That we’re not interested. There are fewer slots than there are in the NFL or NBA. At any given time there’s not a hundred tracks worthy of attention. Actually, there are barely any mass appeal tracks.
And what we’re looking for is mass appeal.
This is another secret. We want music to bring us together. We want to listen to what other people are listening to. Maybe not everybody, but the other metalheads, country addicts… And if we decide to cross genres, we want to hear guaranteed good stuff.
The more stuff there is, the less we’re interesting in hearing.
We won’t sit through an entire YouTube clip if it doesn’t grab us immediately. And we won’t sit through your song either.
Don’t shoot the messenger. Yes, it may take us a few listens to get your song, but no one is going to put in that time anymore.
The way out of our dilemma is for musicians and tastemakers to collectively recommend only the best of the best. Not the best of the week, or the best of the month, but stuff so good you want to hear it all the way through and play it again.
We live in a land of winners and losers.
Yes, there are endless niches.
But only a few will win.
Most songs on iTunes go unbought.
Most songs on Spotify go unplayed.
And no matter how much you promote them, we still won’t listen. Because we only have time for that which is incredible.
It’s demoralizing, I know.
But when I hear something that great, I want to tell everybody. And so do you.
But it’s so hard to find greatness amidst the cacophony.
That’s the music business challenge of today. Delivering greatness to those who want to hear it.
So far, no one’s taken up the challenge.
—
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
This video is amazing. It’s so cutesy. I love it :)
Check Emily & the Woods out here: http://www.musicballoon.com/emilyandthewoods
♥
Bob Lefsetz: The Death of Major Labels
I receive this guys email updates. He’s a bit of a god. Have a read…
Distribution is king. Remember that please. He who owns the pipe wins. It’s why John Malone is so rich and powerful, to the point where one can argue HE is the most important person in the music business, owning so much stock in Live Nation. Distribution is not glamorous, but it’s where the action is. Let me make it simple, it doesn’t matter how good your album is if no one ever hears it. The major labels were in charge of getting music made and heard. That monopoly on distribution is gone. THAT’S why they’re in trouble, not P2P theft. The Internet broke their hold on distribution.
The reason major labels survive to the extent they do, other than their trove of copyrights, is their control of distribution on terrestrial radio and television. You cannot get a record played on a major station unless you’re on a major label. Insiders know that the Spitzer crackdown actually made the result worse. And television wants gatekeepers, channels don’t want to deal with every wannabe in the world, they want to be spoon-fed acts that will be supported, that will make a splash in the media, they don’t want to be caught out on a limb. Alone. Which is why you rarely see the cutting edge on TV. The mainstream is a club, it’s not about taking risks.
Then again, I was out with a major label publicity person and a powerful indie and they both said that late night TV gives no bump whatsoever. Used to be there were few shows many watched that featured music only occasionally. Now music is on constantly and no one cares. There’s no sales bump. You want a spike? Go on Sunday morning television, they say that still has power.
But the main power of the major labels used to be the control of retail distribution. They could get records in stores and could get paid. And if you think either of those are easy you live in a fantasyland where your eight year old just got GarageBand and you believe he’ll be a world-dominating superstar in three months.
But the Internet killed the major label distribution stranglehold. Anyone can sign up with Tunecore and get their music on iTunes. ANYBODY! Sure, the music won’t sell, except to family and friends, but it’s what this represents that’s important. Access and the ability to get paid. The power has shifted.
As for terrestrial radio…it means ever less. Same with TV. You can thank technology, most especially the Internet, for that. People watch what they want when they want. The days of sitting in front of the TV seeing what’s next are heading towards extinction, killed by the DVR and online access.
And speaking of TV, all of the above is inspired by a fantastic article in “The Atlantic” about Netflix. About its distribution power. How content creation does not scale, how that’s not where the money is. It’s long, and it can get boring, but I recommend it:
http://bit.ly/jDgN0N
So the major labels aren’t coming back. Never ever. Don’t pay attention to the hype. Sure, they can make superstars of the bland playing to the masses, but most people just don’t care. And the action is in the rest of the morass, the amalgamation of all of the indies.
