I answer a question for Playmusic Magazine
While I’ve been a bit helpless regarding the development of our label’s website, I have been doing my part in making connections and simply getting the word out to anyone and everyone. With the label has come some unexpected opportunities to talk to people I never thought I would and be featured in some pretty cool places. I did an interview for a Swedish blog/magazine earlier, not sure what resulted with that, and have filled out numerous Q&A interviews from people interested in what we’re doing. I just sent a response back to someone from Newsoundland, a new music community about to be up and running that sounds like it has a lot of potential, and that I’ll be talking about here eventually. His question was the one below and I took some time out to answer it because he also worked for Playmusic Magazine and it could be featured there as well. I can’t say for sure what he’ll use for the magazine, or if he’ll use any of it, but I figured I’d give my readers a chance to read it. Let me know what you think.
How would the perfect music universe in the internet look like for you? What is wrong with the music industry as it is today?
The music industry’s main problem has always been themselves. It has been their ignorance in not acknowledging the need to adapt with new technology, and their stubbornness in continuing to do things the old way that has led to the inevitable downfall currently felt by the industry. New technologies have never killed the industry as executives have always warned throughout the years, and the internet has proven to be the greatest thing for the music industry to ever come along. Yet, instead of embracing the global potential of the internet in spreading word about their bands, labels are instead suing the very people that want to support the bands.
The problem with doing things like suing people that download music is that the issue is only being viewed in negative light. Most people that download are much like myself. We’re just huge fans and are eager to hear new material by our favorite bands. Fans are also wising up to the fact that most bands rarely see anything from physical album sales and make money off merchandise and touring. So, most fans that are downloading are also getting exposed to music they may not have otherwise and ultimately going out to shows and supporting the artist directly. Suing the very people that are supporting the bands you’re trying to sell is the very kind of backwards thinking that has gotten the music industry into this mess in the first place.
So what is the perfect music universe regarding the internet then? Fan involvement, plain and simple. With the internet, a whole new world of possibilities opens up for even the smallest bands and this is exactly where the music industry is heading…whether the major labels want it to or not. Bands are able to record their music much cheaper now and make it immediately available for fans to listen to if they choose to go that route. Fan communities like facebook and myspace allow bands to directly interact with their fans.
A few people have already begun the new music revolution by utilizing the potential of the internet. Johnathan Coulton (http://www.jonathancoulton.com) is a musician that decided to finally make music his life and attempted to write a song a week. He shared these songs in a podcast and eventually gained a large following of fans. No record label and completely self-recorded, Johnathan proved that the internet truly allows bands to make it without a record label if they know the right moves to make.
John Buckman is another great example, as he went even farther than Coulton and started an online only record label called Magnatune (http://www.magnatune.com) which lets fans listen to whole albums before purchasing them and even has variable pricing, where the fan chooses to pay from $5-$20 for an album based on how much they want to support the artist. And since Magnatune artists make 50% of the profits, most fans end up averaging $9 an album.
Finally, there is my record label, LemonDrop Records (www.lemondroprecords.com) which we’re currently getting off the ground. We are taking things even farther and basing our label on what we think will be the basis of the new music industry: the Creative Commons License. This license basically states that you can do whatever you want with our songs after you’ve purchased/downloaded them as long as you don’t make money directly from them. This means aspiring filmmakers can make a music video for any of our songs and chances are good we would post their video and give them the exposure they have long deserved. Directors can use our songs in their movies without asking permission first as they shop the movie around to producers. Only once they get picked up and start charging admission will we have to discuss licensing. Finally, aspiring DJ’s can remix any of our songs and post them to the net to showcase their talents.
The Creative Commons License is the future of the music industry in our opinion and we’re standing fully behind it. All our songs will be available for download free as low quality mp3’s and album quality mp3’s will be available for purchase as downloads or on physical CD or Vinyl. Our artists make 50% of profits from merch, shows we book for them, and album sales, and we also do variable pricing. On top of this business model, we’ll have plenty of podcasts, live footage of shows, fan forums, and many other features that involve the fan directly.
The future of the music industry will be fans getting closer than ever to the bands they love, and if the major labels continue to ignore this fact, then yes, the industry as we know it will die. But with iTunes downloads continuing to increase with each passing year, and smaller independent bands finding more and more success, it’s only time before everyone takes notice and the industry completely adapts to the internet and all its possibilities. For now, musicians like Coulter and labels like LemonDrop and Magnatune will be more than happy to lead the way and hope our efforts convince others to join us.
Kevin Ehlers
Writer, The Pelican’s Perch music blog
Co-owner, LemonDrop Records (www.lemondroprecords.com)
