Rosanne Cash on Our Cultures Big Lie

by Scott Timberg

There has been much debate recently as to the ethics that govern the online music streaming marketplace. After the introduction of illegal piracy the music industry has been on an over decade long push to rebuild a legitimate business model that serves artists who create content. Several services such as Spotify, Rhapsody, Pandora, Beats Music, and Rdio have been offering near unlimited music access for a monthly subscription rate in return. Recent dialogue from some of the music industries top artists like Rosanne Cash, Taylor Swift, Radiohead, and many others have demanded that their music be taken down from streaming services and artists should be fairly compensated for the work they create. This comes as YouTube, the leader providing content for the online marketplace, recently announced the introduction of it’s first subscription based music service, Music Key which offers users an ad-free experience. The evolution of the internet and free content has challenged artists, reporters, and creators of all types in receiving fair compensation for the work they create. 

It is important that artists such as Rosanne Cash take the forefront in creating conversation that raises awareness of this problem to the general public and legislators. Without artists who take a stand in front of politicians and law makers and demand the system be changed then there will be no reason for companies like Spotify and YouTube to change their business models to more favor the artists and creators they rely upon for revenue. In addition recently it was announced that streams from Spotify will begin to be counted towards Billboard Chart Rankings, based on this decision it is a safe bet streaming will be around for awhile. Good news is that there is room for an artist to negotiate out a more favorable deal with large streaming services, to think that as an artist the only way forward is to remove all your music from a streaming site I think as of today is a shortsighted move. If Swift had stuck around a little longer it is claimed by Spotify she was to have had upwards of $6 million in payout for the current year. If $6 million is an accurate figure than if you were Swift would you not collect your streaming royalties from any streaming site? Sure there is more money to be made selling your albums in a traditional way but why not collect both revenue sources? If Swift truly does get paid more from extra YouTube views then more power to her but I’m sure there are some consumers left out in the dark by her business decision. 

Considering the streaming debate from a local level the implications of streaming on an artist’s career change drastically. Many local artists and ‘Baby Bands’ rely heavily on the support they receive from loyal fans in the form of merchandise purchase, concert tickets sold, and of course the money paid from fans to buy music. Most small acts view streaming as a way for their music to reach a larger audience which means potentially more fans who might attend a future show and buy a t-shirt, this is a fairly accurate assumption during the current music atmosphere. A local band will benefit from offering a vinyl cut of their new album along with a download card to an attendee of a show regardless if their music is already available online. If a fan is loyal to an artist they will want to support that artist in all that they do, it has been hard over the last decade for fans to form the genuine connections with artists that were enjoyed by generations past due to the turmoil experienced with the introduction of the internet. Cash comments on the cultural aspect of how the internet has changed society and readily accepts responsibility to act to try and do the right thing by making it clear that artists need support in order to continue to making content of purpose and meaning to our culture. 

Article 1:Does Wearable Tech Have Legs? 
NPR Interview ; Scott Simon & Rachel Arthur
Article 2: How Swipe Culture is Tinderizing our Lives
by Musa Okwanga
   

     The next fad being trumpeted down the mass marketing machine is wearable technology that connects with smartphones to help improve your daily life, that's the claim anyway. But do we really need these devices at our command at absolutely any moment during the day? A substantial 'unplug' movement is also shouting for our culture’s need to unplug from our connections for a little while and slow down our lives and reconnect with issues that are important like those in our surroundings. The right choice of course usually lies somewhere in the middle of any debate, wearable technology might be the newest trend in showing off just how many things you can buy as a consumer in our society which has somehow been linked to an individuals self worth but it will hopefully someday soon provide real benefits for the users of that technology. 

     Wearable technology could provide many useful advantages for those with health concerns and who have trouble monitoring their time allotment to certain tasks such as insulin injections for diabetics. A wearable watch that helps you track your calorie intake/output could be useful for those who are training for an event or looking to loose some weight. Checking the weather on your watch would be a pretty handy feature as well since it's definitely becomes clunky to take out your phone overtime you need the simplest token of information.

