Mention the state of today’s music industry to Sony Music representative Marc Makowski and he will go off on a 20-minute tirade about the death of the “good old days.” He understands that the game has changed and that the Internet has taken over as a one-stop shop for all things music, but this is a fact that irritates him to the point of raising his voice and flailing his hands around in disbelief.
Makowski says that the way bands are “discovered” today is entirely different than the “good old days,” which is to say they aren’t really “discovered” at all. Most bands are brought to A&R by managers and come pre-packaged with Facebook pages, fans, albums and an audience. Sitting behind a computer and trolling for new acts is certainly a lot easier than sitting in a smoke-filled club seven days a week.
“They don’t do like the old days when Clive Davis would hit the clubs discovering Santana and everybody else,” Makowski says
Sometimes talent takes a backseat to how many Facebook fans or Twitter followers a band has, but it’s just how it is. And while some, like Makowski, may see this as a sign of the recording industry’s death rattle, others see it as a beacon of hope amidst dwindling record sales and canceled tours.
“Paste Magazine” recently published an article about how social media saved the music scene on the Sunset Strip. Fans would tweet about events and check in on FourSquare, and, pretty soon, shows were selling out in advance, something that hadn’t happened since the ‘80s hair metal scene the strip perpetuated.
Twitter and Facebook also give artists a way to connect with their fans outside of the realm of stadium-sized shows, PR mouth pieces and the entertainment press. Social media creates a stronger bond between fans and the band. As recently as 15 years ago, if you wanted to get in touch with a band as a fan, you had two options: stalk them outside a concert or sign up for their fan club and send them snail mail. Today, all you need is a computer, an Internet connection and a Twitter account.
But at what expense does this communication come? Yes, social media may help pack houses and connect fans to their gods, but what about the organic nature that used to surround the music biz? What happened to making a name for yourself with tireless touring, self-promotion and embarrassing mall concerts?
Before *NSYNC became superstars in the U.S., they had to stake a claim in Europe to earn credit. “I Want You Back” broke in Germany through hard work and dedication. Only then did the boys hit it big in America. All Justin Bieber had to do was put up some videos on YouTube and all of the sudden preteen girls were all but dropping their panties and Usher was calling Canada to get J.Biebs on the fast-track to pre-pubescent fame.
Have artists become so comfortable in their Internet fame that they’re getting lazy? Instead of making a new album, Biebs released an incredibly shitty 3-D movie. Lady Gaga’s new single and accompanying video are not quite of the same caliber as her early stuff. The two albums that Radiohead released online weren’t as good as their previous work. The Internet played a huge role in the resurrection of Britney Spears’ career, and while some of her new stuff has been pretty good, is any of it on par with her biggest hits?
It seems social media has become a crutch for the music industry — but it’s a crutch that’s going to save it from spontaneously imploding faster then the Middle East.
Bands can save money by touring less and putting up more content online. The recession hit the concert business hard. Fans can interact with artists in a setting that seems smaller than an arena — after the pop explosion of the ‘90s, the music biz fizzled, but the Internet has created a haven for fans who outgrew the promotional stickers and airbrushed T-shirt appeal of the fan club. Twitter is the new fan club president, and Facebook is the secretary, bringing longer messages from bands to their fans.
If Don McLean re-wrote “American Pie” today, he’d be a little sad because it’s no longer music that’s saving us from ourselves, it’s the interaction we get with music through Twitter and the Internet. Even if music was exponentially better when artists had to try harder to get our attention, social media is the only way to save the record industry. We still believe in rock ‘n’ roll, but now it’s Twitter that will save our mortal souls.
Funny you mention Clive Davis and Don Mclean in the same article.
Mclean thought Clive Davis was a major jackass.
I’m apt to believe him
Suits need to stay out of the music business – what little of it is left, that is.