editorial: #askhermore about music

Despite some people’s impression that the music biz can a bit of a “Boy’s Club”, those of us in the industry know that’s not accurate, especially in modern times. There are amazing men and women who work together to make the glory happen!

Personally, I’d like to see a bit more awareness about the sheer volume of women in the industry, and in particular, the breadth and depth of what we do.

Why, right here in our own organisation, just under half of Music SA staff and Board positions are filled by talented women. There’s our Chair of the Board (Anne Wiberg), Secretary & Treasurer (Helen Page & Elizabeth Elliot, respectively), our General Manager (Lisa Bishop), new Industry Development Manager (Emma Coyle), Publicist (Koral Chandler), Accountant (Lynne Collins), Tutors (Kelly Breuer, Alice Fraser), Admin Assistant (Jordan Tito), and Digital Marketing Manager (yours truly).

And based with us at St Paul’s Creative Centre, we also have Becc Bates (Manager, Contemporary Music – Arts SA Music Development Office) and Karen Marsh (Senior Music Development Officer, Department of State Development), both of whom are major figures in growing and supporting the SA music industry. That’s just in one building in Adelaide. Here are a few more inspiring women who have high powered hands on roles across Australia’s music industry.

Pictured: Our Chair of the Board Anne Wiberg chats with
The Hon. Jay Weatherill, SA Premier. Becc Bates in the background too!

Of the local ladies mentioned above, about half a dozen of us are working musicians as well.

And here’s something that puzzles me a little bit…

Whenever I mention I work in music or am a musician, invariably I’ll be asked “Oh, are you a singer?” Well, yes. Yes I am. I love it!

Umm, and also… I’m a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. And a co-manager. And our overseas tour coordinator. And responsible for our digital presence. And employed by a non-profit music organisation.

If that sounds defensive, it’s honestly not intentional, nor my point.  It’s just the bigger picture – and the reality for many DIY bands.

Let’s not misunderstand anything here – I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be singled out firstly as a singer! It’s a respected craft, and rightly so. The majority of my musical heroes are singers, and it’s my all time favourite thing to do in our band (along with songwriting).  I adore talking about being a singer. (Hint: don’t get me started). And I’ve never personally felt that the question was meant to be taken as anything but nice and polite interest.

 Yeah, I reckon I’d be OK with this scenario… Hello, Nashville!
Photo: Jen Pollack Bianco

BUT, I suppose I wish it wasn’t tacitly assumed that it’s always the main or only thing that women do in music.

Maybe a similar thing happens to guys – “I work in music”.  “Oh, do you play guitar?”

Apparently this sort of perception starts young, too, and in an even more overgeneralized way. Several years ago I had a terrible time trying to find a present for my musician cousin’s baby girl. I wanted a onesie with a music motif, ANY music motif. IF I could find one, it was always blue. Hmm. I wasn’t specifically after something pink, but the message seemed to be “no guitars for girls”, and not even anything depicting music in a ‘neutral’ yellow or green!

There’s a really empowering campaign at the moment called #askhermore, which arose during the Hollywood awards season. It aims to encourage lazy journalists to ask the nominated actresses about more than their jewelry or couture. These leaders in their field were frustrated that they are rarely asked about their craft, their character development. etc. Instead, they got the red carpet ‘mani-cam‘.

The resulting memes and video grabs on this topic are testament to the pervasiveness of this phenomenon in the acting world, and are an illuminating read. Theirs is obviously a different context (and remember, I enjoy talking about singing), but I’d love to see this trend of raising awareness of women’s multi-faceted careers carry over into the music industry.

Let’s be absolutely clear. I’m NOT saying that asking a woman musician if she is a singer – or a man if they play guitar – is a sexist thing to do. Or wrong. Or insulting. IT’S NOT. My message is that this sort of question is just potentially oversimplified…

Next time a person mentions she or he is a musician or works in music, let’s hope we hear “Oh, and what do you do in music?” Then they can talk about their greatest passions. The resulting conversation should be inspiring.

