HELLO, WORLD.
Major labels are dead.
...depending on who you ask. The major label head honchos will adamantly deny and resent the statement, but know somewhere deep down inside that there is some truth to it. The DIY enthusiasts would concur with great gusto, but know somewhere deep down inside that there is still a place for the big f o u r .
While it is true that the structure and function of the major label is slowly crumbling due to the digital revolution of the past decade, the DIY grassroots movement has yet to completely replace some of the essential services and clout of the major record label.
Nonetheless, the Pandora's box (for record labels, at least) spawned by the digital age has provided avenues for artists and fans to get what they want, when they want, and how they want it. No restrictions, no limitations.
In this blog I shall explore the effects and opportunities presented by the new media frontier of the music industry - from the “threat” it poses to current industry operational standards to the opportunity it provides the industry to evolve and better itself.
The voice of the fan is getting louder by the minute – having an online buzz about your band is becoming just as important as securing that high-profile feature in Rolling Stone. The growth of the music blogosphere and social networking sites is beginning to break down the barrier between artist and fan – less rock god, more tangible (cyber-tangible?) fan-to-band interaction.
No one is truly qualified to speak on this matter, perhaps some more than others, but no single person possesses the crystal ball that plainly and clearly presents the future of the industry. Many have their predictions, many of whom will be right. The power within the industry has spread from the few top dogs to the general masses; whatever direction the future takes, it will undoubtedly be due to collective effort. It’s anyone’s and everyone’s game to make a move and decide what actually happens next.
As an avid consumer/lover of music and someone who’s just gotten their foot in the industry door, I’ve yet to become jaded enough, but hopefully am becoming just wise enough to start comprehending the often twisted inner workings of the music machine. My academic concentrations in psychology and public relations, with any luck, will prove to be assets in my career aspirations to climb up the corporate ladder and become a jaded high-powered, money-hungry music executive. Or simply someone who’s in the industry for the love of music and the desire to help the starving artist (go figure. …it’s the latter, for anyone that didn’t catch on). With the over saturation of the musical market these days, it is crucial to understand how to sell yourself and stand out from the crowd - in order to do so, understanding the social psyche of your target audience is a necessity.
I hope to explore and analyze subjects and events ranging from Radiohead’s decision to let the fan decide what In Rainbows was worth to them, to Fall Out Boy’s extensive viral campaign promoting Folie à Deux, to what having a Myspace as an artist really means today.
…plus of course all my general ramblings and rants about music, the industry, and the latest (or lamest) musical trends (coughcrunkcorecough).
BLOG PROFILE.
The notion of “blogging” about music and the music industry has long existed – the fans as well as the artists ALWAYS have something to say, and ALWAYS find an avenue to say it. The boom of blog hosting sites like Tumblr, WordPress and Blogger has spawned countless blogs dedicated to music, the industry and god knows how many artist fan pages (“stalker pages,” dare I say?).
In the past decade a blog and music news site that has gained momentum and is now considered the go-to source for the latest alternative music news is AbsolutePunk.net. It's a website that in itself is an example of the new media frontier in the music industry, where the voice of bloggers are just as important as those of the slightly more prestigious staff.
In addition to posting breaking music news and album reviews, AbsolutePunk.net also hosts user blogs and interactive forums, serving as an extensive online community for discussions of the latest music on-goings. Jason Tate, the founder of AP.net, is a regular, posting frequent and always opinionated blogs about recent album releases as well as his thoughts on the current state of the industry. Tate often blogs about his “First Impressions” on advances that he, as a music journalist (lucky), gets a first listen to.
Many of his posts are also designed to spark discussion within the whole congregation of users on the site. Earlier this summer, during the heated debate about the use of auto-tune, Tate posted a blog sharing his thoughts on the matter… soon after, 15 others chimed in.
What is often more interesting than Tate’s actual blogs are the user discussions that spring up in the forums. Tate’s post about auto-tune stemmed from his re-blogging of a video he saw in a general thread. News items like “Death Cab For Cutie vs. Auto-Tune” can trigger extensive forum discussions among hundreds of users.
The power and influence of a site like AbsolutePunk.net is demonstrated through its ability to generate incredible online buzz, both positive and negative. With the rising popularity of “crunkcore,” which includes artists like 3OH!3 and brokeNCYDE, an incredible backlash was unleashed on the site, with any news post about brokeNCYDE garnering at least a couple hundred of responses, most extremely, and harshly, negative. The active user community on the site includes both opinion leaders and the average Joe Blow, allowing for dynamic and interesting dialogues.
