As a veteran record producer, I can summarize this article in one pithy Mr. Rogers quotation - “look for the helpers”.
Real art is not found in commerce. Or, as Quincy Jones said, “when you chase music for money, God leaves the room”.
I cannot be bothered with the latest machinations of the suits, the hedge funds, the stockholders, the profit margins, or the distribution platforms. Real music comes from none of those things, yet they all depend on it. Cart before horse.
Yes, the distributor is king. From Hudson Bay to Marshall Fields to Jeff Bezos to Elon Musk to Lucian Grainge, et al, our world is strewn with examples of how the middlemen always profit the most, exploiting both the creator and the consumer. What else is new? Like Seth Godin once said, longevity is not in buildings, but in roads.
So, the suits and the pundits will wring their hands over the tea leaves and chicken bones and attempt to excite their venture capital overlords with the latest identity marker terms - “AI!”, “M&E!”, and all the other bullshit, meaningless jargon that clueless corporate types bandy about any given week to rationalize their pathetic existences, deep insecurities, and compensating, over-inflated egos.
Meanwhile, real artists will continue to make real art, despite all of those loser opportunists. And those of us that are focussing on what’s actually important, doing the actual work of making great art, instead of all this pablum we’re drowning in, already know this.
Great analysis, Darren. The only point I am not so sure about is why you remain optimistic, and where do you see the new phases of the music industry emerging. All new projects and start-ups seem to be fixated on that fandom new space, which looks to me like a very convenient smoke curtain parroted by the majors to maintain the faith of their rightholders...
Yeah, the problem here is that I cannot comment further because of NDAs I've signed. But they aren't focused on fandom; each has a different focus but a common theme is more the overall experience of what it is to enjoy music, rather than just "upsell as much as we can to superfans".
As a veteran record producer, I can summarize this article in one pithy Mr. Rogers quotation - “look for the helpers”.
Real art is not found in commerce. Or, as Quincy Jones said, “when you chase music for money, God leaves the room”.
I cannot be bothered with the latest machinations of the suits, the hedge funds, the stockholders, the profit margins, or the distribution platforms. Real music comes from none of those things, yet they all depend on it. Cart before horse.
Yes, the distributor is king. From Hudson Bay to Marshall Fields to Jeff Bezos to Elon Musk to Lucian Grainge, et al, our world is strewn with examples of how the middlemen always profit the most, exploiting both the creator and the consumer. What else is new? Like Seth Godin once said, longevity is not in buildings, but in roads.
So, the suits and the pundits will wring their hands over the tea leaves and chicken bones and attempt to excite their venture capital overlords with the latest identity marker terms - “AI!”, “M&E!”, and all the other bullshit, meaningless jargon that clueless corporate types bandy about any given week to rationalize their pathetic existences, deep insecurities, and compensating, over-inflated egos.
Meanwhile, real artists will continue to make real art, despite all of those loser opportunists. And those of us that are focussing on what’s actually important, doing the actual work of making great art, instead of all this pablum we’re drowning in, already know this.
Wonderfully put J - thank you! 🙏🏻
“we need to nurture the symbiotic nature of the culture around music” is a great way to put it, something I’ve been thinking about a lot!
Great analysis, Darren. The only point I am not so sure about is why you remain optimistic, and where do you see the new phases of the music industry emerging. All new projects and start-ups seem to be fixated on that fandom new space, which looks to me like a very convenient smoke curtain parroted by the majors to maintain the faith of their rightholders...
Yeah, the problem here is that I cannot comment further because of NDAs I've signed. But they aren't focused on fandom; each has a different focus but a common theme is more the overall experience of what it is to enjoy music, rather than just "upsell as much as we can to superfans".