My Facebook newsfeed is exploding with people sharing the story of Emily White, the counter-post from?David Lowery, and the counter-counter post from Bob Lefsetz. I browsed all of them and came to the conclusion that all three are equally right as much as they are equally wrong. All of the blame is being incorrectly targeted.
If you are unfamiliar with the current space of debate, here it is in summary:
- Emily White is an intern at NPR who wrote on the blog about living in a generation where music isn?t valued physically and everyone has music ADD.
- David Lowery is angry at Emily White because he thinks she is immoral and immorally enabled by technology and the convenience it provides.
- Bob Lefsetz thinks Lowery is being too hard on Emily and people should stop making crappy music.
Got it? Good.
Poor, poor Emily White probably didn?t expect that what she thought was a good idea for a blog would turn into what it did. I could be wrong in my interpretation of what she?s writing about, but to me it makes sense. I too was heavily involved with college radio, and being practically broke, did rip CDs that came into the office ? just one of the ways I discovered new music. Heyo! Let me explain myself here. Once again, practically broke, I was at a point in my life where I distrusted music.
In high school, whenever I would buy a CD of a band from a song I heard on the local ?ROCK? station, I would be sorely disappointed with the rest of the album (one point to Lefsetz ?And the public is gonna say that $14 for a CD with one good track is stupid?). So, when you?re on a college budget it?s a bit more difficult to justify purchasing an album if you haven?t heard the whole thing. For those of you unfamiliar with the world of college radio, so many CDs pour into the station of bands you?ve never heard of that it becomes overwhelming. With that said, I discovered a TON of new bands that, since discovering by immorally ripping music, I have made a point to go see a show (sorry, that contribution might not have contributed enough to make Lowery happy) and purchase future albums (as well as physical copies of some of the albums I immorally ripped).
Okay, Emily White and I are not the same person. Clearly my CD shelf shows that I actually have bought more than 15 CDs in my life. The fault of Emily White is not her lack of CD buying, but the era in which she grew up in (I?ll touch more on this later). This does not equate to Lowery?s argument against technology, however.
Lowery is a great writer with some fantastic points. The Trichordist blog is always a great source for well-argued music issues. Musicians, without question, should always be compensated. It is also true that employees of the music ?industry? (I really, really, really hate that word) need to be paid as well. I completely understand the angle Lowery takes with Emily White on her interest in convenience, and agree with his argument that if we can pay extra for fair trade coffee, we should be able to buy music. While, to Lowery?s credit, it is very true that Spotify pays musicians next to nothing, iTunes ? a legal service he argues is just as convenient ? does the same.
For this, I point you to a fantastic article from TechDirt written by a band called Uniform Motion about a breakdown of their earnings from various mediums (a band which I discovered by? don?t tell Lowery? TECHNOLOGY!!!!!!!!!! OMG. But seriously, listen to their album that made my 2011 list because it?s so damn good).
I agree Mr. Lowery, I really do. It is a shame that these services do not fairly compensate artists, and it is unfair that the CEO of Spotify is wealthier than only one of the UK artists using the service. I wholeheartedly agree with the pain he expresses. However, and this is a big however, he should not blame the technology. The user of these convenient services is to blame. What I feel Lowery is missing is the psychology behind the likely reason Emily White does not purchase music (more on this later).?Do not damn the technology. While I may be in the same generation as Emily White, I also value physical albums. I?m like a cat lady of CDs and vinyl. I also try to go to shows whenever I can. . Let me cite a little example on why I feel it?s wrong to damn technology with a Spotify example.
Recently, I went to see a band play twice in one week. They were touring from Canada and put on a great show the first night. Since ?they were incredibly nice people, and put on a great show, I decided to see them again the next night. I also purchased 2 of their albums and an EP. The band is called?Cuff the Duke, and I highly recommend them. Oops! Did I just link to them on Spotify? Silly me. Too bad that?s exactly how I discovered them. I spend a lot of my time on Spotify browsing the ?Related Artists? lists seeking out new music, which is how I found Cuff The Duke. Without Spotify, I wouldn?t have recognized their name on the venue schedule, I wouldn?t have purchased their albums, and I wouldn?t have made 4 new friends. The only problem with this whole example is that there were no more than 10 people at either of their shows (again, more on all of this later). Bob Lefsetz probably thinks this is the fault of the artists, too.
