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Making Music and Scarcity on the Web

Dave wrote a rather long piece blaming bands for not taking the music industry to the next level. I'm not going to say that I don't agree, but I do have problems with the arguments. I don't want to be a whiner either because at the end of the day, if a band wants to make it, they have to work like crazy, which is something we've always tried to do.

One thing Dave mentions is the "Fifth Beatle" character that a band may need. I think this idea is spot on in theory, but I can say for a fact finding a person to actually perform that task without getting paid is huge challenge. There are two routes that seem possible in finding such a person. The first is finding a fan you connect with and trust. The big issue here is that person will be a limited resource and doesn't have the same investments a band member has. The result can be a lack of quality or disinterest over a short time period. The second route includes finding a manager type person. This is a little more practical because in the end there is the potential promise of getting paid if things go well. The downside here is that managers take money and often do not work as hard as band members. Also, it is extremely difficult to find a manager that has the passion, time and entrepreneurship needed to head up an rather inventive band's brand. My guess is that the solution is finding that passionate fan and hope that person ends up the manager. Again, from what I've read, that is rare in terms of finding that person and finding success.

One thing that I agree with entirely is that bands need to make things valuable and timeless. This points to the more common idea that content is king, which has proven itself time and time again both online and off. The innovation Dave brings to this idea is that musicians need to be aware of the synergy tha t needs to happen when bringing excellent content to the web. Unlike many tech start ups, it would be a good idea to consider how you will actually make money earlier rather than later. I think Dave's point is that if you are creatively releasing quality content you should be able to forgo the traditional confines of a label, which brings me to my last issue..

The biggest problem I have with Dave's argument is that there is an assumption that musicians should expect to be in poverty or at least not making much money. My issue is not that musicians are no longer likely to become rich and famous, but rather that there is now an expectation to create complex and amazing work, release music themselves and presumably do so without the support of a label. On the one hand it is definitely possible. I've met some amazing artists that do exceptional work and basically blow my mind with their creative force. Some of these artists, I've come to find out, have a rather wealthy background that allows them to focus the majority of their time and energ y to their art. This is not a negative comment! It is just an observation that many artists who find success have not had to do so within the confines of poverty or financial hardship. Yes there are exceptions, but overall, projects like the hones Dave mentioned have some other party financing things. This does mean that Dave's point regarding setting musician financial expectations isn't valid. But it does mean that bands need to overcome economic factors to have any hope of fulfilling the ideas Dave is proposing.

Dave mentioned the scarcity of attention on the web, but what is not mentioned is the scarcity of talent. It has become trivial to install Wordpress and start blogging, but creating an interesting art piece is totally different. The social web started out free, so going back and asking for money is not an option. The current tools help a great deal with the basics of publishing on the web, but is limited to relatively static content. The fac t is that if you are going to do something innovative on the web, you 're going to have to pay for it. There are ways to find people to help you create this sort of media, but like finding your fifth beatle, it is not trivial to land that magical balance of creativity, quality and price. If you are a DIYer, you can learn to program and try building it yourself. Again, that is not trivial. Most programmers are not very good (myself included). It is rare that you would be an amazing musician that also has the ability to balance a life of coding and playing an instrument. I can say it is worth trying and that is exactly what we are doing. But, as the coder in the band, my job is partly to keep the lights on while more creative ladies have the opportunity to create.

Dave's point regarding the label as a distributor is totally correct. Signing away copyrights to get a record in Best Buy is a huge waste. But, I'd argue that what labels can hopefully offer now are the resources to create with innovation. The label can help to fund the video proj ect you've been thinking about and get it on the web. They can see the vision in a six month single series, help monetize the result and do the fulfillment. I'd guess that the label's were the one funding the examples of valuable and timeless content Dave posted. If the labels are trying to make money, then they seem better suited to find the resources to make creativity on the web flourish. It is as if the label is the producer for a band's brand.

I'm not sure my vision of a label is going to be accurate, but I still believe if a band wants to "break", there is most likely going to be a label or at the very least a manager involved. What is definitely different now is that before to "break" meant selling a lot of records. Now, breaking means finding that critical mass of fans. This is the best part of the new media, the fans. Just because a band can use the canned resources available doesn't mean they have the world at their fingertips on the web. Before labels handle d distribution, but now they need to help push a band beyond the hund reds of terrible music discovery sites and create really innovative content. They need to do this to get fans.

Really, I think Dave and I are probably closer to being on the same page than I might let on. As a programmer with a limited amount of time, I see how difficult it is to find the time and ability to create truly amazing artistic work on the web. In fact that is the reason I'm a programmer and not a designer as I originally set out to be with my interest in computers. Bands do need to accept the web, but they also are going to have to find some serious resources to overcome the scarcity of talent out there. Hopefully labels will realize this and again start putting out the web version of 7" for all the new-punk brewing.

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