     Implications for the music industry could be compelling however, if you have the ability to skip a track or make music selections right on your wrist then it's hard to imagine this would decrease any persons consumption of music with the devices they already own. Something to consider however would be the downfall of never being able to escape your digital connection, something that experts argue only increase your isolation within society.

     If we assume Apple will be the company that will probably do wearable tech better than any other company out there then I think we are in for a pleasant surprise once the iWatch comes out and improves upon wearable tech that is currently on the market in many ways. From a personal point of view an iWatch would probably be better than my iPhone because I would spend less time looking at my iPhone if I already had it on my arm. If wearable tech is ultimately decreases the amount of time I spend on my phone and streamlines the process of using my phone then I am alright with that. As a relatively active person features like calorie trackers and activity monitoring apps would be a big advantage and provide insights about daily routines that would otherwise be hard to track and if this information automatically updated with all my other devices this would be awesome, for example going on a bike ride and having my ride on my iMac Maps when I return so I can sort through results of the trip.

     Along with wearable technology is the overconsumption already at our fingertips provided by smartphones which are responsible for some feelings of “taking a trip from A to infinity” as described in the article How Swipe Culture is Tinderizing our Lives. The full out assumption that the more technology is better might be a preeminent contract that will ruin our social well being. Learning to reconnect with those around us and not be distracted by media machines out to make a fortune of advertising to the masses will take some getting used to if the millennial generation is to ever accomplish anything as great as those who have come before.  

    

Links to Article:

http://www.npr.org/2014/09/06/346299238/does-wearable-tech-have-legs

https://medium.com/matter/how-swipe-culture-is-tinderizing-our-lives-50bd8b16131e

The article written by Robert Kaiser former editor of The Washington Post for nearly the last half century is an incredibly intelligent insight into the effects that the digital revolution has had on our culture of freedom in America. Many parallels can be drawn from the information provided by Kaiser regarding the decimation of old ‘legacy’ companies (The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the vast number of consolidated record companies) by new tech giants that have come to rule the world (Apple, Google, Facebook). With the digital revolution the carpet has been pulled out from under companies that have been vital to fueling culture at it’s core. These businesses had models that relied on consumers paying money for the content they had received and charging companies for advertising placement, this is however no longer a legitimate business model since distribution of content is essentially free and there is no more product for these companies to rely upon.

It’s scary to compare the decimation of the news industry with the paralleled failure of the music industry. Equally trying to find solutions to these problems is not quite a walk in the park. The corporatization of these industries and the failure of these companies to generate income has only increased how much needs to be rebuilt or reorganized in order for our culture to breathe the fresh air provided by legitimate news outlets or genuine record companies willing to represent the music of the time. Already the cultural stress of these failures has made it’s way into regular word of mouth conversation by those members of the millennial generation who want to build the world to be a better place, however I feel many of these individuals feel that changing the course of our society is too great of a challenge because of the fact that social networking is really networking in isolation (your glued to your laptop in your pajamas watching the world go by/you only see people’s good days, no one has ever said “check out my strep throat isn’t this cool on Facebook and not been immediately shunned for sharing this). 

Start up companies have explored the viability of recreating what has been lost. Creating the dialogue that directs young people to be more encouraged to have a voice and speak up about the problems we face is the only way we can make a change, however short of massive protest (which Citizens United proves does very little to actually change things, the student led democratic protests in Hong Kong is another example of how this approach will create change) there needs to be a smarter approach. With the income gap as great as it has become however many young members of this generation are stuck with ‘do it yourself’ solutions to these problems. Just like startup news outlets that are trying to report the gap of information between local, national, and international news, young musicians are trying to fill in the gap between being a nobody local musician with zero dollars in your pocket and someone who actually has a voice and a following. Many of the musicians today who do have following however have already sold out their artistic freedom to make music that can acquire mega corporation sponsorship campaigns. Before these massive companies decided to sponsor musicians the musical message of the day was much more relatable with a screw it attitude that I am going to make music the way I want to, Rock and Roll felt good because of it’s foundation was built upon sexing up your lover in the back of your parents car because it made them angry and you were going to work hard and get the things you wanted because your the only person who can change your life so deal with it and get down to the basics. EDM/Hip Hop/Music of Today has never made anybody do anything great besides kill themselves with drugs at the concert they just attended, talk about the wrong message to be conveying to your audience, take drugs till you blackout and forget your life is one big problem. 