Let’s #askusmore

 – Dr. Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

Comments welcome below.

 

 

Editorial: Parting With Your Art

“…it’s the knowledge of all the effort, the passion, the thought that goes into creating something original…”

 

 

On Tuesday night, the Grace Emily Hotel raised $7,200+ for charity with its 10th edition of the “Bald Clanger” Exhibition. It’s one of my favourite events of the year.

A play on words of the “Archibald” nationwide Portrait Prize, this annual event is an art competition and charity auction, whereby artists of all levels of skill submit their impressions of someone / something that represents the Grace Emily community. They usually get around 30 or so entries.

Bar staff tend to feature heavily, but there are plenty of others honoured in the artwork – you never fail to see some local bands and musicians amongst the portraits. After all, for many people, the venue is synonymous with live music! The winning entry is hung on the pub’s wall, while the rest are put in a public auction. This year, all proceeds are going to Médecins Sans Frontières.

I can see at least 5 local musicians on this wall.

Some of Adelaide’s finest artists are Grace patrons, and always participate in the Bald Clanger. Daryl Austin’s lovely homage to the pub’s name sake, “Grace Emily” herself, fetched over $1000. But something I truly love about the event is that anyone can have a go. $20 buys you a standard canvas (and a bonus pint of ale), and you can paint, write, use mixed media – whatever you want. I believe the youngest artist this year was around 7 years old.

Can’t paint to save my life, but I’ve even summoned the courage to offer up a couple of mixed media entries over the years. And this is where the “music” theme of this editorial comes in…

On auction night, the artists are highly likely to have their original work purchased by someone else – and then it’s gone from their own hands forever. At those moments, it always strikes me how, as musicians, we’re extremely lucky to retain at least a copy of the fruits of our labour.

The winning entry of Grace publican George, by Kate.

It’s not necessarily narcissism that creates the desire to ‘keep’ your own work; it’s the knowledge of all the effort, the passion, the thought that goes into creating something original. You expressed all of that for a reason; it’s natural to want to hang on to the moment.

A visual artist doesn’t have that luxury. Their blood, sweat & tears may be forever hidden from their view in a stranger’s house. Now, if you can make reasonable copies of it (e.g. nice prints or something – not just a photo), that’s fine I suppose. But the original piece is by definition one-of-a-kind. What if an author had to relinquish their own novel once it was finished?

What about Michael Jackson owning publishing rights to the Beatles’ back catalogue? Sure, McCartney can still play his own songs (for a price!), and anyone can listen to the recordings, but Sir Paul was apparently “furious” about this situation, and admits it’s not just business, it’s personal.

Perhaps it’s not quite the same thing – giving up rights to your work vs. having someone else own an actual, original physical item – but the feeling of ‘authorship’ would surely be similar.

I’m even slightly uncomfortable at being a buyer in some instances… Three (and counting) of our band’s CD covers have been created from local artist Charlie Roberts’ unique paintings. We don’t just take a photo and use the image; the bonus for us is that we actually buy his paintings – and in the process are getting a pretty kickarse collection of original art! They all have personal meaning to us. As for Charlie, it makes me a little sad that they’re no longer ‘his’ to own… but at least he knows they’ve gone to a good home, and he knows where to find us!

At our house there’s also a drawer full of master recordings, everything from proper studio albums to demos. They should probably be in our fire safe, I reckon, along with all the old photo negatives (look it up, kids) and other precious ephemera. It makes me happy that the collection is there, at any rate, even if we never listen to some of those recordings again.

Authorship, and ownership.

Who knows, maybe it is all a little selfish. But my fellow musicians, when it comes to original art, I still think we’re the lucky ones!

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

Comments welcome below.

Editorial: What’s Your Studio Personality?

“…maintain an even keel as much as possible – it’s not always easy…”

 

 

Hey musicians, who doesn’t love to make a record??

I think it’s one of the privileges of modern times that musicians of all types are in a better position to make records, one way or another. In my own years as a contemporary musician, I’ve particular enjoyed the time spent in studios.

