Interesting music industry model. Would it work?

[Guest Low Roller]

Public Enemy have released a statement that they are going to put out two records in their 25th anniversary year. Both records will be funded by donations from fans. Specifics are not mentioned, but if they are using something like Kickstarter to gather their funds it's an interesting model worth exploring that would curtail losses due to piracy... what if there is no material to pirate until the fans themselves contribute a certain amount of money for the content to be recorded?

Is that a sustainable future model for the music industry? Would artists have more direct control over their music in this scenario? Would this model eliminate the music corporations, or would it just be another avenue for them to exploit?

[bradm]

Ottawa trumpeter Craig Pedersen did this, for his Days Like Today album, using Indiegogo for the fund-raising, with different levels of funding getting you different things, like just a copy of the physical CD, to a CD with a full booklet (including charts) and liner notes, etc. (He did it more to raise some of the up-front cash he needed to be able to make the record at all, without even taking piracy into consideration.)

It worked for him, but I'm not sure it's sustainable or workable industry-wide. This seems to me like a market (or market strategy) that will saturate pretty quickly.

Aloha,

Brad

[jaybone]

That model is cool for established bands but for new musicians trying to break in to the industry it would be prohibitive.

[Northern Wish]

For anyone interested in this thread, I would highly suggest you subscribe to Bob Lefsetz letter. He has been speaking about this issue- its pros and cons for nearly a year with great detail and analysis.

He also talks about alot of other interesting music industry phenomenon.

I have yet to recommend this to anyone who didn't thank me, or enter into a wonderful discussion with me at some point thereafter.

http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

Edited May 24, 2012 by Guest

[Northern Wish]

That model is cool for established bands but for new musicians trying to break in to the industry it would be prohibitive.

Not to be contradictory, but I think its nearly the opposite. Think about every band you have loved and then consider how your arch of loving them could be drawn as they achieved success. For a while you are happy to see them succeed, but then its human nature to feel like that thing you love is lost to the masses and you no longer get that intense personal connection.

I have read about and seen stories about small time bands cleaning up and far exceeding their goals for donations, based on the fervour of their small yet dedicated fan base.

[bradm]

From David Lowery (of Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven):

http://thetrichordist.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/meet-the-new-boss-worse-than-the-old-boss-full-post/

Aloha,

Brad

[bradm]

(of Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven)

Live recordings of which can be found at

http://archive.org/details/Cracker

and

http://archive.org/details/CamperVanBeethoven

Aloha,

Brad

[bouche]

Not to be contradictory, but I think its nearly the opposite.

Classic example of failed misdirection.

[SaggyBalls]

Not to be contradictory' date=' but I think its nearly the opposite. [/quote']

Classic example of failed misdirection.

Bouche, the word 'just' was implied there...

As in 'not to JUST be contradictory...'

As far as the entire music biz adopting this...we'd see a lot of acts fail and a great number succeed with a stronger base of fans and devoted listeners.

It would probably put a totally different spin on file sharing and I'm sure that bands would have more opportunities to apply this approach to merch and high quality vinyl pressings for their devoted fanbase.

A challenge doesn't put someone into the state of being contradictory...as in somebody that just chimes in with a pissy argument to make it all about himself.

I'm sure the love's all around but I know where Northern Wish is coming from with that one.

:chug:

Edited May 31, 2012 by Guest

[Esau.]

Is that a sustainable future model for the music industry? Would artists have more direct control over their music in this scenario? Would this model eliminate the music corporations, or would it just be another avenue for them to exploit?

I think practical for bands who have no contract/agreement with a recording company yet and promote the hell out of it themselves and perhaps sustainable for bands well established enough (popularity/financially etc) to not have to deal directly with a recording company anymore. Outside of perhaps a recording company they own themselves.

Other then that, I really can't imagine any recording company not exploiting this, or attempt to get a big payout somehow. Although I doubt P.E will be one of those exploited, as I get the feeling Chuck D. knows what and where they are going with all this (personal opinion).

Just look at the 75 trillion dollar lawsuit that 13 recording companies are attempting to sue limewire for. Nothing but greed.

Now, this type of action from a band like P.E that generates the amounts of money they do, or can anyway, will do no doubt infuriate some of the recording industry fat cats. Unless of course they are getting their cut somewhere, and looking at the list of guest artists (are they on the recording or did they contribute $$ to the album?), I really don't see the recording industry not taking as much as they can from someone.

Maybe I'm just too cynical.

Public Enemy have unveiled plans for their 25th anniversary, including the release of two new albums. After raising money from fans, the hip-hop crew have split what might have been "one long CD" into a pair of concept records, their 11th and 12th studio LPs.

"The statement with these albums … [is] in the audacity of the release," Chuck D told Billboard. "Just like, 'What the hell? Two albums that bookend the summer? What the hell?!'" Both records benefitted from Public Enemy's crowdsourcing campaign, with which they hoped to raise $250,000 (£157,000) directly from fans. Although the group was forced to revise their goal to $75,000 (£48,000), they reached that total with the help of 1,178 fans.

Full of "powerful songs and great collaborations", the albums are titled Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp, which is due this summer, and The Evil Empire of Everything, expected this autumn. Outside contributors include Large Professor, Henry Rollins, DMC, Tom Morello and Brother Ali. The albums are "twins", Chuck D said, "fraternal twins – not identical, but they will talk to each other".

"Maybe in the past one would've been an A-side and the other a B-side, or it would've been a long CD," he explained. "But halfway into making it we decided to have two different aspects, one that dealt with the whole movement of people and the other that deals with the situation of everything coming at you at once, like a blizzard."

Public Enemy's last album was 2007's How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/may/24/public-enemy-25-anniversary-albums

[bradm]

Amanda Palmer's Kickstarter campaign hits $1-million-plus jackpot

Aloha,

Brad