I don't usually cut-n-paste articles unless they pertain to one of our artists, but this guy is a writer that I recently discovered via a show on Sirius XM radio... this is a great snap-shot of today's music industry from the inside.
The video referenced in the very last paragraph is spot-on too, and like he says, it pretty much defines what "old time" listeners don't like about today's music. Read and enjoy.
If you like Lefsetz's writing, there is a link at the very end where you can subscribe to his newsletter. It comes out a few times a month and is free.
"WHAT WE LEARNED IN 2018"
THE RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR GET POORER
This is what the internet has wrought, people flock to the popular. In a sea of
chaos, you migrate to what is anointed. Therefore, Drake rules and your rock band is
unknown.
For those not rich it's important to do an attitudinal reset. Try not to get rich,
try not to be a household name, focus on your fanbase, extract cash from it and
depend upon these fans to spread the word and grow your audience and career. Don't
e-mail unsolicited songs to "tastemakers" and "gatekeepers," it's a complete waste
of time. Don't hire a publicity person. Don't do anything but make music and post it
online. And if you want to throw in some social media efforts to fan the flame of
fandom, that's good too. Bond with your audience, know who your fans are, not only
with an e-mail list, but saying hi at shows. Fans will be there and do anything for
you, don't be afraid to ask. But don't be tempted into thinking you're just a step
away from stardom, you're not. But there's plenty of money to be made. Instead of
bitching about streaming payments, be thrilled that everybody can hear your music
for free if they choose to. Chances are in the old, pre-internet era, you wouldn't
have a career at all. Play live. This is where the money is made and the fan
relationship is cemented. You can make a ton of money being a semi-known. And if
trends turn, there's a chance it could be your turn for stardom, but don't count on
it.
THE MONEY IS ON THE ROAD
You can make and distribute a record without Universal, but you can't tour without a
promoter, most notably Live Nation and AEG. Michael Rapino and Jay Marciano are much
more important than Lucian Grainge it's just that the media has not caught up with
this fact. The story has been about the loss of recording revenue and the recent
rebound as a result of streaming, meanwhile live has been burgeoning for decades.
Furthermore, live is a one of a kind experience in a digitally replicated world,
it's the difference between having sex with a significant other and masturbating to
porn online. And, once you've made it, the promoter gives you all of the gate,
whereas the label owns your recording, pays a low royalty and screws you on the
payment thereof. Expect continued disruption in the recorded music space. The
majors' power is in radio and TV and newspapers, all of which mean less than ever
before and will continue to shrink in power. You do need a bank, you do need a team,
but not necessarily the Big Three.
STREAMING IS HERE TO STAY
If you hear anybody bitching about Spotify, stop listening to them.
THE CHARTS ARE BROKEN
The only meaningful chart is the streaming one. The Nielsen chart in "Billboard" is
a complete joke, factoring in sales, streams and album equivalents and... Future
players will look at it like the incomprehensible Rosetta Stone. Then again, this
ridiculous chart that counts ticket bundles serves the players, anybody can be
number one for a week. But it's like winning a Grammy, people instantly forget, if
they even know. We will go to a pure streaming chart, but not soon enough.
ALBUMS
What is it? A collection of songs? Up until the internet, the length of an album was
determined by technology, it was limited. Now albums can be forever! Don't tell me
about needing an LP for reviews, reviews are meaningless, across the board, in
music, television and movies, even politics! It's about word of mouth. You want to
satisfy two masters, yourself and your audience. You want to create enough to
satisfy yourself and put out enough material to satisfy your audience. Fans want
more material. Don't think about satiating potential fans, satiate the ones you've
got. Keep in constant contact so they know when you've got a new release. Do live
stuff on YouTube, Matt Nathanson put out an EP of Def Leppard covers. You may not
know, you may not care, but his fans do. Take risks. But don't get locked into the
old syndrome of ten tracks every other year.
HIP-HOP
It dominates, but it won't forever, it's just a matter of when. Hip-hop embraced
streaming when rock rejected it. Hip-hop gave it away for free when rock was
bitching it could not get paid. Hip-hop is today, rock is yesterday, but what is
tomorrow? Know that melody and changes and a good voice never go out of style,
NEVER! That's your easiest route to success if you're not a rapper. Do what you want
to, what you feel inside, don't follow trends, that's for amateurs.
THIS BEAT IS KILLING COUNTRY MUSIC
Watch this video, all ten plus minutes of it. This evidences how lowest common
denominator sounds are killing popular music. Grady Smith calls it "snaps." I call
it an electronic sound that debuted in the eighties and was quickly superseded,
kinda like synth solos, which Elton John and Keith Emerson employed and then
abandoned, or maybe synth drums! This is what makes experienced listeners lament the
quality of today's music.