By ‘enjoyed’, I mean yes, I’ve experienced the euphoria of nailing a difficult take, and love to have a physical representation of our songwriting. But I also mean that I (ultimately) enjoy the composite of the emotions that comes along with the process, be they good or bad: the horror that can come with unfamiliarity or uncertainty, the intense time pressure, the bonding, the arguing, the spontaneity, the frustration, the concentration, the ‘finding the answer’, the connection, the exploration… and that weird feeling you get when it’s all over. It’s always a journey.

Every studio has its own personality, too. One suggestion is try to make yourself at home as soon as possible. The more comfortable you are, the better you’ll perform. This is not always easy, because they all feel so different…

Recording at someone’s home studio (if I knew them well, or if I didn’t), vs. recording at a scary, ghost-filled building interstate, vs. recording at a world class facility where some of my favourite acts once stood – and all the logistics that came with it – they’ve all cast their own unique light on the proceedings. The studio can’t help but seep into your music somehow.

Some even let you leave your own mark on the door!

And then there’s the personality you yourself bring to the occasion. It might vary dramatically, depending on many things.

What sort of mood are you in? If it’s not good, can you break out of it and concentrate? If you’re on fire, does that momentum cross over into the rest of your takes? If you’re making it up on the spot, what head space do you need to be in to achieve that?

In my opinion, ideally you aspire to maintain an even keel as much as possible. Again, not always easy…! But it should be a goal.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve had a few special guests join us in the studio, bringing their specialty skills to our music. We know both of them quite well, so there’s an immediate level of comfort & trust there, but it was still a foreign location to them, and they’ve never recorded with us before now.

It was fascinating to see how they ‘worked’ in that environment. They were amongst friends, with freedom to create whatever they wanted – but in a small space with a super short time frame to get it down. Absolutely no dramas. They didn’t even mind a certain social media person hovering around taking photos & video for Instagram (cough cough).

I salute them. No worries at all. Couldn’t have been easier. If you’re ever guesting on others’ recordings, keep in mind the ways these guys acted and performed; they’re excellent role models. Be prepared. Be enthusiastic. Keep it together. Just warm up and go.

Who knows? You may find yourself recording with the same mic Paul Kelly once used!

For those who have a healthy background in recording, hopefully you’ll relate to a lot of the points above. For those who haven’t recorded, hopefully you’ll keep some in mind and enjoy the ride!

And for the non-muso punters (or for everyone, really): the next time you listen to a record, try to imagine the story behind its creation.

There’s sure to be quite a tale to tell.

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

Comments welcome below.

 

Editorial: Make First Impressions Last

“…the worst kind of judgement someone can hand down to a musician… is that they are dull…”

 

 

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression.

This is true by its very definition, and I was reminded of it last night while judging a live song competition.

The 5 competing acts could hardly have been more disparate in sound and style, but I found I could get a measure on each of them reasonably quickly. Within a minute I knew how they talked, looked and performed; their respective levels of writing skills, musical talent and professionalism on stage were all immediately apparent.

Congrats to all of the performers for being part of an entertaining event, and for having the bravery to put their art out there for critique.

Officially, they were being assessed on originality and how ‘studio ready’ their songs were, as the prize was recording time. Yet, as much as you can try to focus on the songs themselves, you can’t divorce them entirely from the whole package.

Now, this was in fact a competition, but make no mistake: as an artist you are being ‘judged’ in pretty much this same way, every time you set foot on stage.

You’re also being compared to the best artists of all time, because we all have built up a musical knowledge over the years that doesn’t disappear just because you’re watching someone on a smaller stage than Wembley Stadium.

Must be nice.

You need to give this some thought, and try to consider things from the audience’s point of view.

In my opinion, the worst kind of judgement someone can hand down to a musician – assuming they have at least an average skill set – is that they are dull.

As you make your ‘first impression’, I’d say you should try to make an impression.

I’m not suggesting you should try to be something you’re not. Authenticity is an important part of artistic expression. Sometimes you can make an impression for qualities that aren’t doing you any favours, too! But I still think that’s better than being forgettable.

