The Future Is Management
The original David Bowie quote regarding the current state of affairs in a June 2002 article in the New York Times. As posted by Gerd Leonhard at MediaFuturist:
MediaFuturist: The Original David Bowie Quote On “Music Like Water”
David Bowie, 21st-Century Entrepreneur - New York Times
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Now playing: David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
via FoxyTunes
I really love this recent entry posted at Music Think Tank by Derek Sivers of CD Baby, so I am simply going to repost it here verbatim…
“I spoke at a conference last weekend, where a woman in the audience was SO mad about piracy that she was physically shaking, red in the face, tears in her eyes, fuming spitting livid, asking how we can stop this rampant piracy.
I didn’t answer her concern well, but I said ‘More people are killed by pigs than sharks each year, but because shark attacks are more newsworthy, they seem more prevalent. Piracy gets all the attention, but I don’t think most of you in this room have lost more than $30 to piracy.’ (I got a big ‘Booo’ from the audience for this.) ‘Obscurity is your real enemy. Fight obscurity until you’re a household name, then piracy will be more of a problem than obscurity. Until then, worry about pigs, not sharks.’
The woman got so furious about this that she screamed at me with tears in her eyes, ‘I HATE YOUR POINT OF VIEW, BUDDY!’ (and some other angry things I forget.) From her point of view, piracy was Enemy #1 and anybody ignoring this massive threat was hurting us all.
Driving away from the event, of course I figured out what I wish I would have said in that moment:
The thing separating us from where we are and where we need to be is not piracy.
It’s always something more internal, whether writing, communicating, producing, networking, promoting, or taking a wildly different approach to marketing.
Putting so much attention and energy into fighting piracy (as if, when solved, you’ll suddenly start selling 10 times more) - is misguided effort, distracting you from what you really need to be improving.
That’s the real reason I often tell musicians not to worry about piracy. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist. But energy spent worrying about it is energy better spent working on what you know you really need to do.”
Now, head on over to Music Think Tank and check out the follow-on comments to this post as well as all the other great information and points of view being put forth.
Music Think Tank is a brand new group blog put together by Andrew Dubber of New Music Strategies and features some insightful thinkers in the online music world. It’s picking up interest as the new source of the best conversations about music online.
What’s Really Keeping You From Where You Need To Be? It’s Not Piracy — Music Think Tank
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Now playing: Born Ruffians - Foxes Mate For Life
via FoxyTunes
In an article on Portfolio.com, South Korean music impresario Jin-Young Park discusses why the CD is dead and what music companies need to do about it.
“In meetings with music labels here, they talk to me about releasing albums,” says Park. “They can’t accept that there’s no such thing anymore. Where I come from, CDs are nothing—they’re just souvenirs. I tell them, ‘Wake up!’”
South Korea is in many ways like America—America 40 years ago when rock was big and labels were booming. Back then, like South Korea now, the U.S. music industry was heavily focused on live performance, the release of hit singles, and the active cultivation of loyal fan bases through direct promotional activity. It’s the artist as brand: In South Korea, consumers don’t buy music; they buy a product relationship that reaches across every media platform and entertainment genre.
Biggest difference between US and South Korean markets? In South Korea, 80% of computers are linked to high speed cable. In the US, broadband penetration is only around 50%.
For Jin-Young Park, music sales are nearly a rounding error. It’s everything else that creates the success. According to a report from the Korea Times and business portal Chaebul.com, Jin-Young Park Entertainment generated $16.3 million in revenue in 2006 and $10 million in the first six months of 2007, of which music sales were the smallest part. The report estimated the company to be worth in excess of $100 million, making it the most valuable independent entertainment company in South Korea.
Music Impresario Jin-Young Park — Executive Articles — Portfolio.com
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Now playing: DeVotchKa - Transliterator
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Charles Attal of C3 Presents, the chief talent buyer for Lollapalooza, as well as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and hundreds of other concerts and events talked with Billboard about booking this year’s Lollapalooza, not blowing the budget and the frustration of leaky lineups.
An interesting comment in response to booking the big anchor headliners first, Attal comments:
No, we start booking ground up. I never book headliners first, unless they just happen to come in, because you can’t rely on what’s gonna happen at the top. You have to go from the bottom all the way up and then you start in on the middle tier. It kind of guarantees you that you’re not going to go crazy — you’re not going to get caught up in the headliners and then all of a sudden you won’t be able to put in the mid-tier acts because you’ve over-paid.
I always assumed they booked the headliners first to assure tickets sales. Guess not.
Incidently, if you live in a cave and haven’t heard, the intial Lollapalooza lineup was released yesterday. Amongst the headliners? Oh, just the two bands who gave away their music online (if you didn’t want to pay for it) in the past few months: Radiohead & NIN. Other major acts include: Rage Against The Machine, Wilco, Kanye West, The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, The Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, Cat Power, and The National. So much good stuff!
The Billboard Q&A: Charles Attal — Billboard.biz
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Now playing: The Raconteurs - Five On The Five
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I found this posted on the Coolfer job board, and I thought it should be recognized. I really think this is smart, organized and forward-thinking. At last, an Artist who has defined goals and knows what she wants. I am just so sick of the MySpace attitude of sending friend requests hoping someone will think you’re a genius and shower you with money and promises, but never bothering to send an actual email (or making a phone call) to contact someone. This is how you know who is a serious Artist and who isn’t. Way to put it out there, Michelle!
Description:
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INDEPENDENT SINGER/SONGWRITER seeks ARTIST MANAGER
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Michelle Amador, a talented jazz/electronic singer-songwriter with upcoming independent releases in the UK and Japan, and who also composes mixed medium instrumental works, seeks an Artist Manager to build and implement a 3-year strategic business plan with the goals of:* increasing performance/touring revenue
* increasing online sales/distribution
* expanding audience (both online and in-person)
* developing endorsement/sponsorship opportunities
* successfully licensing works for film/tv/internet
* assisting in the successful planning/execution of Michelle’s next album recording and releaseThe ideal candidate is an experienced music industry professional with a successful track record of developing talented artists, solid industry connections, and a commitment to supporting Michelle’s high level of artistic integrity.
This is an independent contractor position, with compensation commensurate with experience.
QUALIFICATIONS:
* 5+ years music industry experience
* Experience in music licensing
* Connections to venues/presenting organizations and/or booking agents
* Creative business professional
* Knowledge and interest in the jazz/electronic/pop music sceneTo apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to
manager@michelleamador.com.Listen to Michelle’s music at:
http://michelleamador.com/Site/Music.html - click on “Launch Player”
http://www.myspace.com/michelleamador
Artist Manager Job, Michelle Amador - Coolfer Job Board
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Now playing: The Black Keys - Strange Times
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