I bring you a rare “opinion” post amid my usual blog posts about music and songs.
It’s only the start, but Taylor Swift’s stance against Apple is something for which performers can be thankful. To think that a company as large as Apple, and one that we thought was cutting edge and in favour of performers, suddenly turned very corporate and wasn’t even going to pay performers for using their music during a three month trial period of their streaming service. So Taylor didn’t ask, she succinctly demanded it, and in a nice but public way too. And the result was an immediate about face. That shows how much financial wiggle room Apple has in their business plan.
But as I say this is only the start for an industry that is otherwise a two-headed monster, with one head eating itself and spewing out bile, and with the other all decked out with everything money can buy, still creating stars and breaking new performers (although select few) into the biz.
The mess that the industry continues to ignore, despite being in front of its own face with enough room to bite off its own nose, includes:
- Performers have to pretty much play for free. At clubs, the pay goes to the door person and sound person. What’s left goes to the band, and more often than not, there’s nothing.
- In order to navigate the new world of social media and still be able to play in the big leagues, performers need managers who are available 24/7. They can’t pay them, so a lot of the times it’s a family member or very good friend who takes on the role because they believe in them.
- They need to record to get their music out there in digital or solid forms, and work several part-time jobs to come up with the payment for a good job. If not, they record it in their own home studios, losing quality and professionalism, as well as connections through decent producers.
- Performers need gigs nationally, not just in their own backyards. Costs include gas/travel, equipment, food, extra help. More exposure = more fans = higher profile = ultimately some coin in their pockets.
- Performers need merchandise. It can make them some money, but again the upfront investment has to happen. Fans don’t just want buttons or plastic wristbands. A variety of clothing, signed mementos, and most of all, face time with their favourites. Fans will pay for this – and especially lately the “VIP” experiences that even indie acts have scored – but getting it for free is nice too.
- Performers need people to buy their finished and recorded music more than ever, yet the current climate is that the mass public will not pay for it, not even 99 cents on iTunes. The public, we’re told, wants the music for free. Hackers and savvy computer programmers find all the ways to make it happen.
- Contracts that no one understands. Clauses negotiated that don’t mean anything. Performers don’t have the money to fight for their right to party.
- Signing a record company deal and having your projects shelved. Forever. No access to your own material because you signed it away, likely without knowing. Or maybe even ‘just because they can’. What good is music that supposedly had potential, all locked away?
So what are the solutions? Your guess is as good as mine, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Those who can move forward often are financially independent or have people or even companies who are investing in them. Once that kickstart happens then you’re on your way. So the entire Pledge Music, Kickstarter, etc. movement is a worthy one, but we need one that will create the whole enchilada and help form a base for the business that is that performer, not just fan-source a project. That means that someone, likely a wealthy person or company or bank, would have to take a risk. And why at this time would anyone want to take a risk on something related to music when the reaction would be that it’s too much of a risk? It’s all about the money, right?
And while Taylor Swift getting a win for performers against the mighty Apple is a sign of better times, the industry needs knowing and caring champions who can similarly tackle the issues I’ve raised plus many which I have not. It would then be nice to think of the music industry not as a two-headed monster but as a selective but nurturing set of experts who can shape many more performers into something better and help make those hard-earned dreams come true. Some people say it’s all about the music. To me, it’s all about the people who make it.
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