The reality of what is being lost is the fabric of our culture and our ability to relate with one another and feel empathy towards other humans in the world (a new school shooting every week), this should be shocking and is something that needs to change. If there are enough smart individuals willing to take risk, make no money at first, and say the things that are on their mind in an intelligent way that is solution focused then we will be able to fix some of these problems. We have to take a step back from our instant gratification culture and realize if we want things to change in real life then we will have to put in some hard work and hold those responsible for creating our cookie cutter society we have today that has destroyed a lot of peoples sense of self worth. Waking up and realizing that way less than one percent of the population has fixed the game against the masses and demanding that large corporations those masses have helped create be part of the solution by giving back is our only way out of this hole we have dug. Inspiring young people to get involved with government and do the foot work necessary to bring these changes about is just the first step. 

Article: 

Kaiser, Robert G. "The Bad News About the News." The Brookings Institution. N.p., 16 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. 

What the Music Industry Could Learn From Digital Marketing by Jennifer Hanser

The article What The Music Industry Could Learn From Digital Marketing by Jennifer Hanser explores the impacts of the digital revolution on the music industry and the effects of this new distribution system on musicians and their fans. Several key marketing concepts are discussed such as the importance for musicians to connect with fans in meaningful ways that can be used to create lasting relationships. One of the current challenges that stands in the way of musicians easily connecting with their fans is the fragmented marketplace that consumers frequent to purchase or stream new music content. It is increasingly difficult for musicians to track when or where new fans might have heard new music and follow up by outreaching to those fans on the basis of wanting to build a lasting relationship. Digital tracking is starting to become more complex and shift this trend, in the future it wouldn’t be too far fetched to imagine that for a flat fee a musician will be able to better connect with fans across multiple internet outlets and better track the people who support your act.

The ability for an artist to create new content that resonates with a large audience is the challenge for the 21st century musician. Finding ways of connecting with your audience that stretches beyond the just the music you create will ultimately lead your fans to become more loyal followers of anything you may choose to do as a creator. Taking this approach solidifies the current model artist are taking by posting content that adds value to an artist ‘brand name’ as a whole rather than just one album release or what you had for lunch on Facebook. The internet has done a great thing by highlighting the fact that there are just not that many people who are capable of creating content that could be considered of professional quality that consumers demand. This is not to say that there is a limited number of creators (there are more now than ever before) but they are still far outnumbered by the vast majority of internet users who are focused on information consumption rather than creation. 

A hindrance to the current system as Hanser points out is that often times the content that reaches the most people online has been backed up by sponsors and financial investment, making it ever more difficult to break through the ‘noise’ the internet has created in its wake for the typical musician. Today’s aspiring music artist has to earn the respect of a record company in order to sign a deal, this is done by demonstrating their is demand for your talent. The world is shifting to a ‘what can you do for me now’ attitude and advances for artist development are becoming increasing risky and rare for music investors. It may seem more like an uphill battle than ever for the aspiring musician or creator to ‘break’ and become recognized. Armed with knowledge and the willingness to innovate todays artist have the ability to impact more lives than ever with their creative aspirations. Understanding how to utilize new thinking in areas like social media, video websites, personal websites, and personal branding will pave the way for the future of the music industry. Being able to network with your audience and self-promote are extremely important and building lasting personal relationships will ultimately set an artist on a trajectory of success.

Hanser concludes her article with a great analogy that every artists life is like a constant movie and it is up to them to get the ‘sync’ license for their own show. I really think this statement hits the nail on the head for what an innovative artist should keep in mind. New artists, like Hanser suggests, will have to innovate more than ever to satisfy their music fans and create new content that grabs and keeps their attention at least long enough till you can create more new content that also gets attention. A shift has already taken place in the music industry where live performance is a larger business than the record industry. An innovative artist will recognize that it is still their responsibility to entertain fans at live shows and should spend their time accordingly practicing their instrument and building their chops so they can astonish audience members and earn the respect of new music fans. 