What we need to keep in mind is that things ‘get smaller’ on stage. You’ve got to be you, to the max!

Think of it like stage makeup – you need a whole lot more under the glare of a spotlight to even just look like you normally do on the street.

Perhaps not the best example…

A friend was telling me of the occasion when he was booked to play at the casino. These types of shows are generally ‘wallpaper’ ones, where you’re basically just there for atmosphere. He became concerned when, through the course of the evening, the casino staff kept making him to take a break every 15 minutes or so, after he’d only played a couple of songs. Why?? It turns out, he was TOO engaging, and people had stopped gambling to watch him. Classic.

Put him in a live music pub though, and it’s exactly what you want.

There were some very intriguing performances going on last night, and some that could’ve amped things up a bit. As time goes by, it’s the former that I’ll remember the most.

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

 

Editorial: Hometown Generosity Goes a Long Way

 

“…This kind of gesture can… inspire a new crop of artists, and it also shows great respect…”

 

 

 

Something I love: when global superstars acknowledge and support their hometown, “where it all started.”

Even better if their hometown is Adelaide!!

As you’ve read in our featured news, a lucky South Australian act has the chance to open for legendary guitarist Orianthi, as she plays a much anticipated hometown show at The Gov in December. Pretty cool, ay?

This talented young woman, born & raised here, has been playing guitar since she was 6. By her teens she was supporting the likes of Steve Vai and ZZ Top, including a spot playing beside her hero Carlos Santana – all while in Adelaide, I might add. Orianthi soon moved to the US, got a record deal, played The Grammys, was hand-picked by Michael Jackson for his This Is It tour, and now plays in Alice Cooper’s band. PLUS she’s a platinum-selling original artist in her own right. No one should need to tell you that this is damn impressive!!

She is now volunteering to “give something back” to our fair city, and will make a local act very, very happy in the process. As well as the honour of the opening spot, the chosen band gets paid (well), and no doubt will earn new fans amongst her sizeable crowd at the show. This is big.

I say, “Bravo!” and “Thank You!”

I’d like to see more bands of international stature take note of this, and contemplate what they could offer to their own roots. This kind of gesture can go a long way in helping to inspire a new crop of artists, and it also shows great respect.

Even if big name acts don’t “give” anything specific, I hope they are at least publicly proud of their beginnings, and the people and places that started them on their way. Plenty are proud, and in my book they are good role models.

Those who aren’t? Maybe they have their reasons, but I just don’t get it. Despite living in Australia for many years now, I’ve never come to terms with the idea of the “cultural cringe.” This is an amazing country, so what’s THAT nonsense about?

If I were ever in the position to address a global audience on how much I truly love Oz, and especially this unique city, you bet I would be shouting its praises loudly.

Seriously. This place.

 

Granted, not everyone had a good time in their youth, and perhaps their surrounds had a negative impact on them for whatever reason. But bands that move interstate and suddenly “forget” they started in SA – that irks me no end. Bands who are based here, yet leave Adelaide out of their bios… well, to me that’s even worse!

Luckily we have several high profile, high achieving musical ambassadors who are clearly proud of their origins. Multi-ARIA winning acts Hilltop Hoods and The Audreys immediately come to mind.

Now we have Orianthi to count amongst them – though it’s not like she’s ever hidden the fact she’s from Adelaide, either! Her bio tells a lovely story >>

Again, BRAVO for the support. This is win-win.

Amazing things can happen no matter where you’re from, if you have talent, dream big and work hard. We’ve seen the proof.

But never forget, everyone loves a gracious hometown hero!

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

 Comments welcome below.

Editorial: Can You Ever Have ‘Enough’ Music Gear?

 

“…Surely, there must be a support group somewhere for hoarders of our ilk…”

 

 

 

Now here’s a little gem of an idea: “Musical Swap Meet“.

The brainchild of local luthier, Steve Salvi (of Salvi’s Fine Guitars), this new event in November is sure to get the attention of many an Adelaide muso.

