Comments on: TAKE THE STAGE: OURSTAGE ARTISTS RESPOND TO “STATE OF THE INDUSTRY” http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/06/09/take-the-stage-ourstage-artists-respond-to-state-of-the-industry/ OurStage - a brand new way to discover and enjoy the best new artists and the best new music - as determined by you. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:32:38 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: BOB POLHEMUS OF THE TEEMATES BAND http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/06/09/take-the-stage-ourstage-artists-respond-to-state-of-the-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-5457 BOB POLHEMUS OF THE TEEMATES BAND Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:17:09 +0000 http://blog.ourstage.com/?p=10508#comment-5457 When our Album was released in the Sixties we traveled for weeks into different States to Record Distributors and Radio stations just to give ONE SONG of the 14 Track Album a shot. Distributors would place your recording near the Top of the Pile (30 or 40 done) If-well sometimes you paid them. Thankfully most were ethical and placed you near where you deserved to be. If a Radio station had placed you at Number One you were on the top of the Pile. Unfortunately you were under the control of the Label and that Labels budget. I once had an interview with One of the Big Boys at CBS Records who just simply swung his chair around until his back faced me and called out next. Believe it or not"we are friends today"!! In summary-had the music Industry not changed in my favor I would not have recorded my latest tunes and instead would have been left gingerly re-hashing the Reissues of the 1965 Album and getting Gigs here and there. Thank Goodness the old way is dead and the New way is giving Birth to those who deserve to be heard. Bobby When our Album was released in the Sixties we traveled for weeks into different States to Record Distributors and Radio stations just to give ONE SONG of the 14 Track Album a shot. Distributors would place your recording near the Top of the Pile (30 or 40 done) If-well sometimes you paid them. Thankfully most were ethical and placed you near where you deserved to be. If a Radio station had placed you at Number One you were on the top of the Pile. Unfortunately you were under the control of the Label and that Labels budget. I once had an interview with One of the Big Boys at CBS Records who just simply swung his chair around until his back faced me and called out next. Believe it or not”we are friends today”!! In summary-had the music Industry not changed in my favor I would not have recorded my latest tunes and instead would have been left gingerly re-hashing the Reissues of the 1965 Album and getting Gigs here and there. Thank Goodness the old way is dead and the New way is giving Birth to those who deserve to be heard.
Bobby

]]> By: Sean Lawlor Nelson http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/06/09/take-the-stage-ourstage-artists-respond-to-state-of-the-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-4917 Sean Lawlor Nelson Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:27:07 +0000 http://blog.ourstage.com/?p=10508#comment-4917 I know it's not the nicest thing to say, but every perspective on this thread is somehow ridiculous... the most common mistake being to confuse one's personal situation with the state of the music business as a whole. Sometimes brilliant artists just don't make it out of bad luck, personal problems, whatever. But just as often as not, it's because they're not doing all the right things. Now the pirating craze and youtube, yada yada, has created a huge shift in the music industry. Suddenly, the whole virtual world has no true need to pay for music. So many artists and record labels aren't getting paid for their product. While it's happening it's actually a good thing for American music as art. Suddenly all these talented underground bands don't have to wait around to be discovered: there's at least a possibility of making it big with a little internet promotion. The Jay Z's, Green Day's, and Eric Clapton's of the world(not to truly knock those artists) now have to compete with even more talented minds of their genre who've been selling weed, participating in anarchist riots, or wandering around the crossroads of Mississipi. Of course, everybody and their cousin is trying to do that. But those artists who do something truly awesome and INNOVATIVE have a good chance(expertise coupled with creativity is rare enough in any field or era.) But it's a gold-rush time in the music industry. It won't be long before independent artists can't break through so easily again... and people will have to pay for their music again. I don't know how it will happen, or care that it does, but it's the nature of the world... as I see it. I know it’s not the nicest thing to say, but every perspective on this thread is somehow ridiculous… the most common mistake being to confuse one’s personal situation with the state of the music business as a whole. Sometimes brilliant artists just don’t make it out of bad luck, personal problems, whatever. But just as often as not, it’s because they’re not doing all the right things.
Now the pirating craze and youtube, yada yada, has created a huge shift in the music industry. Suddenly, the whole virtual world has no true need to pay for music. So many artists and record labels aren’t getting paid for their product. While it’s happening it’s actually a good thing for American music as art. Suddenly all these talented underground bands don’t have to wait around to be discovered: there’s at least a possibility of making it big with a little internet promotion. The Jay Z’s, Green Day’s, and Eric Clapton’s of the world(not to truly knock those artists) now have to compete with even more talented minds of their genre who’ve been selling weed, participating in anarchist riots, or wandering around the crossroads of Mississipi.
Of course, everybody and their cousin is trying to do that. But those artists who do something truly awesome and INNOVATIVE have a good chance(expertise coupled with creativity is rare enough in any field or era.)
But it’s a gold-rush time in the music industry. It won’t be long before independent artists can’t break through so easily again… and people will have to pay for their music again. I don’t know how it will happen, or care that it does, but it’s the nature of the world… as I see it.

