It seems like most of the news about the big music business companies lately has been nothing but doom and gloom.  By and large, it’s been the startups like TuneCore, TopSpin, BandCamp, SoundCloud, last.fm, iLike, Rdio and others that have been pushing the envelope and taking advantage of the new opportunities within the marketplace.

However, things seem to have taken a bit of a shift recently.

Facebook, which has long been admonished for not providing tools for musicians (among other things), launched Music on Facebook. With it, they provide a pretty decent step-by-step best practices guide for getting the most of out Facebook, not only for musicians, but for fans and venues.

Along with that, Billboard Pro has caught my attention. The service is $99/year, and even though you have to have a MySpace Music page to participate (more on that later), it’s by no means limited to MySpace.

The team behind this kindly provided an answer to the question that popped into my mind when I read the part about having to have a MySpace Music profile a bit later on in the FAQ section:

Why do you require that artists use Myspace Music to be on Uncharted or to join Billboard Pro?

Billboard is synonymous in the world of music with its charts, and in order to create a platform for exposing the efforts of new and developing artists, we created Uncharted. Our charts have historically been based on comprehensive sales and airplay data. To have as comprehensive a view of the online music landscape as possible, we formed a data partnership with the largest artist community on the internet, from the perspective of both the number of artists and fans participating: Myspace Music.

Billboard Pro subscribers can track fan engagement from many different sources, including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, and more recently launched music-specific services like ReverbNation and Soundcloud. We plan to add additional relevant data sources as the digital music landscape evolves. If there’s a source that you’d like to see included, please share it with us.

I know, I’m harping on the MySpace thing quite a bit. It’s nothing personal against Billboard Pro, and I actually caught myself nodding my head after I read their reasoning for requiring the MySpace Music account. After all, we know that Facebook wasn’t really an option. Instead of forcing artists to create something new, choosing to tie in with an existing presence – one with a righ data history – is a strategically smart move.

I also really like how Billboard Pro is open to including other music services into their analytics tool, and already includes quite a few, like “YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, iLike and Wikipedia, among others.” Their blog is also chock-full of good information – everything from industry news to how-to’s and tips and arguably a great resource for a musician, even if they’re not subscribed to the Pro service.

Final Verdict

I’m a fan of these two moves. Facebook is finally realizing that people want to connect with musicians on their site (no doubt they’ll figure out how to monetize Music on Facebook in the coming months), and Billboard is taking their industry prowess and turning their attention to the people who are fueling the growth in the industry – up-and-coming artists.

What have your experiences with Facebook been like? Have you noticed the recent changes? Have you signed up for Billboard Pro? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

We’ve all seen this happen before. You buy tickets to an event, and the artist gets sick (or the venue loses it’s license, or the tour manager quits, or the date is re-scheduled because Venus is in Saturn’s path and their stars aren’t aligned).

If this was 1990, you would call the ticketing company or stop by the venue and get a re-issued ticket.

If this was 1999, you’d likely get an email about the change with notes on how to claim your ticket for the rescheduled event.

In 2011, you might find out about the show from a Facebook status update from your friend who is going with you, an email, or a Tweet from the artist or venue.

Either way, you’re likely going to re-post to share with other people that are also going to the show, and the communication chain unfolds online.

The Point?

People have the expectation of to-the-minute communication in today’s world. If I’m going to a concert (in this case, a festival), it’s all well and good that I can choose which artists I want to keep an eye on months ahead of time…. but if I’m still wondering about set times 3 days before the event starts, I’m going to wonder why and want someone, somewhere, to say something!

Coachella is all over the social web – kudos to them! But, if you’re not actively participating and monitoring the conversations and key questions from people reaching out to you, you’re only halfway there.

Part of being present on the social web in this case is using it as Q&A tool (as one example). What are people talking about? What are they asking questions about? How can I help get them answered? It’s online customer service… nothing too fancy or groundbreaking!

Right now, I don’t so much care about H&M’s thing at Coachella… what I want to know is who I’m going to see play and when!

I also don’t care about (what’s likely a virus), clicking on some girl’s photo to help her win a trip or something or other. Coachella – use the moderation tools available to you and pay attention!

So perhaps this is a bit of a selfish plea for Coachella to either release the set times, or tell people why they’re taking so long.

But perhaps it’s also a lesson about making sure you have the resources and time to dedicate to both the posting and the responding to content online, especially if social media is a part of your marketing mix.