The gist is, you bring all your bolts, screws, guitars, amps, stands etc etc and “buy, sell or trade with other players and members of our great music community.” It’s free entry for vendors and sellers, not a retail event, and will be held at a beloved live music venue.

(Wanna come along? Details at the end of this blog.)

For all you music gear-heads out there, this could either be a super chance to pare down your sizable collections, OR, a very, VERY dangerous temptation to add to the pile.

Speaking for myself, I’m putting money on the latter…

But hey, we can’t really help ourselves, can we? Surely, there must be a support group somewhere for hoarders of our ilk. Or a potential new reality series?

Maybe they could take turns.
“Next Week: Music Gear Support Group”

I don’t count myself as having a particularly bad habit, at least when it comes to the big ticket items. 2 x each of autoharps, ukes, violas plus 3 accordions. (“They all do different things”, of course). Bah! I’m a lightweight! Not even into the double digits.

An autoharpist I met in Melbourne a couple weeks ago was lamenting her husband’s reluctance for her to add to her musical menagerie (4 ‘harps and counting). I said, “clearly your husband is not a guitarist…”

She gave me a confused look, so I turned to her bandmate – a guitarist – and asked, “C’mon, how many guitars do YOU have?” He hung his head sheepishly and muttered, “12.” Then sure enough he added “But they all do different things!!” Uh huh. I hear you, buddy.  A few of you out there might even have double that amount? (Gaz, I’m looking in your direction).

Notice that we haven’t mentioned the ephemera yet?

Hellooo, you mountain of pedals, leads, stands, pickups, strings, random percussion pieces and various other doo-dads! You may have an instrument that, for nostalgic reasons, you could never sell; but these bits and pieces can be hard to part with, too.

Why the hell do I still have an ancient bass effects board for an instrument I don’t really play much, and wouldn’t even use it with anymore? [shrugs] Dunno. Just can’t bring myself to put it on Gumtree. Perhaps I could be persuaded to swap it for another pedal.  Which I’ll probably use twice… Hopeless.

Maybe, just maybe, the Musical Swap Meet will be a cleansing experience. Yet, I suspect I’ll have enough stuff to pull this off by the end of it:

See you there!

All you need to know about the Musical Swap Meet >>
Saturday 1st November, 12pm-4pm
Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

 Comments welcome below.

Editorial: Newsflash! Musicians Love to Talk About Music

 

“…Maybe we should make a bet – first one to talk about music in a group of musicians has to shout a round…”

 

 

The AFL Grand Final was a few weekends ago, and at the time, conversation was “all about” footy. No escaping it. Who should win, who will win, why they’ll win, etc etc. My beautiful Aussie family are huge fans, and of course were up on all the news. Over the years I’ve picked up enough tips from them to understand what’s going on (not bad for a Yank), and I honestly enjoy the game.

However, when it comes to the finer details – obscure players’ names, coaching techniques, unusual penalties etc – I struggle, because ultimately I guess I’m just not THAT interested.

At times like those, I can really relate to non-musicians who are friends, partners or families of band members.

Because ALL we musicians talk about is music.

Like, ALL the time.

Hey, even these guys kinda look like rock stars… no?

Seriously, it’s practically impossible NOT to talk about music when you put at least 2 of us together.

Maybe we should make a bet – first one to talk about music in a group of musicians has to shout a round…

Good luck with that, because by ‘music’ I mean anything to do with other artists, the business, and the art itself.

I’ve just come back from a short trip to Melbourne for some gigs, and we stayed with musicians. Over a couple days, we chatted about:

The ins and outs of touring in the UK
The perils (& castles!) when touring in Europe
The excitement of working with new band members
How to ‘crack’ the festival scene
Who’s big overseas but not here
The history of a specific ’80s guitar brand
Why you need a whammy bar
Who used to be in ‘that’ band ages ago
Who’s in 3 different bands, and a history of each
Who controls certain genre cliques in a city
Driving vs flying to interstate gigs
Who’s a crap promoter (and who’s not)
Who sounds just like so and so
Who is a monkey genius at banjo
Are music conferences worth it
Where it’s best to play on a Sunday
How to shred on a dulcimer
How to shred on a guitar \m/
Synthetic vs wooden djembés
Who’s had their gear stolen and how
When is it a fiddle and not a violin
How to soup up an autoharp

Hint: it’s all about the tensile of the inner springs…

This is not an exhaustive list – I would run out of room. God help you if you weren’t into music and came across our group.

