Simplicity As A Point Of Reference

So this post has come about as more of a spur-of-the-moment thought than a carefully constructed piece, but one which was based around a single notion; as life becomes faster and our possibilities in everyday life become more and more limitless, there is an increasing distance from the concept of simplicity, and within there is beauty.

Meet the Industry twins: ‘Record’ & ‘Music’

Okay, so you can’t turn anywhere online at the moment when looking at the music industry without tripping over coverage and opinion on yesterday’s IFPI Digital Music Report 2010 (I notice the irony in mentioning this as I introduce you to an article of me giving coverage and opinion to the very same topic). While everyone is focusing on the ‘piracy’ element, I wanted to zoom out slightly and look at the larger picture, much of which is unfortunately lacking in data to give perspective.

Fan Inclusion: A Unique Fan Experience

For me, one of the most exciting elements of a transitional music industry in which independent artists are becoming empowered is that bands are free to make their own rules and guide their own stories and careers, without being stuck in a ‘traditional’ release campaign structure.

More and more frequently I’m reading articles covering independent artists or bands who are finding ways to create music and release it to their fans in a two-way exchange that enriches everything about the release – more than any major label release could ever dream of.

Today I was sent this story of UK band, Hope and Social, and how they wanted to include their fans in their latest project.

“Deluxe Packages & The Independent Artist”: Multi-tier Releases for the Indie Musician

With the success of multi-level priced releases by artists such as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails showing that true fans are willing to not only spend money on what is also being offered for free, but that in many cases they are willing to spend far greater amounts of money on extra materials than has been offered before. For an independent artist looking to the future, how will this structure work for them?

Why the difference between D2F & D2C is more than just a letter

As the industry shifts and tries to settle, the opportunities that developments in technology allow for independent artists are well documented. George Howard has written a great article briefly analysing the ‘leveling’ effect that these developments have caused.

When George mentions the changes in distribution and publicity/promotion, two phrases come to my mind, both of which concern the same thing, but I feel are based in two completely different ideologies; “Direct-to-consumer” (D2C) and “Direct-to-fan” (D2F).

What will 2010 hold for the music industry?

How better to start a new year of articles than with a look ahead to what may come in the next twelve months?

After reading Nick Crocker’s article on Mashable, I’ll admit I was initially critical of it. I felt that it was a very ’safe’ list of predictions:

1. “Labels will get smart”
2. “Physical sales will continue to decline”
3. “Release strategies will evolve”
4. “Music will live legitimately in the cloud”

All the suggestions made by Crocker are merely follow-ons from what has preceded in the last twelve months or longer. While he draws valid points from what has been the story of the developing music industry, he hardly breaks new ground. For example, his point regarding the decline of physical sales; sales have been in steady decline for a number of years, and it is highly unlikely that the market will turnaround to buck the trend.

His final ‘point’ (if you can call it that) is “Who knows?”, and is probably the most telling of all. This is why the predictions are so vague and obvious, and why I apologise to Nick for being critical – it is virtually impossible to predict what will happen with music in the next year. Reading any breakdown of industry developments spanning the last ten years (for an excellent one see MusicAlly’s article) will help to highlight the transient nature of industry developments. How many start-ups or new faces have gone on to change the game completely, and how many have failed to accomplish anything and disappeared without trace?

It is an exciting time for everyone involved in music, knowing that it is still in the process of finding how it will sustain a profitable business model, if at all, and knowing that with a world of possibilities still out there, any idea that adapts best to how audiences want to consume music, or have such a winning formula that it in fact changes how they consume, can yet still take it off on a tangent from it’s current course. I can’t help but think it’ll be a new face that makes a breakthrough – it’s harder to see an established brand making a significant enough shift. But at the same time, will something like Apple’s acquisition of Lala, and the potential for adding a streaming service to the iTunes Music Store, be a winning option? Why find your niche when you can try your best to please all the people, all the time?

It will also be curious to see how music is affected to how other technology changes. If things continue as predicted by some, with the web and our computer becoming the digital hub through which we consume all matter of culture on demand, will music be integrated into this technology or still remain essentially on dedicated player and formats? How will the developments in nano-technology or general reductions in size of parts required for materials change potential players? Will music be streamed to miniature players attached to clothing/integrated into jewellery or even further down the line be part of something that we stream to internally?

It is only when we think of the long term, sci-fi solutions possible for the future that we can almost track back towards the next twelve months. When you see how far things have come/fallen in the last ten years it remains a veritable minefield guessing what the future holds.

Looking to 2010

It is with regret that I have neglected this blog for the last few months whilst I have had to prioritise other avenues, but I look forward to resuming writing for 2010 with a fresh vigor and excitement for the year ahead.

Expect to see more regular posts, including more opinion and reporting of music business and new technology developments, as well as a selection of features and articles for independent musicians and artist promotion.

As always, if there is a topic or question you’d like to see featured, feel free to leave a comment on any of the posts, or e-mail me at elliot.pearson [at] yahoo.co.uk.

Wishing you all the very best for 2010.

Musicians Making The Most of Social Media Opportunities

Anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time, or discussed with me the opportunities artists currently have online, will know I’m a big champion of how important fan interaction is to music artists, whether they be signed to a major label or totally independent, releasing work and marketing themselves.

Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls posted a blog (courtesy of Mike King) about her dealings with fans through social media, and what artists can receive with a little investment of their time with fans.

New Venture

In the true way that music is always evolving and moving forward so should we. I’m in the process of working through plans for a new music venture and would be very keen to hear from you if you are a songwriter.

The style of music does not matter, I’m open to hear from writers from a variety of genres, but songwriting quality does matter. You don’t have to be an artist or performer, those who are purely songwriters are also welcome to get in touch.

Feel free to e-mail me at elliot.pearson[at]yahoo.co.uk, send me a message on Twitter or send me a track on SoundCloud.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sharing Is Becoming Less Of A Dirty Word

Developments in both the music industry and that of how we interact as a society (through an increased use and reliance on the internet as a means of communication) have gone firmly hand-in-hand over the last twenty years. In fact, it is quite possible to draw correlations between the two through the well-documented ups and downs that the record industry has been through.

As people grew more used to interacting online, services such as peer-to-peer networks gave them new ways in which they could share information, much to the dismay of those whose livelihood revolved around the sale of recorded music. We have become increasingly accustomed to utilising online platforms to communicate with our social circles, and those who we would never have had the opportunity to communicate with if it were not for such technologies. As we shift between ‘versions’ of the internet, we notice an increase in content and platforms centred around what the user helps to generate – either based around interaction with others, or on content that is generated based on our preferences, usage or specifications.

The music industry is learning that such developments can be harnessed for positive purposes, rather than feeling the need to restrict them at every possible opportunity. How has sharing gone from being the arch enemy of the world record business to a key ally in reaching the expanse of audience in such an information-rich society?