In 2011, the American band Cake released their sixth album, ‘Showroom of Compassion’ on their own label. With only 44,000 copies sold in the first week, it broke the record for the lowest-selling No.1 album. When asked in an interview about his views on this dubious record, the band’s frontman, John McCrea, said:
I see music as a really great hobby for most people in five or 10 years. I see everybody I know, some of them really important artists, studying how to do other jobs (Bylin, 2015).
While it is true that sales of music records decreased, the music business is still in good shape, it is only the record business that is suffering (Kusek, Leonhard 2005, p. 6). The same opinion is reflected in a thread of comments in response to McCrea’s statement quoted above, such as:
Rather than echoing the sentiments of the big fish over and over and over, how about covering some of us little guys who are making it happen and living the dream? The music industry may be dying but the MUSIC is alive and well.
(Posted by Jason Parker | 03/04/2011 at 04:55 PM)
or
Artist that deliver great music while building a True Fan base can make a decent living in music. Earning a living depends on how many customers you can attract to you and your products. Perfect your music and work on building your fan base each minute of the day.
(Posted by: KSE | 03/08/2011 at 09:19 AM)
Such voices can be heard in different parts of the Internet, suggesting that things are not so bad or so different for the ‘middle-class’ musician and that the decline affected mostly the top.
The research I have done so far with books and articles and my own experience as a songwriter/producer seems to lead to the same conclusion: small, independent artists have now the power to perform activities which in the past were only possible through record labels, such as recording, distribution and promotion. Independent musicians can put their music in the same online stores alongside superstars. Artists can get direct funding from their fans for albums, tours, music videos and the likes. Niche musicians can easily reach audiences from all over the world. The Internet seems to be a blessing for the small artists, offering tools for many of them to reach audiences and sell music and merchandise.
This unprecedented freedom levels the music industry in a way that wasn’t possible before and diminishes the power and influence of record labels, which are more aware of the risks and tend to invest less in new talent.
But this new situation raises questions: as more and more artists will use the tools that technology made available, will the record labels decline to the point of disappearance? How ‘big’ can an artist become without a label? It seems that musicians who have had great success under the independent model (such as Amanda Palmer, or Radiohead) were already famous or had been signed to a label in the past. In a future where labels disappear, what will happen when the last generation of ‘superstars’ vanishes? Will the Internet be able to replace them with online new-found stars? If so, will their careers be ’15-minute-of-fame’ sensations quickly replaced by others?
Could we be heading towards a form of musical socialism in which stars will disappear and all musicians will be independent, relying on small communities of fans? This is certainly a possibility. It is also possible that record labels might find new ways of maintaining their supremacy, as they have had for decades or that new gatekeepers will rise. One thing is certain: the change is happening and nobody knows where it leads. There is no recipe for success; but there is potential to try out an infinite number of strategies and see which ones work for each particular artist. This a topic of future reflection for me, but it is encouraging to think that, even though the possibilities of getting signed to a big record label are slim, there are still ways to use the internet and build a sustainable fan base.
References
But this new situation raises questions: as more and more artists will use the tools that technology made available, will the record labels decline to the point of disappearance? How ‘big’ can an artist become without a label? It seems that musicians who have had great success under the independent model (such as Amanda Palmer, or Radiohead) were already famous or had been signed to a label in the past. In a future where labels disappear, what will happen when the last generation of ‘superstars’ vanishes? Will the Internet be able to replace them with online new-found stars? If so, will their careers be ’15-minute-of-fame’ sensations quickly replaced by others?
Could we be heading towards a form of musical socialism in which stars will disappear and all musicians will be independent, relying on small communities of fans? This is certainly a possibility. It is also possible that record labels might find new ways of maintaining their supremacy, as they have had for decades or that new gatekeepers will rise. One thing is certain: the change is happening and nobody knows where it leads. There is no recipe for success; but there is potential to try out an infinite number of strategies and see which ones work for each particular artist. This a topic of future reflection for me, but it is encouraging to think that, even though the possibilities of getting signed to a big record label are slim, there are still ways to use the internet and build a sustainable fan base.
References
Bylin, K. (2015). Will Music Be A Hobby in 5-10 Years?. Available at: http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2011/03/will-music-be-a-hobby-in-5-10-years.html (Accessed 30.12.2015).
Kusek, D.and Gerd, L. (2005) The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution. Boston, MA: Berklee Press.
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