I’ll admit it, I like bass. I like crispy, crunchy basslines – full of rhythm and groove.  I dig the sub bass that is so prominently featured in dubstep, and as an overall preference, I like rich music, full of sound, nuances and flavor.

I suppose it’s only natural, seeing as I grew up playing violin first, then percussion – all for a grand total of about 15 years combined.  I tried my hand at DJ’ing briefly in college (and have lately been debating taking that back up, but that’s another matter), but I ultimately decided that I wanted to focus on my career (marketing) and keep music as a hobby to be enjoyed, not worked for.

Nevertheless, I’ve stayed connected to the electronic music scene throughout my years – the list of DJ’s I’ve seen is quite lengthy and I still go to shows on a pretty regular basis – as long as they’re not obnoxiously late on a weeknight (which, regrettably, some are!).

In a bit of a departure for me, I’m sharing a mix with just a teenie marketing lesson… never underestimate the memory of your consumers. I downloaded this mix purely based on my past memories of Aquasky and was blown away – this mix has totally brought Aquasky to the forefront of my mind and you can bet that I’ll be looking to see if there are any upcoming gigs in my area.

There – business over.  Go download this ridiculously rude mix.  Rude being said in the very best of contexts, of course.  I have a feeling that you’ll love it as much as I do if you’re into bass-heavy, upbeat electronic music.  It’s all over the place genre-wise, from drum n bass to dubstep, nuskool and some electroish stuff, to name a few.

*download* Aquasky Nov. 2010 mixtape by Dave Aquasky

Let me break it down to you.  Nobody is perfect.  Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone screws up, and everyone lives to either regret, or improve on their past mistakes.

My professional life focuses a lot on perfection.  Are all of our t’s crossed? Our i’s dotted? Does this design look pixel perfect? What about the spacing – is it consistent across pieces? Which particular grammar rule are we following here and are we doing it consistently? Should we underline this or simply make it bold? Does the left- or right-side placement have more of an effect?

We analyze, we scrutinize and we perfect every little thing we do. It’s necessary but it’s exhausting.

This blog is my place to write something and have it not be perfect.  To think and let my hands do the translation to the written word for me. Do I have old posts saved as drafts because “they just don’t sound right?” – sure do.  Do I make grammatical mistakes? Surely.  Does my Mom kindly email me to point them out? You betcha (no, really – Hi, Mom!).

This blog is a very public declaration of what I feel and what I think about marketing and music as a whole. It’s my public opportunity to NOT be perfect.  It’s scary and yes, I still double-check my work, still hold back some pieces that aren’t “quite there” yet, and still regret posting some things as I know that I’m capable of doing better. But – and here’s the important part – I put the great majority of it out there – my own fears and insecurities be damned.

Looking at this in a larger context than just my little world… we’re all flawed creatures.  The notes we play, the songs we sing, and the music we create – it’s all different each time around. There is no such thing as a perfect performance. Trust me, I know.

What I never figured out, though, was where I learned that the imperfections in each performance were the things that made each one special.  Yes, there are parts where we have to play in unison, and conformity is good. But there are parts to every performance that give you the ability to just be you.  Play on, even if you miss a few notes along the way.  Put your heart and soul into it and see what happens.  Try your hardest to better yourself, but don’t let one mistake derail the rest of the piece.

This reminder is for me just as much as for you.  Put that unfinished piece of music out there and ask for critique.  Go play live in an unfamiliar venue and figure it out as you go along.  Host a jam session with a few new musicians and just have fun.  Whatever it is, just go out and do. Go try new things and worry about being perfect later.

This post was inspired by @Adam Singer’s kind words today. Adam – thank you for the timely reminder.

I’ve been a big fan of Behringer products for years.  They produce quite the extensive line of DJ, sound and other music-related products, and I’ve always had great experiences.  That being said, they were pretty much out of sight, out of mind for years. I stopped DJin’g and just didn’t have a need to keep up with what they were doing.  I’ve been paying attention to them again lately though, mainly due to their Twitter stream.

I took a look around their social presence and really like what I saw.  So much so that I decided to write an entire blog post about it – not bad, eh?

I’ll start with the website:

The clean style really showcases both the products they want to feature (rotating in the center), as well as a larger portion of their product line and their social outposts, all without being crowded or poorly-designed.

Great, but their Twitter stream is really what caught my eye.  Let’s take a look!

