It's not about the album - to Record Deal thread posters

[AR]

It's Not About the Album

Part 2 of a series:

As I wrote earlier, what works, and sells, are acts that build their audience digitally and then sustain their fans through touring.

Ten years ago the online world meant an artist web site and low cost promotion.

Five years ago online promised widespread distribution.

Today online not only delivers on huge distribution via MySpace, YouTube, and P2P, it is THE place to be to gain credibility, similar to the rise of MTV 20 years ago in breaking new music.

The artist's path to success may or may not include a major label. But that major contract now just means a regular paycheck, not a guarantee to riches.

I'll let Bob Lefsetzs say it in his own personal way.

God, I could go on and on, but the point is selling albums IS NOT the point. It's about establishing careers, and making money from all 360 degrees of revenue.

Hell, don't even put out albums. Why keep yourself out of the public eye for all the time it takes to make them?

Watch your tour grosses, not your album sales. They should be going up in every market.

No one hears most of this crap. Let people hear it for free or you're playing with one arm tied behind your back. Make it available on MySpace, YouTube and your own site. In an era where most people have not heard the number one record, what chance is there that they're going to hear YOURS?

And don't throw in with the major on other revenue streams. There's no one working there anymore and none of them know the tour/ancillary business. Cliff Burnstein and Irving Azoff can recite the numbers in their sleep, they know where every dollar is buried. The label guys know the restaurants and the number of the limo company. They know lifestyle, not career. They just care that SOMETHING hits. Whereas the manager has to have essentially ALL of his artists do well. Hell, no one's gonna sign with a manager who has over a hundred acts.

Or, one can ask, how hungry are you? A manager doesn't get paid unless you do. That's a great incentive.

As for discs themselves... We live in an iPod world. And ONLY an iPod world. You think it's about DRM? No, it's about that connector on the bottom of each device, that slot that not only transfers your tracks and charges your iPod, but the one that hooks up to a WORLD of accessories. No one's invading the iPod's turf. Hell, Creative just started emphasizing iPod ACCESSORIES!

Get your music on that iPod. Where not only its owner can hear it, but his friends, at the beach, at parties, via speakers. Radio used to be the gatekeeper, now the iPod is. Shit, you should PAY Apple to sell the device pre-loaded with your crap. But Apple won't do this, because they know it's crap, and they know we live in an individualist society, where people only want EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT! Which touches their souls, not their little sister's...

The revolution is here! The fact that the major labels can't figure out how to play, can't figure out a reasonable form of online distribution, has NOTHING to do with the music itself. Music is getting healthier by the minute. Unrestrained, musicians are following their creativity. The fact that we're not exposed to much of the good stuff? That's gonna change. Word of mouth already helps, but someone's gonna establish a great filter, and it won't be Pandora or MTV or Yahoo, but something closer to http://criticalmetrics.com/. And then we'll know where to go.

As for now, these SoundScan numbers are like the Dead Sea Scrolls. Evidence of a long lost world that's never coming back.


"Bob Lefsetz is the author of "The Lefsetz Letter." Famous for being beholden to no one and speaking the truth, Lefsetz addresses the issues that are at the core of the music business: downloading, copy protection, pricing and the music itself. His intense brilliance captivates readers from Steven Tyler to Rick Nielsen to Bryan Adams to Quincy Jones to EVERYBODY who's in the music business. Never boring, always entertaining, Bob's insights are fueled by his stint as an entertainment business attorney, majordomo of Sanctuary Music's American division and consultancies to major labels."

http://www.p2p-weblog.com/50226711/its_ ... _album.php

[AR]

Just curious. Niggy read this and we discussed the article. Anyone read it? No biggie, just thought it was interesting in light of certain factors now.

Thought this was worthy of discussion as opposed to the crap and attack threads from yesterday.

[Andrew]

Thought this was worthy of discussion as opposed to the crap and attack threads from yesterday.

Absolutely agreed! But that would require some people getting their heads outof their own asses

[Saint John]

Thought this was worthy of discussion as opposed to the crap and attack threads from yesterday.

Absolutely agreed! But that would require some people getting their heads outof their own asses

I'm trying, it's just that my ass is so tight and my head is so big.

[larryfromnextdoor]

Thought this was worthy of discussion as opposed to the crap and attack threads from yesterday.

Absolutely agreed! But that would require some people getting their heads outof their own asses

this little fat eyed avatar is startin to disturb me.. someone hold me back... i want the TRUTH...



ok,,

[Rick]

Thought this was worthy of discussion as opposed to the crap and attack threads from yesterday.

Absolutely agreed! But that would require some people getting their heads outof their own asses

this little fat eyed avatar is startin to disturb me.. someone hold me back... i want the TRUTH...



ok,,

I don't know about the fay eyes, the regular av is messing with me. Is it the beer or the av? I'm so confused!!!

[larryfromnextdoor]

Thought this was worthy of discussion as opposed to the crap and attack threads from yesterday.