Lefsetz?s article is probably the one I agree with the most in terms of how he addressed the changing industry. In fact, the changing industry is exactly why I decided not to pursue it as a career (and am ultimately more happy with my love of music as a hobby). The big companies became very comfortable with their big profits, but when new technology evolved, everything exploded. I disagree with Lefsetz in his blame on the artists and assumption that if your music isn?t good, that?s why your band isn?t making any money. There are songs played on the radio that sound like complete and utter crap, but they?re successful because they?ve tapped into the ADD mindset of Emily White?s generation who finds one catchy song stuck in her head, and then another and another with the convenience to jump around in the ?cloud? from one to the other whenever she wants. I have heard bands play in dive bars with way more talent who put their heart and soul into the music they play. They write this music because they love it; otherwise, what?s the point really? Those bands don?t earn nearly as much as a Top 40 musician, but that?s not their fault, nor is it the fault of the ?industry? for following society?s behavior.
Emily White and I are in the same generation. Both of us have worked in college radio and interned in the ?industry.? So, why had she only purchased 15 CDs in her life and why does she crave convenience instead? My generation is bombarded by music marketing focused on the success of singles (return to my disappointed purchases of crappy albums based on 1 song I heard on the radio). Now, singles have existed for a long time, but I would argue it was harder to ignore the full album in the non-digital era. It?s easy (and convenient) to download one song instead of purchasing an entire album that you might not even like. Why won?t you like it? Because I don?t think the Top 40 musicians of my generation is constantly bombarded with place the same value on the product of a whole album beyond filler and label obligations. The Beatles had solid albums in their day, but can you really say that about Justin Bieber?s latest album? Do you find other songs from the album stuck in your head, or is it only his latest single? Exactly.
Is it Emily White?s fault? No, it?s how she?s been raised by the music industry and a culture that views music more as entertainment than art. Society places musicians on a huge, unreachable throne, preying on our addiction to celebrity and fame. So, I?m going to go out on a limb and assume that, while Emily White has attended shows and probably interviewed musicians, she hasn?t really gotten to know any. Musicians are just people, like everyone else. They have their talents. They make their living. They are real people. From TV shows, we see that musicians have it all, thus making it easier for us to justify immorally obtaining music.
My journey into the local music scene is always a fascinating experience. I have met some of the most wonderful people, who deserve so much more than they receive from their album sales, but still continue playing shows and producing music because they love what they do. I choose local music over anything else, because to me, the music means so much more when it comes from the community I live in. I know where my money is going: right in the pockets of the local musicians so they can pay for gas on their next tour, the pockets of the local record label owners so they can afford to pay for another band to order CDs, and the pockets of local recording studio employees so they can purchase new equipment for recording.
At that first Cuff The Duke show, only about 6 people attended. However, but at the second show there were at least 8 people because I brought some of my friends to enjoy the music. How did I persuade my friends to attend the show? I sent them a link on Spotify so they could hear what the band sounded like. Now, Cuff the Duke is not a local band, but the concept is the same: a band that plays music because they love it and are willing to talk with anyone who attends a show about who they are, the music they love, and why they love it. That?s what makes music so special ? the people. Without the ability to recognize that these musicians are just people, it is easy to ignore what they are being deprived of when you ?immorally? acquire their music.
A local scene humanizes the whole ?industry,? and while technology enables a lot of misuses, it also enables a lot of great music discovery. The problem lies with a generation that grew up distant from musicians in a culture of celebrity that encourages listeners to lack patients or the ability to sit through Court of the Crimson King without getting bored (I would like to note that I do not fall in that category; prog nerd all the way!). While Lefsetz is right, the industry is changing and we should work to try and fix how we consume, it isn?t the fault of artists. There is no way any change will come on a mainstream level. Just as government cannot easily be changed on a federal level, we have more power on a local scale. If more people start to find value in a local music scene, they will discover what a music community really involves. They will not be afraid to forgo convenience and actually pick up an album at a show or local record shop.
Convenience isn?t the problem. I want my music in the cloud so I can hear a band wherever and whenever I want (be it on my computer at work, driving in the car, or on my record player; I?m a fan of all mediums). The problem lies in the perception of the consumer. If you can change that, you can change the ?industry? and the culture built around instant gratification. So, stop wasting time playing the blame game and get out to a local show.
-Ryan
I?d like to take this moment to give a shout-out to Bandcamp, which?does a fantastic job of allowing consumers to listen to an album before they purchase. Bandcamp also provides flexibility for the band in deciding how to set up what they sell and for how much. All of my physical (and digital) purchases were positive experiences because the website allows the same interaction between a customer and musician following a show at the merch table. (This is especially great for bands that don?t play shows anywhere near you.) I don?t think there was a single CD I ordered from Bandcamp where the artist hasn?t included some sort of handwritten note.
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