I LOVE the fact that they’re on top of responses.  A lot of people/companies who are just jumping into social media seem to forget the “social” aspect and just use their accounts to push our news about their company.  Behringer does post updates about their products, but they also feature weird musical instruments, ask questions and have conversations with people that respond to them. It’s a really great combination of interesting information and interaction, and I regularly go check the account just to see what I’ve missed from them. Really.

I hopped over to Facebook next and really, the only negative thing I have to say here is that I wish they had a better avatar. It is consistent with their other profiles (like Twitter above), but just a bit too long for the space.  Still – if I’m just pointing out the avatar and not the actual content, I consider that a huge win.  Make no mistake, the content is really good! Take a look for yourself.

Behringer does cross-post content from Twitter to Facebook (or vice versa, more likely), and I like that they do this.  They don’t try and shove people back and forth between the platforms, yet they make sure that if you’re on Twitter, you’ll see the much the same information as you’d see on Facebook.  They also reply to comments on Facebook which is unique! You’d be surprised how many companies post something then just leave it.  Questions go unanswered, kudos go unthanked and opportunities to, you know, be social, go unrecognized.

As if that wasn’t enough, they’re also on YouTube and Flickr – both give you a good “behind the scenes” view of what’s up at Behringer, including shows they’re at and videos they’re making (even just for fun).  The videos are fun to watch and the photos are a combination of company photos and fan submissions – I really enjoyed looking through both sites and seeing some of the faces and personalities.

So – some takeaways:

• Interaction is good. Don’t be afraid to use @ replies, DM’s or comments to respond to questions, thank people for their support or offer help.  Sometimes all people want is to be heard.
• Consistency is good. Use the tools you’ve selected to their full potential! Cross-post content and encourage people to connect with you where they feel most comfortable doing so – not where you want them to do so.  You don’t have to copy everything (and in fact, you probably shouldn’t), but posting key pieces of content on multiple sites isn’t always a bad thing!
• Design matters. It may seem completely obvious, but web design matters! I was encouraged to poke around Behringer’s site simply because it was easy to use.  Don’t be afraid to change things up or invest some serious time and resources to make your website more effective.  Websites are still important!

What other companies do you like in the social space? Share your favorites in the comments!

I’m fortunate to live in a city that oozes culture.  From the orchestras and the ballets to the concerts at Madison Square Garden or Radio City Music Hall, NYC knows no shortage of spectacularly good music. But, many people (even those who live here) fail to notice the smaller things. Free concerts in the park(s), small music venues that bring in upcoming band after upcoming band, street performers/subway musicians all often escape attention from the general public.  I personally can’t count the number of times I’ve walked by a particularly amazing violinist in the 14th St/8th Ave subway station instead of stopping to listen, all in the name of getting home that much sooner.

In my case, I was wandering home from the cheese shop after choosing to ride the subway the few short stops home instead of risking my cheese on the 95-degree walk from one side of my neighborhood to the other.  I walked into the station and headed down the stairs to the platform while listening to what sounded like a full band playing down below.  To my surprise it was only 2 saxes and a fairly simple drum set, but I still purposefully missed my arriving train and watched them play until the next train came about 10 minutes later.

Now, I’m just as guilty as anyone of passing by subway musicians or street performers. You really get used to ignoring things when you live here.  You ignore the people begging for change on the sidewalk, the taxis incessantly honking their horns, the foul smells originating from bags of trash waiting to be collected, the people handing flyers out for yet another free comedy show, the charity petitioners begging for a second or two of your time, the phone conversations you happen to overhear… you get the picture.  I wrote about the practiced art of ignoring life in the city before when this blog was just a wee baby blog (ok, a really wee baby blog) and it still stands true today. We ignore, we segment, we automate, and we forget how to communicate with people.

We forget what it means to connect.

Me and my cheese connected with new music on Saturday. We connected with the ladies dancing beside me, the numerous other people that missed the first train to stand and listen to these guys play, the people stopping to drop a few dollars off in their case and of course, the music.

I took a video (of course) – watch. It gets REALLY good around 1:15.

You know what I wish, though? I wish they’d included their name.  I dropped some cash in to help them with their quest to record, but I’d love to see them play in a proper venue someday.  Anyone that makes me spontaneously stop for an extra 10 minutes just to sit and listen deserves much more than a few bucks.  But alas, they didn’t put their name on their sign anywhere.

Lessons learned? Be ridiculously good and be easy to find.

