Terry McBride, Founder/CEO of Nettwerk Music Group, gave a talk at Berklee about the "now" of the music business (instead of the "future" because things are changing too fast).
First things first: release music you love, not music you like. This, Terry said, was the only mistake he's made in his career. We've heard it a million times before: follow what you are most passionate about, what moves you, what you truly believe in, and everything will be OK. I think this is easier said then done when societal norms and the middle-of-the-road-majority in the industry tell us to play it safe. If you think you may be susceptible to these larger powers, read Tribes.
Terry spent the majority of his talk on the concept of a song = an emotion. I agree. If you think of all the most important songs to you, it is because there is an emotional attachment to it. A certain song is important to you not because of its melody or lyrics, but because of what was happening in your life when you first heard it. You have to realize that content (the lyrics, melody, hook) is not as much king as context is... "Context is King," said Terry when talking about the "now" of the music business. What is different about "now" is that we as artists and managers have more control of the context in which our songs are heard than ever before. It's up to you what your website looks like; it's up to you when and how you release your next EP; it's up to you how the public perceives you. So it's up to you what context is in which your music is received.
Terry claims that imagination is the driving force behind everything he does. (During the Q&A I questioned this asking him to elaborate on the "doing" side of things to which he nonchalantly responded in a roundabout way that he works 80-90 hours a week, but he loves what he does, so it doesn't feel like work) Out of everything he said, this statement had the most impact on me. Seth Godin talks often about how companies (and the individuals who run them) figure out how to do something a certain way, and then form a habit. Today is too different from tomorrow for this approach to work anymore. You must start everyday with a clean slate; act as though your marketing plan or you business strategy is the sand near the water at the beach and everyday a wave comes a washes it clean. Do not ever think you have things "figured out". You are never "right". If things go well for your upcoming album release, you cannot expect that the same approach 9 months from now will be as effective.
Let your imagination run wild, work hard, and have fun. And don't be afraid to get your hustle on. I'll leave you with this: a far more inspiring talk than the one Terry gave, but I mean, come on. How can anyone compete with @garyvee's energy and enthusiasm?
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Nice! You caught my favorite points, except for his love of the word "resonance." Well done.
ReplyDeleteOn another note ... "it's up to you when and how you release your next EP" ... yeah, thanks Chris!
Thanks for that! Nice recap on a talk I couldn't make!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that, based on the BLOG post and the BLOG post only, since I wasn't there, I disagree with the statement that we control now more than ever in what context our music is heard. We have absolutely no control. The more mobile devices become the new music players of the "now", the less we can infer about how and when people hear music.
ReplyDeleteWhat is happening "now", in my humble opinion, is that people are doing 5,000 different things while they are "listening" to music. But I use quotes here because I believe that there are few people today that really LISTEN to music. How many of you buy a record and listen to it from beginning to end? Most of us don't even listen to an entire song when we buy them.
That is why the CONTENT had become less and less relevant, because there is less time to express it in. Who cares if your album has a concept, if the songs are tied to each other, if you use a thematic thread throughout y our work, no one will notice. Because no one will stop to listen to the whole thing.
And yet, the very few REAL good ones, those who become immortalized by their music, there is no time or place or context or multi-tasking or anything that will diminish the intensity of the CONTENT in their music.
I believe CONTENT is everything. That is what art is made of. Content and its interpretation by the viewer/listener/spectator. And for those of us who still believe that making music is making art, go back to the lab and work on the MEET behind your music, because that is how you will eventually touch someone's heart with a song, a melody, a sentence: when it MEANS something.
But that's just me...
...great BLOG post, Chris!
forgot to give my example: I cannot ever listen to any song in "Dark Side Of The Moon" without wanting to listen to the whole album...THAT is real friggin' good timeless music!
ReplyDelete;-)
Interesting. Yes, without good content you have nothing.
ReplyDeleteObivously, distribution and getting to fans isn't really a major factor anymore (though it still requires much attention).
The key I think (as Alvaro said: "people are doing 5,000 different things while they are 'listening' to music") is how to get people to LISTEN. Not just to 12 seconds on your MySpace page, but how do you get them interested enough to anticipate the download and sit through the entire tune...