Thunder and Lightning Are a Little Bit Frightening

Well-intentioned, well-meaning people should not be in the music business. It's that simple. If you have a plan that can be implemented and is working, I truly applaud you for your ability to do so.  If not, then kabetzing isn't going to help anyone. If the well-intentioned  plan isn't working, waiting for lightning to strike is a bit like waiting for hell to freeze over.

Today people stand around, and talk obsessively about how to "relate" to the new music model as if the collective force is a petulant child. To say this is dysfunctional is the understatement of the century. Facilitators step in like doctors who can diagnose symptoms, but have no cure. If there was an easy fix to this evolution people wouldn't be standing around, waiting, and talking about what might happen next.

The most successful musicians in history were, and remain, totally uncompromising. They couldn't care less about their critics. Do they face obstacles? Absolutely. Do they find a way around them? No question. Are there easy solutions? Not always.


Put one foot in front of the other and simply allow yourself to accept what music is. Perhaps it shouldn't even be a business. Monitizing music is a dilemma as old as time itself. For a very brief period we witnessed a system that appeared to work, but as most corporate models reveal, it too was a house of cards.

The vehicle for distribution of recorded music is technology. Realistically, we can't put too much stock in it as it becomes outdated the minute it is put into motion. Like a new car, it depreciates the minute you drive it off the lot. We must use technology, but using it sparingly brings art to life in ways most of us have forgotten.

For centuries, people have suffered for their art. Now, it's our turn. Agonizing over the joy of music is a huge disconnect for most people, yet many do agonize over what isn't working. Honestly, I don't think things are really as bad as people want to believe. Many people are making music work for them...we just don't hear all the success stories. There's too much thunder in the background.

Music Is A State of Being

I've been resisting creating a blog for a long time. There's way too much to read these days. Yet, the announcement that LiveNation/Ticketmaster got approval to merge creates a monopoly on the arena experience. This coincides with a blog post Derek Sivers wrote about Seth Godin who is telling musicians they need to sell a concert experience. Radiohead, announced at Midem the entire music industry is operating on an analog music model in a digital world; and piracy is not the root of all evil.

This is nirvana for independents! The world's largest promoter and ticket agency have a monopoly that restricts them financially from promoting shows in smaller more intimate venues. Godin says creating an intimate concert experience is what indies must sell. Then Radiohead says the analogue system doesn't work in a digital world. What could be better news on a Monday in January in the music biz?

With a little imagination indies can plan taking advantage of all of today's news and put together a blueprint of interesting ways to be with your fans in any city.

Forget about clubs, cover prices, guarantees, posters, and advertising. Invite your fanbase via postcard or email to an open field for a few tunes at sundown and a potluck dinner where everyone contributes. This builds relationships between you and your audience. It builds community within your fan base.

Set up an event at a local winery with a winetasting and just a few tunes before you - the artist - hang out with your fans sipping local wines. The audience pays for the experience of hanging out with you. It builds community around you within your audience, and a relationship with the winery.

Send an un-invitation to your debut arena show. People will pay not to hassle with parking, high ticket prices, high food and beverage prices. Find a great spot indoors or out that will hold 100-200 people. Play a few tunes then mingle with the attendees over microbrews or whatever is appealing.

Find a rural dance or grange hall and invite local fans to a BYOB gig where everyone can dance. House concerts rocked all regions of the country in the late 1950s and early 1960s. There was a great sense of pride being included in the event due to the intimate setting. It was partcipation that ignited excitement. Being a spectator isn't all that unique among 10,000 to 20,000 people.

The idea of a concert performance was established hundreds of years ago, when the ONLY way to hear music was to attend a live music event. All music was acoustic...there wasn't electricity.
The only reason you need amps is so everyone can hear instruments that are plugged in. If the audience is small, you don't need amps, mics, and monitors ...you can probably hear a pin drop between the notes if you are playing really great music.

Create acoustic settings with analog technology. The digital process edits all the warmth out of music played in any setting. It's taken the digital world about 25 years to finally destroy how music has been presented to the public for centuries. And that fatal flaw has caught up to a greedy industry that doesn't know where to turn next.

Music is a state of being for the listener as well as the performer. Create unique and unforgettable experiences for your audience. When you let them participate they will tell their friends; who will tell their friends. The experience should not be an exercise in self-indulgence. Music is meant to be shared and to bring them together.

Folk legend, Pete Seeger said, "Participation will save the human race." Right now, the human race can use all the help it can get.