I ran across an article in USA Today that rang true with my view of the music industry. The link is here, and i’ve included an excerpt of the bit that stuck out the most below:

“With so many different options in terms of how consumers obtain and experience music, albums aren’t the only game in town anymore,” says Keith Caulfield, Billboard chart analyst. “Because the album was the dominant format for decades, people became accustomed to quoting album sales as an indicator of how well the music industry was faring.

Now there are multiple ways of measuring music’s popularity and sales. It’s hard to keep tabs on how much money Lady Gaga is earning from having her songs in Glee. There are so many more ways to monetize music. Albums don’t tell the whole story.”

Bravo, Edna! We married the product (music) with the medium (vinyl, cassette, CD) for so long that we’re now having big troubles defining not only what we’re selling, but how much we’re selling it for.

Don’t get me wrong, there’re some stupendously smart people in the music business. The trouble is that most of these great businesspeople have either been so pissed off by the big guns that they’ve taken their show on the road and done their own independent thing, or they’re buried so far within an organization that we don’t ever see their brilliance.

Much like the ad industry needs to move away from CPMs as a measure of success, the music industry needs to move away from record sales as a measure of profit and industry health. Those sales only represent a portion of the pie, and in some cases it’s a mighty small one.

What say you, musicians? Do you care to share how much album sales (%-wise) contribute to your overall income?? What about the profit you make off of these sales vs other things like playing shows or licensing songs for other artistic uses?

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about why so many artists seem to be suddenly splitting from their record labels. There was a wave of self-released records a few years ago, including NIN and Radiohead, but recently the “I can do this myself!” camp has expanded with the addition of OK Go and Amanda Palmer, among others.

The basic premise of a label is this: you sign an act you think will end up making you money, invest some time and resources into them in exchange for some ownership (profits, rights) of the product, and start on your journey to making the big bucks. You need the talent to make your connections worthwhile, and the talent needs you, your money, and your connections to help them make it big.

I know, it’s a touch more complicated than that in reality. But, when you get right down to the meat of it, it’s about the label making a wise choice on the artist selection side, dedicating the resources (time, money, guidance) into making that investment a success, and enjoying the rewards when it happens.

Tell me again exactly how that process differs from being a venture capitalist?

It doesn’t!

EXCEPT when you consider the fact that the labels somehow forgot about patience (among other things), and started screwing up from the very beginning.

Sign an act that can’t sing their way out of a paper bag? Great, auto tune the records to hell and use every available bit of technology at your disposal to get them to sound nothing short of magnificent.

Not writing songs that reach as many people as you’d like? Hire a songwriter and make sure their music fits the masses.

There ARE labels out there that take the time to really evaluate the acts they sign, and sign them BECAUSE of their talent and their potential. These, lately, have been the indie labels, which are doing quite well if you look at their growth over the past few years.

It seems to be the majors that have this problem – this immediate need to recoup their investment and milk the artist for all they’re worth. Yes, the music business IS about making a profit. It’s a business and for any business to be sustainable, you have to have some cash coming into the door. However, they’re not looking at things from a long term view as well as a short term view, it seems.

All of that technology to make an artist sound amazing when they’re truly not comes at a cost, and that cost = overhead. Keep increasing the # you’re putting into someone and profits for you diminish, lessening both what you make AND what the artist makes. Tough cycle.

Venture capitalists will put money into a business they think could be viable in exchange for partial ownership of the returns. They’ll sit on the board, they’ll guide, they’ll oversee, and they’ll use their connections to help improve the business. They’ll be present and their input will be heard, but what they wont do is demand their investment back from the first few customers their new business signs. They’ll wait it out, see their investment slowly grow (if they chose wisely), and be in it for the medium to long haul.

Just like labels, VC’s come in different flavors. Some request more of one thing, or less of another. For the artist, it’s about picking wisely (just like the startup!). For the label, it’s about putting terms out there that provide ways for both your profits AND your artist (and THEIR profits) to grow over time.

If artists evolve over time, and fan bases grow and change right along with those artists, hey don’t labels take the same approach? Why don’t they act more like guides, instead of dictators? Why don’t they make smarter choices about who to sign from the very beginning?

It seems that labels put profits above all else in both the short AND the long term, preventing (often times, it seems) the chance of long term growth. Plus, some of the signing decisions? They’re just downright silly! Why are you going to sign someone who can’t sing to a label?!

Riddle me that.

Over the past few months I’ve noticed some debates happening about musicians and branding.  It seems that while some musicians “get” the fact that they (and their music) are a brand, others don’t.

