By Chris Gordon
If you think about it, the internet did as much harm to the music industry as good. Yeah, it’s nice to think that independent artists can now get their music out there at little or no cost to them. Yes, it is nice that fans can seek out new music and new bands with a simple click of the mouse, however they have to wade through a cesspool of crap to get to something decent and even then most of the stuff that is self produced is mediocre at best!
It is easy to forget that one reason the records that we grew up with were so good was because they were produced, and branded! Yes, nothing was released until it was time, until all the parts were in place and ready to go. We as listeners took home the whole package from the record store. Now, most bands will take a photo, produce their music in their home studio, compress the shit out of it, mix quickly down to a load of MP3s and release it on iTunes. Simple, right? You bet. Too simple! No mileage, no real work, no true discipline in the creation. Now that audiophiles are far and few between most people just want the music that is convenient. Something that they can download quickly to their iPhone, etc., shove some phones in their ears and hit the track while your music becomes.... you you guessed it...... background music! This is what killed Jazz folks! It became wallpaper, and now that is what is happening to Rock and Roll! Background music, wallpaper, mediocre crap that doesn’t infringe on the listeners self absorbed important life. Where is the fun? Where is the wonder and act of listening? It has disappeared and so is the art of making great Rock and Roll!
So what do we do? Stop putting your music up on the internet folks. Your need for instant gratification and accolades has driven everyone to throw their crap up for all their friends to hear. Hey, When you give your crap away, even the bad or at best mediocre crap,you devalue it. No one will care in the long run. Trust me. Take a look around.
Get a band together, do a ton of shows and cultivate your show and your sound. Then go into a studio and bring an experienced ear in with you to help guide you through the recording process. If you need auto-correct on your vocals, you ain’t ready. Your drummer can’t play to a click? Better spend another month in the rehearsal hall. Stop jumping into things that you are not ready for and giving a bad first impression. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, so make it count!
When you make that recording, spend the right time and money recording, mixing, and mastering it. Make sure the artwork is exactly what you want and that it looks good. Then, start your distribution research. Do your publishing research, get affiliated with ASCAP, BMI, etc. From there look into what is the best market for what you are doing. Get your merchandise together and head back out to the clubs selling your music and merch everywhere you play. If you put your stuff up on the internet, put it in Amazon and iTunes without free downloads. If you put anything up on the internet for free, only put 30 second clips up as teasers.
I would love to see some more Mom and Pop record shops pop up selling real vinyl and real cds again, making the record buying public work a bit for the music they love. This also weeds out the family and friends that will buy your music on the internet as a Mercy F#$%, to “Show Their Support”, even if they don’t like your music. This is a bizarre thing because it builds an unrealistic view of your music and band. Your job is to gain fans that find your music intriguing and want to be a part of your vision. It’s a hard job and requires constant attention to detail.
Well I hope to see things change by going back and learning from the ones that came before. Start listening to records again. Start really understanding what goes into making a record and a brand, it’s a business folks, and a business that needs to be cultivated on a daily basis. Be a great musician, be a great businessman, and be a caring artist.
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