The only time we didn’t talk about music was when we were playing with our friends’ kids. Well, mostly. One of them can sing along to every song of The National, and can pick out a hurdy gurdy amongst a mix of instruments on a recording. He’s 3 1/2.

Music. Music. Music. I think The Big Lebowski might have come up at some point? But that’s about it.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing. It’s what we love, why shouldn’t it be foremost in our minds?

But if you’re with someone who is not interested in music, spare them a thought, avoid sounding like a broken record (pun intended) in their company, and they will surely be grateful!

Now, let me know how you go with that bet…

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

 Comments welcome below.

Editorial: All Hail Hard Copies of Music News

 

“…In this respect, street press has significant, positive cultural value. …”

 

 

As we speak, I am in the Music SA office anxiously awaiting the arrival of a courier*… He/she will be delivering the highly prized 1st ever printed edition of “B-Side Magazine“, which makes its debut today. Yep, Adelaide’s streets now have new, physical ‘street press’ dedicated to our SA music scene.

You’ve gotta be happy about that.

In my opinion, compared to other states, our city has an enviable history of good quality street press. Yet in recent years, for one reason or another, we’ve witnessed the disappearance of the once ubiquitous broadsheets that helped us navigate local live music. Of course, such information can be found online (*cough, on Music SA for example, *cough)… but there’s a certain romance to the printed word.

Call me old school – I don’t mind! – I just like physical product, be it music or writing. It has a lot to do with rituals and context.

Sure, here at work I appreciate the convenience of listening to Double J or Spotify via the computer. (Although – how cool would it be if we had an office record player?? Hmmm…). At home, I subsist on CDs and vinyl, and feel a lot more ‘connected’ to the music.

In the case of reading, most of our jobs entail a lot of screen time – on the desktop, iPad & phone. We can all get a bit fatigued of this by the end of the day. Often, the last thing I want to do is read a magazine or a book – or music news – on a little screen.

Plus, in public, the use of electronic devices seems rather anti-social, no? The phone becomes a barrier; you’re less likely to strike up a conversation with someone who’s actively engaged with their phone, than if they’re reading a newspaper. (There are people who will converse with you while ALSO exploring their phone; but hey, don’t do that).

In this respect, street press has significant, positive cultural value. Phones? Not in the same way. It’s depressing to sit at a bar waiting for your friends, and have to rely on your phone for entertainment, especially when everyone around you is doing the same. Before printed street press disappeared, I’d go straight to the pile of the latest edition and grab a copy. Over the course of a week, I’d end up reading a publication cover to cover, more than once. Advertisers would be thrilled. And I’d find a heck of a lot information about what’s going on in Adelaide music.

Product Placement in B-Side’s 1st edition…
Music SA, getting in on the ground floor
(or back cover in this case)

I know for a fact that lots of musicians and venue owners have really ‘felt’ the loss of physical product lately, and not only because of its entertainment value or promotional power. Many musicians simply love to keep articles, about their heroes, and especially about themselves. It’s a snapshot in time, a record of achievement, part of your musical journey. You can’t make a ‘scrapbook’ out of screencaps or links to urls. Well, you can, but it’s gonna be a pretty crappy scrapbook.

My cousin-in-law in the USA is a famous actress, and her proud mother collects every single article she can find. I emailed her an online link to an interview with her daughter that was in the Sunday Mail a few weeks ago, but then made sure I posted the physical page as well. Now she’ll have a full page newsprint article all the way from Australia in her collection. Pretty cool. My own band has some random European reviews floating around the interwebs, but we truly prize the stack of German glossies on our shelf with our news inside (even if we can’t ‘Google Translate’ them). Again, it’s the romance.