I come down very clearly on one side, emphatically believing that every musician should think of themselves as a brand.

Why?

Think about what you’re selling. You’re selling a product you made, featuring… you. You’re selling yourself and you’re marketing yourself. You ARE a brand whether you like it or not, and you HAVE a brand whether you know it or not.

I get that it’s personal, and I get that it’s hard to step away from the music you create and see your brand for what it is.

But, it’s necessary. And here are some tips:

• Remember Your Roots Remember what you set out to create. What feelings did you want to inspire? What impressions did you want to leave your audience with? When you first started, how did you want your music to be remembered?
• Listen To Your Fans Go do a Google or Twitter search for yourself. Go back and read reviews of your albums, your shows, or your demos. What words are used to describe your music?
• Look Forward Music evolves just as people evolve.  If you’ve been creating music for a long time there’s a good chance that your sound has evolved from where it began.  Where are you now? What’s changed? Where do you see yourself going?

Through this exercise you should begin to get a good idea of what you set out to create, what you actually created, and what you want to create next.  Take a look at the results. Are they what you expected? Are there parts that you really like? What about the parts that you don’t like?

For the parts you like – set out to develop those.

Perhaps your fans really did you music, but they also really dig how you interact with them at a live show.  Find ways to incorporate more of that fan interaction across all of your activities. How can you make them more involved in the recording process? What about arranging meetups before you perform to actually sit and say hi to your fans? Are you connecting them with each other when you notice that they have something in common? How about sharing the love and helping to introduce them to other musicians you think they may like?

For the parts you don’t like – figure out how you can change them.

Do fans only seem to dig your uptempo songs, but not really be as into your ballads? If so, why? Asking them never hurt, but also, how can you work to evolve your craft? How can you get better and make your ballads just as good as your uptempo songs?

For everything you do – figure out where it fits into your brand.

Is it a natural extension? What about a complete departure? Can it help to evolve your craft? Can you make money off of it? How will your fans react? Think about these questions as you take on new projects, and don’t be afraid to explore.  Music is personal and the relationship between band members, as well as fans and artists go far beyond typical co-worker or brand/consumer relationships.  Remember that you’re a person, making things that connect with other people (and hopefully making a living off it!).  Don’t be afraid to evolve.

What about you? What side are you on in this debate? Are you a brand, or are you just a musician?

There’s this notion that if you build something people will come. That notion is crap.

There’s also this notion that if you invest time, resources and energy into social media to build a presence, that people will automatically love you just because you’re there. That notion is also crap.

If anything, social media has shortened the life cycle of stardom to almost nothing.  How many bands do you know that were unknown one day, only to be the “next big thing” the next? Out of those, how many are still popular?

Before you get out there and start telling people about who you are any why they should care, focus on your product. Focus on creating something people will care about, THEN get out there and start talking.

I’m not saying wait until you’re perfect, but don’t expect social media to cover up the fact that you may not be all that good. Put out stuff you believe in and constantly push yourself to be better. Prepare for honest feedback and embrace it. It’s a tough lesson to learn, and a tough spot to be in, but congrats – it’s reality.

Aim to not suck and start from there.

I was invited by Mack Collier to co-host #blogchat (on Twitter) last Monday night (the 8th) and was blown away by the quality of participants and discussions taking place during the chat.

Before I get into my thoughts, let’s take a step back. For those that don’t know what #blogchat is, it’s a weekly chat happening on Twitter (check out tweetchat.com for more information on how).  Essentially, you pull up a Twitter search for #blogchat at the appropriate time, and start Tweeting with the people already participating. The key is to use the hashtag (#blogchat) in every tweet so that the conversations can be seen by all. If you’re wondering how to find the “appropriate time” a simple Twitter search will tell you if you search for the hashtag.

The topic of the week was how musicians could use blogging and social media to help them achieve their goals – whether they be ticket sales, music sales, or just connecting with their fans.

The full chat transcript can be found here, and Mack’s review post can be found here. Happy clicking!

