I have to be going now

I've been doing a lot of reading about the music industry and the music business as of late. This interest is mostly motivated by my own attempts to break into same. A lot of the current buzz is about new avenues of production, distribution and promotion that are provided by the online age we find ourselves in.

The now well-known but at the time unbelievable decision that Radiohead made to distribute their newest album online with a 'pay-what-you-will' system is just one of many many examples of the changing landscape of the music industry as an entity. Artists can now record songs on home studios that cost less than home computers, or even use their computers themselves with cheap as free software.

With even large companies and big-budget movies resorting to viral internet marketing to publicize their product, it's becoming clear that paying hundreds of thousands of dollars isn't the only way to get people interested in your music.

I for one am very excited about the new direction that music will (hopefully) be taking soon. The record companies should be worried.

I remember the first time I realized that artists don't in fact own their own music. My dad works for a company that makes electronics (pickups) for acoustic guitars, and because of this I've gotten to meet several small/medium/and big-time musicians who's equipment he has worked on. We were at a Bob Bennet concert when I was ten or so, and afterwards he came over to our house for dinner. While we were walking to our car I asked (in my childlike naivette) Bob if I could have a copy of his CD. He chuckled uncomfortably as my dad explained that Bob couldn't just give it away for free, even to friends. I couldn't understand why, and my dad had a hard time trying to explain to me that Mr. Bennet didn't own his own songs, but rather a "label" did.

This didn't seem right to me then and it still doesn't seem right to me now. Music is possibly the most personal and emotional form that artwork can take, and there is no reason whatsoever that some conglomerate or corporation should "own" an artist's creation.

Anyway, a lot of the recent innovations in technology are starting to get noticed and implemented by musicians and I'm reading more and more about big name artists making moves away from the traditional label setup. Even more encouraging is hearing about indie artists like Allison Weiss who are entirely self-produced and self-promoted who are making quite a splash in their own right. It gives me hope not only for my own music, but for the quality of mainstream music in general. The further we can get away from labels spending millions upon millions of dollars trying to cultivate what they think the public wants in an artist and then convincing the public that this artist is what they want, the better. I could just be being naive again but it seems like me that the more we move in the direction things are going now the more and more genuine talent will be recognized rather than connections and dumb luck propelling people to the top.

I've just rambled about this topic for ten minutes after keeping it rattling around in the back of my head for a few months, so it's not the most well formulated thing you've ever read, I'm sure. I just like getting my thoughts out, hopefully there's something in there you find interesting.

Thanks for reading,

-loren

Loren Radis - Hey There Delilah (Cover)

 

this is me at my most recent show playing a cover of 'hey there delilah' by the plain white tees.

hope you like it!

-loren