It might seem odd for a Digital Marketing Manager to wax lyrical about such a nearly-anachronistic mode of communication. Can’t help it. It makes a difference. I’m no luddite, but I’ll always believe the physical form of print has an important place in society.

Pass me that street press, and raise a toast for the team B-Side. Here, here.

(*And lucky us, B-Side’s Robert Dunstan ended up hand-delivering them to us personally!)

Beside Bob. (get it?)

 

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

Note: Music SA is proud to partner with B-side magazine to bring you a page of South Australian music reviews printed weekly in the street mag. To make submissions, see www.musicsa.com.au.

 Comments welcome below.

Editorial: “Free” Has a Cost

 

“…If you’re giving away music, at least value your product – and yourself – enough to collect something in return…”

 

 

I generally believe the old adage, “you get what you pay for”, but these days does it really apply to music anymore?

In my rant last week about U2, I briefly mentioned the idea that “a band of multi-millionaires who scored a cool $100 million to give away their album” is NOT a model to encourage in this industry. (Just today I learned The Beatles are getting in on the act, too). There are countless bands who can’t afford that, yet fans have just been told “even music from the most famous artists should be free” – and how many of them are thinking / caring whether at any stage the band got paid or not?

As musicians, we are CONSTANTLY giving things away for free, our recordings, our performances, our merchandise, our dignity – oh wait, that last one is just U2.

Really, guys? Hmm.

The “incentive” is that the exposure will earn more fans …um, who then get everything for free? yada yada yada.

This is not evil in theory. Who doesn’t love a free sample? Key word being “sample.”

I adore gift bags of makeup in trial sizes, and never miss a chance to follow the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ at the Royal Show to collect a swag of goodies. But even in these cases, it’s not technically free. Those ‘gifts’ come with a purchase. Somebody pays, somebody profits. And if I like the free sample enough, I’ll go buy the full size product. Mission accomplished.

There’s another scenario at the Royal Show that’s not quite as appealing. My friend runs her own business making tasty condiments + dips, and one year she set up a booth in the ‘Tasting SA’ section. She was horrified. Free samples are pretty much expected there, but the locust-like hordes that swarmed past her booth barely looked up to catch the name of her business. Grab a bite, move to the next booth, repeat. A huge waste of time & money on her part. I can’t help thinking this is kind of how it feels to be an independent musician sometimes…

If you’re giving away music, at least value your product – and yourself – enough to collect something in return. Email addresses are good commodities, for instance. In the Yellow Brick Road, every ‘free’ item came with a brochure about the producer, so my eventual attention is the commodity. Risky, but better than my poor friend’s example.

Playing for free is a trickier topic (and is admittedly a bugbear of mine). If you MUST play without pay, make sure you actually leverage that opportunity in a way that’s meaningful. Invite industry to the show and use it as a showcase, or really plug yourself to the audience and get them to join your mailing list – or hey, to buy your music!

(A quick aside to venue & festival bookers: if you only book bands who offer to play for free or vastly undersell themselves, maybe you DO get what you pay for in terms of quality…).

Some bands give away their entire catalogue, but they make a killing at live shows in merch and door sales. Fair enough. There’s not one model to fit all. But in each case, if YOU don’t decide what your effort is worth, the audience will. The latter actually worked in Radiohead’s case, and plenty of bands offer the ‘pay what you want’ option on Bandcamp. Again, that’s fine. At least the audience has to put some thought into it.

Radiohead. Not really my thing, but they do make ‘cool’ seem effortless
(which is how ‘cool’ should be).

But if audiences are constantly TOLD all music is free – free meaning $0 – then it’s worth… $0.

By all means give things away when you need to do so. Just know the true cost.

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager

 Comments welcome below.

Editorial: The U2 ‘Virus’ – Marketing Genius or Jerk Move?