About an hour and a half into the chat, Curt Smith (co-founder of Tears for Fears) jumped into the fray and spent the next 30ish minutes answering questions.  Part of the value (as a fan) of following artists on Twitter is the perception of personal connection you feel with the artist, their work, and their lives. Take the following exchange as an example:

Some of the other valuable music-related nuggets Tweeted during the chat:

• Blogging and using other SM tools is a great way to build a passionate community
• Communications should be authentic – no PR/marketing people tweeting “as” the artist
• Don’t be afraid to have a personality
• Many artists don’t see themselves as brands – that mind shift is necessary
• Twitter can be a great “first step” tool to drive fans to other places (like a Facebook Fan Page or a website)
• Offering up special incentives/announcements via SM is a great way to make your community in SM feel special (Ed note: as well as start to get an idea of the effectiveness of these tools!)
• Artists and companies need to start viewing fans as long-term assets, not just short-term pockets stuffed with cash. The key? Building a relationship with them.
• If you’re going to use SM, always consider what the fans want to read/might find interesting. The focus isn’t you as a person, per se – it’s about your brand and your work. Don’t be afraid to let personality shine through, but avoid excessive inane chatter.
• Location-based software could be a no-no if you get big enough to worry about “crazy people”. Safety first!
• Most agree a blog should be the “home base” in your digital efforts
• Don’t forget the fan to fan connections – they’re key!
• Before you can ever start to think about selling anything – you need to build a community who wants to buy.

What advice would you add? Leave it in the comments!

There’s been a lot of hand-wringing ever since this whole Internets thing started to pick up steam in the music industry. Namely, the recording industry has been fretting over what to do, and how to monetize this whole digital thing.

Ed note: The recording industry is a piece of the music industry – if you’re confused, go look here.

At first the Internets didn’t affect CD sales enough to actually bother anyone, so the strategy was “ignore, ignore, ignore”. The RIAA got all put bull and started bringing people to court over illegal downloading, screaming that the people who were doing the illegal downloading (or rather, sharing songs for others to illegally download) were  responsible for the current state of the recording industry.

Jump forward a few years and nothing really changed. The recording industry was still for the most part refusing to provide legal options to people who wanted to download music, so the public was still downloading illegally, delivering the Internets equivalent of a middle finger to the big bad RIAA, as well as the recording industry.

Then iTunes happened. Suddenly there was a very popular was to legally download music, and people started doing so. Voila, problem not yet solved, but hey – it was a start.

The thing is, the recording industry and the RIAA were now playing two sides, so to speak.  They were getting the revenues from the iTunes downloads, yet still screaming and suing.  The theme as it appeared to consumers was “You’re consuming music in the way you want to, and we’re starting to allow you to do that, but we really want our old way back as we made more money, so we’re still going to whine and complain.”

Businesses have to make money, I get it. Everyone gets it.

What many companies in the recording industry fail to realize though, is that their refusal to innovate and adopt new technologies was effectively a huge middle finger in the face of the consumer. That pissed consumers off.

At the end of the day the consumer wants the music – and we don’t necessarily care about the medium it comes on.  The limitation of choice is what really pisses people off, and that was a choice made by inaction within the recording industry.

Hello to a problem the recording industry helped create.

So today I ran across his gem of a quote on brand dna, and it got me thinking.

“I think records were just a little bubble through time and those who made a living from them for a while were lucky.

There is no reason why anyone should have made so much money from selling records except that everything was right for this period of time.

I always knew it would run out sooner or later. It couldn’t last, and now it’s running out. I don’t particularly care that it is and like the way things are going.

The record age was just a blip. It was a bit like if you had a source of whale blubber in the 1840s and it could be used as fuel.

Before gas came along, if you traded in whale blubber, you were the richest man on Earth.

Then gas came along and you’d be stuck with your whale blubber. Sorry mate – history’s moving along.

Recorded music equals whale blubber. Eventually, something else will replace it.”

The quote started me thinking about everything I wrote above. How if the THING you trade or sell suddenly is made obsolete, you need to figure out a new thing, a new product, or in this case, a new transportation method (from CDs to fiber optic cables).

Directly below the article was an “Open Letter from OK Go, Regarding Non-Embeddable YouTube Videos”.

Do yourself a favor and go read the entire article. It will take you a few minutes, but the letter is wonderfully written and really shows the evolution and struggle of many to monetize this whole Internets thing, while still delivering what fans want.

I’ve included a few excerpts below (emphasis mine), but really, you should go and read the entire article.

Believe us, we want you to pass our videos around more than you do, but, crazy as it may seem, it’s now far harder for bands to make videos accessible online than it was four years ago

The label fronts the money for us to make recordings – for this album they paid for us to spend a few months with one of the world’s best producers in a converted barn in Amish country wringing our souls and playing tympani and twiddling knobs – and they put up most of the cash that it takes to distribute and promote our albums, including the costs of pressing CDs, advertising, and making videos. We make our videos ourselves, and we keep them dirt cheap, but still, it all adds up, and it adds up to a great deal more than we have in our bank account, which is why we have a record label in the first place.