This beat is killing country music
--
Visit the archive: Lefsetz Letter
The video referenced in the very last paragraph is spot-on too, and like he says, it pretty much defines what "old time" listeners don't like about today's music. Read and enjoy.
If you like Lefsetz's writing, there is a link at the very end where you can subscribe to his newsletter. It comes out a few times a month and is free.
"WHAT WE LEARNED IN 2018"
THE RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR GET POORER
This is what the internet has wrought, people flock to the popular. In a sea of
chaos, you migrate to what is anointed. Therefore, Drake rules and your rock band is
unknown.
For those not rich it's important to do an attitudinal reset. Try not to get rich,
try not to be a household name, focus on your fanbase, extract cash from it and
depend upon these fans to spread the word and grow your audience and career. Don't
e-mail unsolicited songs to "tastemakers" and "gatekeepers," it's a complete waste
of time. Don't hire a publicity person. Don't do anything but make music and post it
online. And if you want to throw in some social media efforts to fan the flame of
fandom, that's good too. Bond with your audience, know who your fans are, not only
with an e-mail list, but saying hi at shows. Fans will be there and do anything for
you, don't be afraid to ask. But don't be tempted into thinking you're just a step
away from stardom, you're not. But there's plenty of money to be made. Instead of
bitching about streaming payments, be thrilled that everybody can hear your music
for free if they choose to. Chances are in the old, pre-internet era, you wouldn't
have a career at all. Play live. This is where the money is made and the fan
relationship is cemented. You can make a ton of money being a semi-known. And if
trends turn, there's a chance it could be your turn for stardom, but don't count on
it.
THE MONEY IS ON THE ROAD
You can make and distribute a record without Universal, but you can't tour without a
promoter, most notably Live Nation and AEG. Michael Rapino and Jay Marciano are much
more important than Lucian Grainge it's just that the media has not caught up with
this fact. The story has been about the loss of recording revenue and the recent
rebound as a result of streaming, meanwhile live has been burgeoning for decades.
Furthermore, live is a one of a kind experience in a digitally replicated world,
it's the difference between having sex with a significant other and masturbating to
porn online. And, once you've made it, the promoter gives you all of the gate,
whereas the label owns your recording, pays a low royalty and screws you on the
payment thereof. Expect continued disruption in the recorded music space. The
majors' power is in radio and TV and newspapers, all of which mean less than ever
before and will continue to shrink in power. You do need a bank, you do need a team,
but not necessarily the Big Three.
STREAMING IS HERE TO STAY
If you hear anybody bitching about Spotify, stop listening to them.
THE CHARTS ARE BROKEN
The only meaningful chart is the streaming one. The Nielsen chart in "Billboard" is
a complete joke, factoring in sales, streams and album equivalents and... Future
players will look at it like the incomprehensible Rosetta Stone. Then again, this
ridiculous chart that counts ticket bundles serves the players, anybody can be
number one for a week. But it's like winning a Grammy, people instantly forget, if
they even know. We will go to a pure streaming chart, but not soon enough.
ALBUMS
What is it? A collection of songs? Up until the internet, the length of an album was
determined by technology, it was limited. Now albums can be forever! Don't tell me
about needing an LP for reviews, reviews are meaningless, across the board, in
music, television and movies, even politics! It's about word of mouth. You want to
satisfy two masters, yourself and your audience. You want to create enough to
satisfy yourself and put out enough material to satisfy your audience. Fans want
more material. Don't think about satiating potential fans, satiate the ones you've
got. Keep in constant contact so they know when you've got a new release. Do live
stuff on YouTube, Matt Nathanson put out an EP of Def Leppard covers. You may not
know, you may not care, but his fans do. Take risks. But don't get locked into the
old syndrome of ten tracks every other year.
HIP-HOP
It dominates, but it won't forever, it's just a matter of when. Hip-hop embraced
streaming when rock rejected it. Hip-hop gave it away for free when rock was
bitching it could not get paid. Hip-hop is today, rock is yesterday, but what is
tomorrow? Know that melody and changes and a good voice never go out of style,
NEVER! That's your easiest route to success if you're not a rapper. Do what you want
to, what you feel inside, don't follow trends, that's for amateurs.
THIS BEAT IS KILLING COUNTRY MUSIC
Watch this video, all ten plus minutes of it. This evidences how lowest common
denominator sounds are killing popular music. Grady Smith calls it "snaps." I call
it an electronic sound that debuted in the eighties and was quickly superseded,
kinda like synth solos, which Elton John and Keith Emerson employed and then
abandoned, or maybe synth drums! This is what makes experienced listeners lament the
quality of today's music.
This beat is killing country music
--
Visit the archive: Lefsetz Letter