 

“…credibility, integrity, humility – these are traits that make me respect an artist (or company)…”

 

I had a different editorial planned for today, but you can’t take 5 steps without someone mentioning the “U2 Virus” scandal, so here are my two cents…

For those who haven’t heard, U2 and Apple struck a deal whereby the band got paid $100 million [!] to essentially give Apple their new LP, and in turn the latter ‘gifted’ it to 500 million iTunes account holders. Meaning, the LP simply turned up in your iTunes library for free, whether you wanted it or not.

My personal Facebook page has been enjoying a healthy debate on the ethics of this marketing ploy, and it was certainly a hot topic at ye olde pub last night. Why all the fuss?

There’s a camp that views this as genius – not only a way for the band to grab a mountain of cash without spending a cent on marketing, but a way to reconnect with old fans or make potential new ones. An $100k profit is a pretty good incentive for not having to worry about selling your LP.

To some, it’s also perceived as merely a new format for the free giveaway model, likening it to the bonus CD that comes with a magazine, or getting a free “cassette” (Google it, kids) when you purchase a “walkman” (ditto).  In this opinion, the delivery mechanism for the digital LP just reflects modern technology.

“U2, shoving their music down your throat since the early ’80s”

Photo: Snopes
(alas, it’s a fabrication, but made me chuckle anyway)

I say, it’s the delivery mechanism, AND the way it was handled, that make it an epic fail.  (And I believe this to hold true whether or not the LP eventually soars to #1, although apparently they’re only eligible for those stats after the LP is available everywhere… Anyway.)

Firstly, the delivery. There must be something in the lengthy iTunes ‘terms and conditions’ that allows them to access my account to deliver new material, whether it’s initially just in the Cloud or not. Otherwise, how is this even legal? To my knowledge it hasn’t happened before this, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t give them the ‘right.’ HOWEVER, I think it still feels like a violation of privacy. It makes me uncomfortable and I now distrust the platform. Is that a good result?

As for the ‘free giveaway’ model, I find it’s more akin to someone coming into my house and putting a CD amongst my collection on the shelf without my initial knowledge, permission, or desire, then telling me it’s a “present.” Even if somehow, sometime I’d given them keys, this is still creepy with a capital CREEP.

And it gets worse. I only just discovered that for a short period of time, you couldn’t even get rid of it. As a friend pointed out, it’s like they ‘glued it to the shelf’. It was only after a big enough backlash that Apple set up a special page with instructions of how to remove the LP. You can’t just delete it like any other file. Again, creepy.

But it looks so “innocent”…

Photo: Opt Out

 

Sure enough Apple and U2 considered these risks, and decided that the cash & publicity (good or bad?) was worth annoying someone like me who wasn’t going to buy the LP anyway. Why would my annoyance matter to a band like U2 or company like Apple? The phrase ‘crying all the way to the bank’ comes to mind. But credibility, integrity, humility – these are traits that make me respect an artist (or company). I can’t truly like an act, or their music, if I don’t respect at least something about them.

Maybe it’s much ado about nothing. Maybe I’m part of the ‘misguided overreaction‘. What’s the big deal? I you don’t want it you can (now) get rid of it. BUT – what if this opens more doors? Think of the 10 bands you loathe the most, then consider how you’d feel if their new material kept arriving unsolicited and cluttering up your music library, just because they received a big payout from Apple. The horror. These are some scary floodgates.

Speaking of which, we haven’t even touched on the ‘message’ this sends to people about music being given away free. If the world’s richest band (I’m assuming) starts gifting their work, what about those who can’t afford to do so? That’s a whole other blog…

A friend used 2 words that resonated with me, and I reckon do a fine job of summing up the whole fiasco: “arrogance”, and “disgust”. If they’d simply sent an email saying you could download the new LP for free if you wanted to, that wouldn’t have upset me (notwithstanding the point above). MAYBE I would have checked it out. As for the music? I have no idea if it’s good or not. I deleted it.

 

[Note: Recommended reading for a particularly erudite take on the matter (thanks Darby!) : Wired >>]

– Dr Elizabeth Reid
Music SA Digital Marketing Manager