Let’s take a wider view for a second. What we’re really talking about here is the shift in the way we think about music. We’re stuck between two worlds: the world of ten years ago, where music was privately owned in discreet little chunks (CDs), and a new one that seems to be emerging, where music is universally publicly accessible. The thing is, only one of these worlds has a (somewhat) stable system in place for funding music and all of its associated nuts-and-bolts logistics, and, even if it were possible, none of us would willingly return to that world. Aside from the smug assholes who ran labels, who’d want a system where a handful of corporate overlords shove crap down our throats? All the same, if music is going to be more than a hobby, someone, literally, has to pay the piper. So we’ve got this ridiculous situation where the machinery of the old system is frantically trying to contort and reshape and rewire itself to run without actually selling music. It’s like a car trying to figure out how to run without gas, or a fish trying to learn to breath air.

So, for now, here’s the bottom line: EMI won’t let us let you embed our YouTube videos. It’s a decision that bums us out. We’ve argued with them a lot about it, but we also understand why they’re doing it. They’re aware that their rules make it harder for people to watch and share our videos, but, while our duty is to our music and our fans, theirs is to their shareholders, and they believe they’re doing the right thing.

Let me say it again – go read the entire article.

OK Go (or Gizmodo, I’m not sure which) then included the Vimeo video you can see below, and me being a blogger of course put it on this very blog (I dig the song and love the video, so go forth and view).

OK Go – This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

What’s the conclusion? Well, I’d say right now we’re all in agreement on something at least. There’s far less money to be made from selling CD’s then there was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago. This Internets thing has thrown a major wrench in the recording industry operations, and labels are suffering.

Is there a solution? That remains to be seen. Companies like Topspin,  TuneCore, Involver, Kickstarter, ArtistData and others are coming out and helping artists (and labels!) better manage things in this whole Internet-driven economy, but these companies are still few and far between in the grand scheme of things. It’s progress, but is it the solution? I don’t think it is, at least not yet.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on things. Do you still buy CD’s? Do you download music from legal online sources? What trends do you see (for better or worse) in the recording industry??

Memories are powerful. Some songs play a leading role in certain memories, while others appear as a backup role.

I recently posted a question on my Twitter account (@misskatiemo) asking people what songs they associated with certain memories.  Their answers are below.

Carla Lynne Hall: “Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James and The Shondells because it reminds me of growing up in Miami, with its blue skies and sunny days. Whenever I hear it, I think of carefree days of being a kid, with all of the time in the world to just dream and play. Ahhh….

Prescott Perez-Fox:  When I hear “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles, I am wandering through a church yard in North London on my way to work.

Amy Garland:  Footloose – This was my favorite movie growing up (still is), and I always loved dancing to the end (prom scene). Whenever the song plays at a wedding, my sister and/or I try to get everyone to form two lines and take turns dancing down the middle (like the movie). This song always brings great memories from weddings, etc to mind!

Andrew Stugots:  New Years day 1999 my cousin and best friend in the world passed away after a life long battle with brain cancer. He was found laying in the parking lot of his job.  Phillip lived life as if it was his last day on earth and pushed others to do the same. A year later I met a seer, Jennifer. I never believed in this type of stuff but take it for what you will. Over dinner with others she leaned over to me and said “Phillip said to tell you “Don’t Dream It’s Over“. I sat there with my mouth agape, she continued “Yeah, he is just singing that song over and over again ‘Hey now, hey now, dont dream its over. There is freedom within, there is freedom without….” and then she said, he waved and walked away. The song still gives me goosebumps and will make me get teary eyed.

My own memory is along the line of Andrew’s.  Whenever I hear “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” or “Amazing Grace” I think of my Grandmother playing the piano as childhood versions of me and my younger sister bound up the stairs to her house.

Chris Brogan recently wrote about “Emotions At A Distance” – or, in other words, remembering that the people we connect and deal with from behind computer screens are just that – people.

It’s easy to get caught up in the nuances of your work from inside a practice room or behind a computer monitor. Not so easy when you’re performing your music in front of a crowd, or get recognized by a fan on the street.  Music connects people across age differences, language barriers, and continents.  Always remember that people have a choice to listen to your music, and that the music you create forms a very real part of the soundtrack of their lives.

What memories do you associated with music?

