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Post SXSW Thoughts: The Current Trend of Tame

So, we had a great SXSW. We hung out with Dave Allen all week, played way too many shows, and met people who were interested in our music. All in all, a really great week. In addition to the usual madness of running around playing shows, I was able to catch Dave's panel on copyright. The interesting thing about copyright discussions is that they usually end up as a debate regarding how you make money producing something that you don't charge for. This is where the music industry is right now and while bands have set precedents for making money off of t-shirts and live shows, as an industry, there is a serious lack of viable business models available for folks like labels to take advantage of.

One of the things that has become more and more important in light of a missing CD market is the concept of licensing. This is getting songs in Guitar Hero, commercials and movies (for the most part). More and more artists and labels are making money through getting placements and it is proving to be a relatively profitable plan. Labels can continue to streamline their operations, which means a few good placements can mean profits, which in turn means more music gets released.

The problem with depending on licensing is that it reflects another trend that seems to be cropping up in indie music. There have been rumblings that indie rock and independent music has become rather tame. People have stopped taking chances on bands, in order to mitigate the risk. Unless a song would do well in a romantic comedy, it is tough to get attention from labels. With more revenue coming from licensing songs, labels are not interested in taking chances on artists that may not be writing movie music.

Now, there is nothing wrong with "tame" music. Spoon was a perfect fit for Stranger Than Fiction and it left me liking both the movie and the band. Some of my favorite songs are those that have been tied to an emotional scene in a film. There is not one Wes Anderson that doesn't make me excited about the soundtrack. That guy made me catch the genius of The Kinks! I'd love to write a song that lands in a movie and has the same impact.

The problem is not that labels and the industry tend toward safe bets, but rather that the industry has lost focus on anything else. In a way I don't blame them. Nirvana's catalog has been in the news recently for lacking licensing interest. If a band like Nirvana couldn't happen today because they were not seen as a financially viable band, then we have a real problem. Again, I don't blame a label for avoiding risk. They are running a business after all. But, if no one is taking chances, then innovation stops.

Fortunately, innovation seems to thrive when pushed into a corner of limitations. I'd imagine some label going to take a chance on an artist and it will pay off. My bet the success will be partly be due to a focus on creating a brand. This is essentially Radiohead's model. Radiohead has a brand that demands attention. It has a boutique quality that demands higher prices and oozes quality. Even though the music won't show up on the latest episode of everyone's favorite TV show, they are able to present their music as a product so amazing, the premium of a price is worth it. The quality is definitely critical, but the branding could be what makes it all work.

I also think labels will cease to be entities that release music. I would hope a new breed of labels can be established that serve to support artists and their brands. Something like a manager who aims to help the artist anyway possible and a venture capitalist who enables development. I'd imagine these will be 360 deals where the label shares in the profits of the band, but it would look more like a partnership. This also means a label would most likely only have a few artists, since the time commitment is too great to take on major label type rosters. That said, a Y Combinator for music definitely seems possible.

Postulating aside, it is clear things are continuing to change. There are a ton of great bands and people are listening to more and more music. No matter what happens, it is an exciting time to be a musician and involved in the industry.