Absolutely agreed! But that would require some people getting their heads outof their own asses

this little fat eyed avatar is startin to disturb me.. someone hold me back... i want the TRUTH...



ok,,

I don't know about the fay eyes, the regular av is messing with me. Is it the beer or the av? I'm so confused!!!

andrew is going to carry this to the end.. monday ,, i thought i might bully it out of him,,

[Liam]

I think THOSE eyes are an indication that he's moving to Hawaii.

[Andrew]

Thought this was worthy of discussion as opposed to the crap and attack threads from yesterday.

Absolutely agreed! But that would require some people getting their heads outof their own asses

this little fat eyed avatar is startin to disturb me.. someone hold me back... i want the TRUTH...



ok,,

Just a few more days...

[Liam]

Thought this was worthy of discussion as opposed to the crap and attack threads from yesterday.

Absolutely agreed! But that would require some people getting their heads outof their own asses

this little fat eyed avatar is startin to disturb me.. someone hold me back... i want the TRUTH...



ok,,

Just a few more days...

Shit. I HATE it when he speaks in tiny sentences.

[Rockindeano]

Cryptic motherfucker....

[Liam]

Cryptic motherfucker....

EXACTLY. Damn Aussies.

[WalrusOct9]

Pretty much everything he says is true.


Journey was on the right track with giving copies of 'Generations' away at shows, but honestly...they might as well just give it away to everyone, it's the only way anyone will hear it.

They (and any other band) need to decide what's more important...making a couple of bucks off meager CD sales, or putting it out there for anyone willing to listen, and hoping that translates into more interest in the band, and thus more ticket sales, merch sales, (eventual) CD sales for those who still want the physical format, etc.

[ohsherrie]

Back to the original subject, I think it make sense up to a point.

I think there are too many ways to get music these days without buying a CD for that outlet to be the primary source of new music anymore. I haven't bought a CD other than the Perry remasters for years and I doubt that I will except as a last resort for something that I just have to have.

I don't think the internet needs to be the only outlet either though, because believe it or not, there are still many thousands of music fans who are completely computer illiterate. Whether because they don't want to, don't know how to can't afford to, they just don't do computers at all let alone the internet.

I think the future is in a combination of internet outlets and "corporate" sponsorship like REO has done with Walmart and Paul McCartney with Starbucks. Journey needs to get the Best Buy backing. It may even evolve into the artist sponsored by the corporation does the commercial jingles for the sponsor. Oh wait a minute, that's already been done. Journey did Bud commercials.

After all of these years of trying to outlive the "corporate rock" handle, it's again the way to go.

[RedWingFan]

If this is true and the band isn't really interested in new album sales. Then Jeff's dismissal makes perfect sense doesn't it? Sure maybe they didn't do it w/ an iota of class. But still It'd make sense to get someone who can cover the Perry classics better than was done last summer.

[EightyRock]

Friga's latest comments on the direction of the band cements them as sucking off Perry's contribution to their only success. They suck in their new singers by making them think they'll be allowed some creative influence, when in reality they'll be used totally to recreate the past. Obviously, they didn't think Soto did a good enough "impersonation". Augeri tried to be their Perry clone, but he didn't have the pipes to tough it out.
I hope their new singer doesn't have any notions of doing anything other than a Vegas style act. If he does, he'll be shit-canned, too.

[ForceInfinity]

AR makes alot of sense with his post. I happen to be one of those IPod owners, and have purchased quite a bit off of ITunes. That's where I found some of JSS's/Talisman's music at. ITunes also happens to have some other stuff like Jim Peterik's latest. So I'm fairly happy with it.

The sad but true thing is that these days that there's little money in making CD's it would seem. Something like a $1 a CD is all the artist will actually see. Even if they sell 100,000 CD's they only get $100,000 USD. Not that much for a 5 person band, that records for like 4 to 16 weeks when in the same amount of time touring, they can at least double that. Then I read some crazy stuff like CD's that are lost or destroyed come out of an artists' take, and that sinkage got somehow applied to downloaded stuff as well (Andrew I think you posted something like that with an REO Speedwagon interview you posted recently didn't you). It seems as though alot of artists are starting to veer away from major lables in favor of online publishing or self-publishing. But touring is where the money is at.

Alphaville (a synth pop band from German) back in 2002/2003 tried something different where they actually released some low-quality mp3's once a month for free as a preview for a forthcoming CD set that I thought was a brilliant move. Maybe artists oughta try that.

It just seems to me that the labels are not after quality of music and more after image. They seem to thrive on basket cases like Britney Spears, who got caught even more red-handed lipsyncing than journey, and overlook those don't have all this baggage.

It's no small wonder people are going away from their music. The only CD's I've bought recently are from Dream Theater and Nine Inch Nails. I've pretty much not bought any new music lately except through Itunes and even then its for the more "obscure" AOR stuff.