Photo provided by mike.jw under a Creative Commons license

An article recent came out at the Boston Globe, talking about the Millennial generation and the vinyl to digital transition of music.

“The younger generation has no romantic attachments to records as physical objects. To them, music exists as a kind of omnipresent atmospheric resource.

And it’s not that I begrudge them their online treasure troves or bite-size iPods. But I still miss the way it used to be, in the old days, when fans had to invest serious time and money to track down the album or song they wanted.

What I’m getting at here is a deeper irony: technology has made the pursuit of our pleasures much easier. But in so doing, I often wonder if it has made them less sacred. My children will grow up in a world that makes every song they might desire instantly available to them. And yet I sort of pity them that they will never know the kind of yearning I did.”

Even though I grew up mainly in the cassette and compact disc eras, I love vinyl. I love the feel of a record in my hands. I miss looking at the artwork on the vinyl itself or the packaging.

Music is an art form, both in sound, and in sight. Liner notes in CD’s have lately been reduced to a single slip of paper, instead of the large-format prints of the 90’s. Cassettes are all but forgotten, but vinyl has seen a surge in popularity as of late, selling close to a million albums in 2008, up over 15% from sales in 2007.

Time Inc. ran an article about this very subject in 2008, aptly titled “Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back”.

“Album extras Large album covers with imaginative graphics, pullout photos (some even have full-size posters tucked in the sleeve) and liner notes are a big draw for young fans. “Alternative rock used to have 16-page booklets and album sleeves, but with iTunes there isn’t anything collectible to show I own a piece of this artist,” says Dreese of Newbury Comics.”

What was lost, and is now being found, is the second art of music sales.

The packaging.

I, for one, am happy to see that particular art form return.

Sonorasaurus is an iPhone app I’ve been beta testing for a few weeks month or so.

From the website:

Sonorasaurus is an app being developed for the iPhone (and iPod Touch) that allows for advanced deejay functionality with MP3s. After all sometimes a simple playlist just won’t get the job done. In the near future we will begin to expand more on what the app does and how it looks, but for now we offer a quick snapshot.

Aside from the whole tech side of apps and iPhones, we will endeavor to expose people to good music and the occasional free download.

I haven’t DJ’d in a few years (about 5, actually), so the app has provided a welcome distraction on my subway rides – figuring out what I still know (and realizing what I don’t!).

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I’ve worked with one of the developers on a record label before, which is how I was selected for the beta test.

You can find out more about the app and the creators here, and I’ve included the tutorial video from their blog below.

I tweeted about the app a bit, and a few people came back with questions which I’ll make sure to answer in my review.

Sonorasaurus Pros

• Intuitive controls – things do what you expect them to do, and they’re in the place you expect to look for them
• Accurate response – This was the aspect I worried about most.  Would the controls respond the way I thought they should? Great answer; they did!  The jog, pitch control and crossfader all responded beautifully and exactly as I expected.
• Easy Song Loading – It was really easy to pull songs off my computer and put them on my iPhone through their handy FTP site, and it supported both .wav and .MP3 file extensions
• Fun Effects – I don’t use effects much, but I toyed around with them some and thought they were really well-done.
• Pre-Loaded Songs – I liked the fact that Sonorasaurus came with pre-loaded songs. They were quite easy to mix and gave me something to mess around with while I learned the controls.

Cons

• Button Size – While the controls responded perfectly, I found that the + and – signs on some of the controls were slightly too small, causing me to hit the wrong buttons and miss the ones I meant to press.  I have pretty small hands so I do anticipate this being a slight problem for those users with larger hands.
• Headphone Cueing – This option isn’t available on the beta test version of the app, causing all mixing to be the equivalent of “leave the crossfader in the middle and hope for the best”.  It’s fine for practicing (as I do), but I don’t see this translating well for DJ’s in clubs unless they have their set and associated timings and pitch details down pat.

Both “Cons” were aspects people on Twitter asked about.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a great application (so say TUAW, as well!) and I’m looking forward to seeing the final product (it’s still under review by Apple).  I enjoy using the application to mess around with different mix timings and combination’s, and anticipate that many DJ’s will feel the same.

The developers have let me know that headphone cueing (and other features yet to be named) will be coming in a Pro version of the application.  Once this Pro version is introduced I see this app becoming even more valuable to DJ’s, and perhaps a great “on the go” tool to record mixes or even use in clubs/at house parties.

See anything you have questions about? Post ‘em in the comments and I’ll see if I can get them answered.