I know this is a somewhat inflammatory headline, but in my belief, it has a lot of merit. Before my switch to blogging and technology entrepreneurship, I spent three wonderful years in the music business. As the CEO of Exonerated PR & Management (XPR), a music marketing and management firm, I was perfectly positioned to be a knowledgeable outsider, perched on the precipice of complete immersion into the industry.
Through XPR I worked with artists, bands, managers and record labels, designing and implementing social media marketing strategies. My goal was to help bands become more independent by providing them with the resources to monetize their efforts, without the help of a record label. I saw what had happened to major label bands, and I did my best to prevent my clients from going down that path. I didn’t realize at the time that I was creating a monster.
I’d like to educate people, especially people in technology, about the inner workings and existing problems in the music industry. It’s not as simple as it seems at times.
There are several people and steps involved in the traditional artist-to-label process:
The Artist - obviously. The artist’s sole responsibility is to make good music.
The Manager handles everything. Promotions, business relationships, finances (usually)…basically everything. Managers usually take a percentage of all revenue, with the percentage based on their experience and the artist’s popularity. There are independent managers, and there are management firms. Each has different advantages. Independent managers are more hands-on with the artist, and management firms often have more resources at their disposal. It is normally the manager’s responsibility to book shows for the artist, but it is illegal for a manager to book a show for their artist in the state of California and several other states without a talent agency license. Which leads me to…
The Booking Agent - Kind of self-descriptive. The booking agent usually has access to an enormous database of venues all over the country. They are responsible for booking one-offs (one-night engagements), national and regional tours. Booking agents receive a percentage of event revenue.
The Publicist handles press, interviews, red carpet engagements and image. Publicists are normally paid on a retainer-basis.
The A&R (Artists & Repertoire) Representive is employed by a record label. They are responsible for scouting and artist development. Once the artist is signed to the label, it’s the A&R rep’s responsibility to place them with a producer, sound mixer and help develop their sound. A&R reps are usually young for several reasons. They provide a “hip” go-to guy for the artists, they bring a fresh perspective about current music trends, and they do what they’re told. They are usually impressionable and are therefore a good minion who has gained the band’s trust and are willing to do the label’s dirty work.
The Producer directs the artist and is responsible for creative development for the artist on a per-album basis.
As you can see, there are a lot of people involved. Admittedly, this system is flawed. Labels don’t develop artists anymore. They want “the song,” not the artist. Traditionally (and in most movies), a starry eyed artist or band plays at an open mic night, or submits an unsolicited demo, and comes to the attention of some big shot label executive or A&R guy. They get signed and make millions of dollars.
Now, A&R is lazy. They want a song they can sell now. One band I worked with for about 3 years, are amazing. Every time they play, everyone in the audience buys an album, and their first full-length album reached #60 on the iTunes alternative chart in their first week - without a label. A&R people at major labels love them, but they consistently say “they just need a radio hit.”
What happened to artist development?
It’s no wonder that independent artists are turning to the web to take control of their careers. There are countless tools providing artists with the resources they need to sell merch, sell albums and songs, book shows, promote shows, meet fans, build street teams and even produce their own music. They are slowly trying to phase out the entire process I explained above.
Through Myspace you can book shows, meet bands to go on tour with, promote yourself, sometimes even get on local radio, killing the need for a publicist and booking agent. iTunes, Snocap, CDbaby and other music distribution sites allow artists to easily and cheaply sell their albums or songs, giving artists the opportunity to be their own label. Producers are even being phased out with the rising popularity of affordable professional-quality production and mixing software and services.
The problem I see, is when artists are being their own publicist, booking agent, manager and record label - who is making the music? Can an artist really make good music that touches people’s hearts, when he has to deal with business relationships, booking shows, inviting A&R guys to their shows, and pimping out their music to their thousands of Myspace friends? Could Kurt Cobain have been Kurt Cobain if he had to spend 4 hours a day on Myspace, adding friends? Would Counting Crows’ “Holiday in Spain,” Blind Melon’s “No Rain” or “Everlong” by The Foo Fighters have come out of this vacuum?
I once had a client who insisted on managing him and his band, to his very obvious detriment. He once invited several A&R guys to their show at CBGB’s in NYC. He talked to the A&R guys before the show, doing exactly what he had seen other managers do. When he got on stage, he wasn’t the same. I had seen him perform 10 times or so, and this time, he did not have the fire or obvious passion that I had seen in him so many times before. Not surprisingly, he did not get signed. He did manage to get signed a year or two later, and they just released an album. The album had the same songs he was performing when I knew them 3 years ago. So instead of writing new songs for the past three years, he was consumed with independently managing the band.
What Can Be Done?
Getting involved with the record industry is daunting, I know, but the solutions lie within. The record industry has been around since the 19th century for a reason. Because it works. Artists have traditionally been incubated, developed, guided and protected. The mp3 caused a lot of turmoil, forcing record labels to fight back (and in the process lose money) and pretending to be this gift to the artist and consumer. But with record labels losing money, they are unable to develop artists like they used to. So these artists are being forced to manage themselves - at a major detriment to the music, and ultimately, the consumer.
The major focus in music services has been ease of use and access to the artist and the consumer. There are problems with this model that not many people realize. For example, Neilsen Soundscan, the measurement system that reports to radio and chart systems like Billboard, requires a record label to report sales. Albums sold on CDbaby and smaller online music sales systems like Amie Street don’t count as an album sold, unless it’s done through a reputable online music distribution company. This hurts the artist, because their sales don’t count when any major company or retailer looks them up.
A shift in focus is required. It’s understandable that people want to fight “The Man” and give more power to the individual. But in this case, and in my opinion, it doesn’t work toward the greater good. Do I have a solution? I have some ideas, but this post is long enough. If you’d like to hear some more about this, I’d be more than happy to do another one soon, so let me know in the comments. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Thanks so much the very sweet Nora Robinson for the drawing and Mark Zabala from markzabala.com for the second image! Came out great! xoxo
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