]]> By: Bassy Bob Brockmann http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/06/09/take-the-stage-ourstage-artists-respond-to-state-of-the-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-4453 Bassy Bob Brockmann Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:41:46 +0000 http://blog.ourstage.com/?p=10508#comment-4453 It is certainly easy for artists to feel overwhelmed and defeated in today's marketplace. Because the Majors , in their sloth and greed did not define a new direction, they failed. Not only themselves, but the whole industry of listeners. When software companies and video game companies were innovating, sometimes more than once a year, the record companies were litigating and praying for a miracle. As a good friend once said, if it was a shoe store with only two good pairs of shoes and everything else was garbage, they wouldn't last a season. Well, they lasted a little longer than a season, but mostly from catalog sales, and now the internet has wiped that out forever. Also on the independent artist front, I empathize with the overwhelming feelings that most indie artists have , between social networking, printing up flyers, answering emails and posts, and writing, producing, and manufacturing, most artists are doing the work of ten people or more. This is a stark contrast to what I used to see when I would go into labels for meetings. It was not unusual to see most of the people on the floor surfing the internet, chatting with colleagues, or just daydreaming. That was then , this is now. I predict in the next two years a collapse of the major label system, similar to the intransigence of General motors in the face of competition from abroad. While toyota innovated and listened closely to customers, the labels sued their customers. The get what they deserve. As for artists, I strongly suggest reaching out to the vast talent pool that is being created by the economic downturn. As an engineer/producer that had many hit records and awards, I can personally tell you that my mantra is innovate or die. I am looking into more and more ways of trying to make my projects a better experience for listeners, whether its adding HD mixes, videos, biographical material, free mp3s to share with friends. All these add value to the listener, and echoing what I read above a happy listener is the name of the game. the music business is not dead, its only lying in the middle of the road...It's high time we pick ourselves up and get out there and prove that the indie model can work. Ive seen it first hand. Bassy bob is a veteran of the business, with 30 years mixing records for artists like christina aguilera, sheryl crow, bob dylan, and biggie smalls. He now considers himself an "indie" artist. He also teaches mixing now to indie producers and mixers. It is certainly easy for artists to feel overwhelmed and defeated in today’s marketplace. Because the Majors , in their sloth and greed did not define a new direction, they failed. Not only themselves, but the whole industry of listeners. When software companies and video game companies were innovating, sometimes more than once a year, the record companies were litigating and praying for a miracle. As a good friend once said, if it was a shoe store with only two good pairs of shoes and everything else was garbage, they wouldn’t last a season. Well, they lasted a little longer than a season, but mostly from catalog sales, and now the internet has wiped that out forever. Also on the independent artist front, I empathize with the overwhelming feelings that most indie artists have , between social networking, printing up flyers, answering emails and posts, and writing, producing, and manufacturing, most artists are doing the work of ten people or more. This is a stark contrast to what I used to see when I would go into labels for meetings. It was not unusual to see most of the people on the floor surfing the internet, chatting with colleagues, or just daydreaming.
That was then , this is now. I predict in the next two years a collapse of the major label system, similar to the intransigence of General motors in the face of competition from abroad. While toyota innovated and listened closely to customers, the labels sued their customers. The get what they deserve. As for artists, I strongly suggest reaching out to the vast talent pool that is being created by the economic downturn. As an engineer/producer that had many hit records and awards, I can personally tell you that my mantra is innovate or die. I am looking into more and more ways of trying to make my projects a better experience for listeners, whether its adding HD mixes, videos, biographical material, free mp3s to share with friends. All these add value to the listener, and echoing what I read above a happy listener is the name of the game. the music business is not dead, its only lying in the middle of the road…It’s high time we pick ourselves up and get out there and prove that the indie model can work. Ive seen it first hand.

Bassy bob is a veteran of the business, with 30 years mixing records for artists like christina aguilera, sheryl crow, bob dylan, and biggie smalls. He now considers himself an “indie” artist. He also teaches mixing now to indie producers and mixers.

]]> By: SARAH BLACKER http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/06/09/take-the-stage-ourstage-artists-respond-to-state-of-the-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-4434 SARAH BLACKER Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:34:08 +0000 http://blog.ourstage.com/?p=10508#comment-4434 As a solo artist, putting out my debut album, I feel as though there are a plethora of opportunities out there to expose one's music, and reach one's fans. However, with so many different options, it can be overwhelming to try and figure out which ones might be worth the time and effort. You really can spend all day on the computer putting eggs into different baskets...I find it easy to connect with people within the industry, but it's definitely a challenge being a business person and an artist too. Living in the age where if you made music, you were sought by industry folk before you might have sought them out- I think it might have been easier to build a team, and acquire support early on in your career. As a solo artist, putting out my debut album, I feel as though there are a plethora of opportunities out there to expose one’s music, and reach one’s fans. However, with so many different options, it can be overwhelming to try and figure out which ones might be worth the time and effort. You really can spend all day on the computer putting eggs into different baskets…I find it easy to connect with people within the industry, but it’s definitely a challenge being a business person and an artist too. Living in the age where if you made music, you were sought by industry folk before you might have sought them out- I think it might have been easier to build a team, and acquire support early on in your career.

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