"State of the Industry" Mentality
Best Buy is going to stop selling cds this year, and iTunes says they plan to end music sales and go to only streaming next year. A lot of people in my generation and older in the music business still talk about the “state of the music industry.” They reminisce of the days of high record sales and the old model of the music business. These folks complain about not getting fair royalties from streaming services. They see the current state of the music industry as worse than it use to be and complain they can’t just do the same things that they use to do to make money.
The newest generation of music creators doesn’t know life without the internet.
They don’t remember a time of compact discs or high record sales, and they don’t have a “state of the music industry” mentality. They don’t know life without social media, and they are already branding for themselves at a young age whether they realize it or not. Generation Z are now becoming adults, and they have a different outlook. They are self-starters, figure things out on their own with the internet and don’t depend on others as much to make things happen. This is exciting for the music industry.
There are teenagers giving expert-level music production tutorials on Youtube and figuring out how to use their skills to build a following. Teenagers are releasing songs, putting out content and building up lots of fans while some artists I know are sitting on great music waiting for some kind of deal to come along to release it. The newest generation is making things happen for themselves, and they usually get to keep all of the income they make because they aren’t signed to a label, manager, etc.
We’re now in an era where personal connection and content are more important than quality.
Anyone can make a great recording. Great producers and engineers are more affordable and accessible than ever. There are so many artists with pro-sounding records that you have to have something more to win over fans. There has to be a connection. My friend Jay Putty, a 24 year old singer/songwriter in Nashville, has a large amount of dedicated fans that follow him on social media. He spends sooo much time connecting to all of his followers personally, and it shows results. He recently released an EP of voice memos. The tracks are literally voice memos from his phone. He spent $0 on production, and the EP got up to #14 on iTunes singer/songwriter chart the day it was released.
A 19 year old artist called Clairo released lo-fi recordings that she recorded herself on Soundcloud for several years and built up a following. Last August, she released a music video on Youtube that has nearly 13 million views. In an interview with Fader, she said that it took her 30 minutes to create the video on her own. She didn’t spend any money on record production or video production. She built up a fanbase, and eventually a video exploded on Youtube.
Fans of independent artists are looking for more of a connection than they are looking for pro-level recordings. This means that producers and engineers like myself have to offer more than just good quality recordings to stay valuable to artists. We have to be on board with the artists' visions and branding. I was talking with a friend awhile back, and I asked him what creative artist has a unique talent that we should invest our time in. He said that anyone we know who already has it going on can make it happen on their own. As a producer, I have to keep a helping mentality. I have to offer my sound and my experience where it can be helpful to artists and songwriters.
Being able to adapt is one of the most important skills we all need to have.
The music industry is constantly changing. What seems like a standard one day may be totally different in a couple months. Things like the way social media works, the way mastering for streaming works and ways to make money with music are continually changing. We have to be able to quickly change our methods to keep up. We have to be able to try things with some consistency to see what works for us.
For a lot of us that have had success in the music industry, it can be hard to set our egos aside and learn new methods. If we want to have longevity, we have to be open to change. The most successful independent artists and producers that I look up to don’t have big egos. They don’t see themselves above others and are willing to share knowledge. They don’t ignore folks asking for help.
Conclusion
A lot of artists and others in the music business want to be famous and are looking for the quickest way to “making it.” Most of the people that I’ve seen become successful in the music industry were in it for the long haul. They started small, built their brand, figured out what worked to market their brand and quickly adapted to changes. Whether they have fans or clients, they have a helping mentality and genuinely want to connect. The pie is bigger than ever, and there are more opportunities than ever to build a business and make money with music. Hopefully we will stop hearing so much “state of the music industry.”