Absolutepunk.net is ranked 9,404 by Technorati.com, and has an estimated 115,200 unique visitors each month according to Quantcast.com. Tate’s 1,828 blogs collectively have over 900,000 views – regardless of one's personal opinion of him, he is nonetheless a voice people care enough to hear.
My blog, unlike AbsolutePunk.net, will be 100% BLOG. The topics I talk/ramble about will stem from the hot topics (pun… maybe intended?) being discussed on sites such as AP.net.
If it’s worth all that cyber-chatter, it’s worth mine too, damnit.
BLOGGER VOICE CRITIQUE.
Whitney Pastorek writes for EW.com’s Music Mix blog, which is updated frequently and daily by a handful of writers. The main areas Pastorek covers are music festivals and the country and indie-rock genres (her favorite band is Pearl Jam, fyi).
Pastorek is currently conducting a “Guilty Pleasures” March Madness-esque bracket, and as of 9:25AM this morning has Styx up against ABBA (Dancing Queen FTW).
She wrote a news post back in July that nicely illustrated her voice: concise and personality-driven.
You get a sense of the tone from the get-go, with the title “Open Happiness: Best Supergroup ever! Except for the product placement!” There’s a hint of good-humored sarcasm, conveyed by the sentence fragments appropriately separated by exclamation points.
Pastorek begins her post with a single word – “wow.” A continuation of the title, and to the point. She then delves into the news, explaining who the collaborators involved are and describing the single as having:
“Flaming Lips guitars and a catchy singalong chorus buoyed by verses from each of the members, all of whom are totally capable of selling American-Idol-winner’s-single-worthy lyrics like ‘the bridge between us is a rainbow.’”By using an American Idol reference to describe the chorus, Pastorek instantly creates a distinct image and sound in the readers’ mind, making it relatable to millions…28.84 million to be exact, if we’re talking season 8 finale ratings here.
Pastorek continues her exploration into the single… until she makes a tiny little realization
“Wait.
Is this a Coke ad?
Crap.”
Effective. Emotions conveyed. Minimal words used.
Her use of single words, definitive punctuation and the 3-paragraph layout is a smart and concise way to translate this thought sequence onto paper (screen?).
Another post of Pastorek’s that showcases her voice comes from her coverage of Sasquatch! Music Festival. She begins the post with a touch a humor and some heart.
“I learned while on vacation last year that Sasquatch (exclamation point!) was the best undiscovered music festival in the country, and I’m happy to report that’s still true.”Using the words “exclamation point” PLUS the actual punctuation personalizes the commentary, reaffirming the fact that there really is a human being behind those words.
Her use of simile in describing the weather as “the kind of weather I’d like to imagine God has running up in heaven” provides readers with a framework for their imagination, and is far more effective than an plain observation of a “lovely evening.” Pastorek also throws in a tidbit about how the weather likely prompted “the couple having sex on the ridge in full view of 25,000 people at sundown on Saturday.” This fun and interesting personal anecdote contributes to her unique perspective on the festival.
In the next paragraph Pastorek describes “the first breeze of the day” as “the sonic equivalent of being wrapped in cool cotton sheets and laid down for a perfect nap.” This use of metaphor reinforces her relatable quality, much like the effect of her American Idol reference.
Pastorek creates an interactive environment within her blog. She posts:
“Finally, as those who regularly follow my festival blogging know, the mark of a good set is if Aunt Whittlz gets peed on, but still doesn’t leave. I’d like to thank the girl who squatted and let loose on my feet during Kings of Leon for reinforcing how much I enjoy that band.”Embedding the link into the text “if Aunt Whittlz gets peed on, but still doesn’t leave” is a subtle and effective way of linking to another one of her posts – she defines her audience but also includes the first-timers.
She further involves her readers by posing a question at the end of the post: “Were you out at The Gorge this weekend, Mixers? Weigh in on your experience!” This is a smart way to get her readers commenting and engaged, and a good method of encouraging readers to return and see what others have said as well as her responses to comments.
Pastorek’s voice very nicely complements the subject matter of her blog about music and music festivals. The detailed descriptions of her personal experience at the festival make this post unique and a worthwhile read. Music industry etiquette is generally pretty casual, music festivals in particular often serve as a free-for-fall in many aspects…
sex, drugs & rock n’ roll?
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