I’ll make it simple. iTunes is distribution. Apple creates and sells no music. It’s just a storefront, a pipe. But look at Apple dictating to the labels, look how powerful Apple has become. Hell, Apple not only killed record stores with iTunes, but the CD with its iPod!
I can’t tell you exactly where we’re going. Oh, I could, but I’d be wrong. Because you just can’t predict the future. But I will tell you that more people will make music, because the barrier to entry is so low. And that he who can connect the public with good music will be very powerful. So powerful he can dictate to the creators. That was the power of MTV. They owned the pipe. The major labels don’t want to give any entity the REVENUE of MTV. They should worry more about giving a new entity the POWER of MTV. Because first comes the power, then comes money.
Look at Vevo. It’s distribution, but not only does it lose money, it fails to aggregate all the indies. That’s YouTube’s power. YouTube is where you go to see videos. YouTube is a distributor.
So never ever believe content is king. Howard Stern would be irrelevant if no radio station aired him. Then again, before re-upping with Sirius XM, Howard contemplated distributing his show himself. That’s now possible. That’s why radio is in trouble.
And who’s got a ton of power? THE CABLE COMPANIES! THE WIRELESS COMPANIES! THAT’S WHERE YOU GET YOUR INFO! THE INTERNET FLOWS THROUGH THEM!
Pipe is not sexy, but pipe is where both the money and the power are.
Content creators get all the ink. They’re the sauce everybody’s interested in.
But those who deliver the content truly have all the power, make most of the money.
Insiders know. DISTRIBUTION IS KING!
—
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
—
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
—
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
The Longest Day
I have a very sad announcement….I will no longer be managing or booking for The Longest Day …we’ve decided to go our separate ways due to my new commitments in London. It’s a big shame but I just want to say; I have had the best two years ever with these guys. They are extremely talented & fun and I have learnt so much throughout my time with them. This announcement brings tears to my eyes but this does not mean I’m gone at all. I see you at the front, rocking out! Cheers to everyone I have worked with and has supported the guys. I’m sure we’ll work together again. Peace xxx
Music Balloon
I have recently got a job as an intern for Music Balloon which is an awesome Music based start up company which aims to work with artists and their relationship with their committed fans. We run marketing campaigns for bands whilst offering exclusive materials to fans that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s early days as Music Balloon have just started up… but if you are reading this, love music, attend gigs regularly or you are in a band yourself… sign up for free, check out the acts we have on our site already and keep you eyes peel for exciting things.
Let me know what you think.
Chlo x
This song makes me feel all girly and silly :)
Really likes this band Lecarla - I think they are wicked. Check them out :)
Change, but good change.
It’s been a while since I’ve made a post. Things have changed lots for me recently. I have now moved to Upton, Poole - due to lack of funds! I’m trying to hammer on with ‘freelancy’ things but need to find a part time job in my new ‘hood, as i’m megas poor!
My main focus of late (and as usual :P) has been The Longest Day, confirming the March tour - booking, promoting, booking etc. And have now finalised a six date tour! Yay!! I’m quietly proud of myself.
Check out the poster.
Other CLC business, well I haven’t had time!!! :/- erm watch this space. I am beginning to work with a sweet blues band, but I have slightly neglected them recently.
This post is beginning to come boring… so I might go and sleep.
Thanks for reading.
Ps. Watch out for www.rock-regeneration.co.uk - coming soon :)
Please spread the word and if you reading this on Tumblr - reblog! Rate this amazing video by The Longest Day by clicking on the stars underneath this video. Follow this link:
http://redbullbedroomjam.com/band/videos/longest-day-kamikaze-dream
Much appreciate it, these guys deserve to make it big
:)
So it’s another New Year…
and all I really want is success, good health and fun fun fun…
A car would also be good.
More cash.
Hot bod.
A holiday and a festival.
Here’s to 2011.
:)
i never really bothered to check out this band, but saw this video on Lava TV last night and love this song.
I don’t care what anyone says but I love this song and this band :)
Watched this video yesterday and it brought a tear to my eye, definitely my proudest moment of 2010.
