Rambles... #1

It is such an exciting time to be involved in any way, shape, or form in music, film, literature, and indeed any form of art. It doesn't matter which point in the creative process you fit in (production, distribution, reception, etc), there is currently potential for the entire landscape to change drastically. All that the community needs for this to happen (and for everybody to benefit from this change) is collective willpower. Let's take the music industry as an example...

Music production has become almost completely democratised in recent years. It's now possible to produce an entire professional-quality album for less than $1500 (2nd hand laptop, mic, interface, etc could even work out to sub-$1000). This means that almost anyone with the will to create can do so. It no longer takes luck, connections, and a ludicrous amount of arse-kissing to be heard. These developments are unrivalled in the empowerment they give to musicians everywhere. Even five years ago, to get a single demo recorded and 100 discs pressed would cost more than an entire home studio does now - it is cheaper now to be a creative force on your own terms and at your own pace than it used to be to simply bang out a couple of tracks. We are now seeing thousands upon thousands of artists taking advantage of this. People like Josh Homme and Trent Reznor, as well as a plethora of other famous and unknown artists, are going into their own studios, without external influences, to make the music that they want, unmoderated by producers and label representatives. It is thus little surprise that what we hear on the radio and see on our TV screens is more diverse than ever. It's simply a matter of people releasing what they want, and the public responding, and it's a fantastic thing for the music-listening public as a whole.

The distribution phase of the process is perhaps where the most controversy, as well as potential for revolution, resides. Of course, we were all witness to the almighty shitfight resulting from Napster, Kazaa, etc, as well as the more recent lawsuits against the creators of The Pirate Bay. The knee-jerk reaction to piracy by major record labels, as seen in Warner Music Group and Universal's attacks on Youtube and the insistency on Digital Rights Management software being embedded in tracks downloaded legally from sources such as iTunes, is completely counter-productive and is liable to do more harm than good in the long run. iTunes has the potential to be a fantastic, and legal, means of distribution, but it has to respect its customers. The restriction of the digital music being greater than that of CDs is ridiculous and insults the intelligence of the consumer. Why should people pay for something when they can get it even better for free? I make a point of not downloading music illegally, but with CD prices as inflated as they are, and DRM-afflicted files being among the only digital alternatives, we are at a point where for most internet users, torrents and p2p file-sharing are the only option that makes sense. The time has come for the record industry to streamline and modernise - more should be invested in research and development, and less in the upper levels of exceptionally top-heavy corporate hierarchies. The major labels must respond in a way which addresses the concerns of the consumer, rather than attempting to maintain their narrowing profit margins. Online distribution must be embraced, with digital downloads becoming the primary means of purchase. This reduces overall costs for the labels, and allows for cheaper purchase prices, thus giving the consumer what they want. Stamping out piracy for good is not going to happen - even before Napster there were bootleg tapes and the like - but the labels can get on the front foot again, if only they would move out of the 20th Century.

On the other hand are those who have embraced modernity and are using the internet to something approaching its full capabilities as a device of distribution. The first and perhaps most staggering example of this was Arctic Monkeys' rise to stardom via MySpace. While the legitimacy of their claims not to have had anything to do with the fan pages set up in their name has been up for some debate, there is no doubting that without it they would have never become so popular so quickly, if at all. Established artists too, have used the internet to their own, and their fans', advantage. Nine Inch Nails, with their free download release of The Slip, and Radiohead, with their 'pay what you want' scheme for In Rainbows, had both worked out that established acts don't necessarily need to raise revenue primarily from album sales. In the case of NIN, decision was to make money through touring and merchandise, rather than allowing major labels (they were with Interscope until 2007) to give their releases "ABSURD" prices. For Radiohead, it was more of a marketing strategy, with one disc of the album available digitally for as much as the buyer was willing to pay, and a box set (with artwork, an extra CD and two vinyl discs) also on sale at a set price. In this case the (essentially) free download served to generate attention and hype, which ensured that the physical release would sell incredibly well. Major record labels can learn a great deal from these thoroughly groundbreaking strategies - much as they would hate to adapt to it, they dont need to make most of their money from record sales. Unfortunately though, the record industry, despite being home to some of the most progressive minds in the world, is far too conservative to even try this in the near future.

Finally, we have the recieving end of all this - the listener. We are the iPod generation, and thus we have unprecedented access to the music we like at all times. Gone are the days of being restricted by a radio playlist, or by however many tapes we can carry in our pockets. Mainstream external influences (radio, TV, and the like) are no longer the sole governors of what we can, and will, listen to. The rise of music blogs and internet piracy has meant that people's tastes are broadening, which gives smaller artists a greater chance of being heard.

It is difficult not to be excited by these developments. They similarly affect each element of the creative arts in democratising both creation and consumption - allowing a greater sense of involvement for everybody. Our generation has the potential to change the world in this sense - we must grab this opportunity with both hands, and commit ourselves to a new and completely different era of creativity and technology.



And now for a bit of quotage from Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails (and, of course, some points to draw from it): "The climate grows more and more desperate for record labels, their answer to their mostly self-inflicted wounds seems to be to screw the consumer over even more."

Dont allow yourself to be screwed here. Support independent artists, buy your music online from non-DRM sources, and especially from minor labels without big-money backing. However, don't download illegally - if this continues, the labels will simply react more and more conservatively. We must force change here, but only in ways which will bring about a better system.