The Classical Cloud by Alex Ross

In the article The Classical Cloud by Alex Ross the implications of streaming music are explored. Whether streaming is the new go to way to listen to music or not one thing is for sure, it’s not going away. And the people most affected by this new technology are not the average music listener but the artists creating songs and making them available to stream. As Ross states several times in his article that even along with the wonder of having all the music you could ever consume at your fingertips online, he feels like his massive cd collection and the nostalgia that goes along with owning a bunch of plastic, for him, is something he is not ready to quite let go. I completely agree with Ross on many ideas that he brings up regarding streaming and his now outdated CD collection. First and foremost streaming will never completely replace a music listeners urge to own a song to play on demand whenever they choose, just like setting up a tape recorder next to the radio to have tracks available, music consumers today still either will buy a CD of a new album or purchase that music on the iTunes store. With these purchases music consumers of today are still capable of having an intimate relationship with their musical collections. The amount of content that being created on artists websites grows everyday, this content is new and engaging and also allows for musicians to showcase their music in a way that no record store ever could be able to provide. Interactive pages that include video, images, text, and immersive photography are some of my favorite new ways I can connect with the music I enjoy today while still feeling the connection to an artist provided by owning a physical creation of their music. 
In relation to viewing owning CD’s as ‘hoarding’ I think Ross went a little overboard on his assumption that the new generation wants to consume their media in a baron room with nothing inside and free of all clutter. The nostalgia that surrounds CD’s and Vinyl records today is something unique and should be used as a bridge to cross the generational gap that has grown between those who have chosen to incorporate new technology into their lives and those who are behind the curve at adapting to a new digital age. Although the CD is dead that doesn’t mean something can’t be learned from their existence on this planet. Ross makes a great point about how “browsing the spines” is a relaxing process he enjoys when considering his musical selections. A major difference when you select a CD or a vinyl album over a streamed track you are not simply selecting a single track of music from a list of most popular, you are choosing to listen to a collection of songs that are all part of the same idea, musical statement or time period. Ross mentions one of his favorite albums, a classical album by pianist Leon Fleisher, and explains how the magic on this one CD is unique to the time and place when that CD was created. Fleisher’s challenges of playing when he lost control of his right hand really demonstrate how this one collection of songs is unique simply by his ability to play the songs contained on the album at the time. The counterpoint of searching for Fleisher’s tracks on Spotify would render the typical listener clueless about the progression of an artists career and the change over time that music has undergone, the personal artist to music listener relationship could be at jeopardy in this case. 

The “music-obsessed teen-ager[s] [of] today” is having a great time searching the internet for new music, this is the future of music. As we continue to become more reliant on our digital devices to deliver our content we will become better with time at filtering through staggering amounts of results and finding the best of what is out there for music lovers. One of the major jobs of a record label is to monitor the music that is signed to their label and (hopefully) only sign artist with talent and good music. In the digital world of music we have yet to have an established group of individuals who can act as gatekeepers to our online consumption, instead it is currently up to the user of the internet to determine for themselves how best to access great content. Ross mentions the blog Ionarts created by Charles T. Downey which posts new music every Sunday for followers to check out, this model would not have been possible in the CD era and I believe it will only become increasingly more popular. Those who have the knowledge about what new music is out there will always be recommending music for others to listen and enjoy, we just haven’t quite figured out the new paradigm of the internet and how it can best serve the listener of that music that is posted for all to hear. It is my prediction that as the internet matures and we get better at finding the information we want then the model will stop favoring superstar artists with major record deals and the money available that helps make sure these artists dominate in general exposure. As artists stop complaining that their recorded music makes no money the most entrepreneurial artists will be able to succeed in this new business model. Just as Ross relates to his music near the end of the article by the feelings he experiences when listening to his favorite music we can be encouraged to look forward to connecting with artists in new ways in the future.