Was watching CNN/BBC/Sky the other night about the Indian election. They said that the best way to reach the 700 MILLION Indian voters Barack Obama-style was through the cell phone, since like SA, India has very low market penetration with the Internet (only about 7%).
The lesson for music in developing world countries? The cell phone is king over the Net, any day of the week, and twice on Sundays. The cell phone may well be the CD player and the radio of the next 10 years.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Poor Solomon Linda
I saw "The Bucket List" again recently. Fab movie - loved the message behind it, that you should get done those important things in life that should not be left undone.
But I do have a problem with it. In the movie, after Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson fly to Johannesburg (or at that point they might have been in Tanzania) and then go on safari, they sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the uber hit from the 60s that made The Tokens famous and became an anthem in The Lion King. The original writer and creator of the song was Solomon Linda.
Linda got his foot in the door at a record company the old-fashioned way: he worked there as a cleaner, using his contacts to get what was first "Mbube" (and then later became "The Lion Sleeps Tonight") exposed to the public. He died in abject poverty in 1962, not knowing that his song was about to become a smash hit (the typical story of a musician being sold down the river by unscrupulous record labels). His family was eventually paid out in a settlement from the rights owners of the song. The full story with links can be accessed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Linda.
But here's the problem: if you read the listing of songs at the end of the movie, you'll see that creative credit for the song lists Creatore, Peretti and Weiss, NOT Linda, as the composers. It's not enough that the Linda family got paid out for the use of the song. Solomon Linda should also be credited as the originator and creator of the song in any and all references to it. Musicians don't just want the money - they also want to be recognised for their work and their creativity. This is a wrong that should really be righted.
For more detail, click on the following links:
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/03/26/solomon-linda-songwriter-who-penned-the-lion-finally-gets-his-just-desserts/
http://www.3rdearmusic.com/forum/mbube2.html.
But I do have a problem with it. In the movie, after Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson fly to Johannesburg (or at that point they might have been in Tanzania) and then go on safari, they sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the uber hit from the 60s that made The Tokens famous and became an anthem in The Lion King. The original writer and creator of the song was Solomon Linda.
Linda got his foot in the door at a record company the old-fashioned way: he worked there as a cleaner, using his contacts to get what was first "Mbube" (and then later became "The Lion Sleeps Tonight") exposed to the public. He died in abject poverty in 1962, not knowing that his song was about to become a smash hit (the typical story of a musician being sold down the river by unscrupulous record labels). His family was eventually paid out in a settlement from the rights owners of the song. The full story with links can be accessed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Linda.
But here's the problem: if you read the listing of songs at the end of the movie, you'll see that creative credit for the song lists Creatore, Peretti and Weiss, NOT Linda, as the composers. It's not enough that the Linda family got paid out for the use of the song. Solomon Linda should also be credited as the originator and creator of the song in any and all references to it. Musicians don't just want the money - they also want to be recognised for their work and their creativity. This is a wrong that should really be righted.
For more detail, click on the following links:
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/03/26/solomon-linda-songwriter-who-penned-the-lion-finally-gets-his-just-desserts/
http://www.3rdearmusic.com/forum/mbube2.html.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Mobile Music
So a recent article by Nicola Mawson in the Business Day (http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/national.aspx?ID=BD4A969800) suggests that South Africa has not yet been fully hit by the digital revolution because only 10% of the market has access to the Internet (and not too many have high-speed connections). The same article says that cell phone penetration of the market stands at 70-75%, which is massive, and therefore the digital revolution is still on its way, so watch out...
Speakers at Moshito last year said the same: it's just a matter of time... Is this the same across the whole of the developing world? SA tends to be more cell-savvy like Asia. The answer is complex: both digital and CD will enjoy continued sales. Astute musos need to make sure they always have both available. Let your customers decide what they want.
The big question is: will the Chinese equivalent of Britney one day top the charts in her own country, or maybe even the United States? Bring on the Bollywood...
Speakers at Moshito last year said the same: it's just a matter of time... Is this the same across the whole of the developing world? SA tends to be more cell-savvy like Asia. The answer is complex: both digital and CD will enjoy continued sales. Astute musos need to make sure they always have both available. Let your customers decide what they want.
The big question is: will the Chinese equivalent of Britney one day top the charts in her own country, or maybe even the United States? Bring on the Bollywood...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The New Music Frontier Part 2
One thing, however, has not changed: it can still be a challenge to get people to listen to and like new music, which is why marketing and branding is playing an increasingly important role in the music industry for both new and established acts. Many of today’s successful and well-known artists started out running their own mini record labels, and this is still true today of new artists. Ironically though, perhaps, is that many of the 2 million bands or artists on MySpace (and there are many other networks) still do not know enough about the music industry, how it runs, what the pitfalls are, how to have a successful career and what dangers to avoid. Now more than ever, BANDS have to become BRANDS to get their message heard.
The good news is that the information is easier than ever to get, thanks to a wonderful invention and application called the Internet. In much the same way that doctors today are astounded by the amount of knowledge patients come to them with about an ailment (thanks to a quick Google search or a visit to Wikipedia), to be successful in today’s music world means that the bass player and the drummer or the Idols hopeful should at least know the basics about the music industry, not just about their instruments. That is, of course, unless they want to continue being the proverbial garage band or karaoke singer, keeping their music firmly in hobby mode by playing Guitar Hero or Singstar on their XBOX 360.
One thing that hasn’t changed at all is that artists have to be dedicated, passionate and hard-working if they are to turn a hobby into a career. Not even the Internet and Facebook can magically wave that wand to make the hard work disappear. As in the past, the groups or individuals who put in the hours and do the work will succeed with mathematical inevitability. There are still huge rewards to be had if a band or singer “cracks it” in the elusive game of music. And instead of the information being coveted by a few in the record industry, anyone who now wants to learn has the means, if only they have the will.
Certainly, without doubt, interesting times lie ahead…
Author Rob Rodell is a founding member of MBAC, the Music Business Academy (www.mbac.co.za). Rodell is also a singer-songwriter and indie record label owner who is starting his doctorate on music branding and marketing, and when not recording and releasing his own music, he teaches singing to students.
The good news is that the information is easier than ever to get, thanks to a wonderful invention and application called the Internet. In much the same way that doctors today are astounded by the amount of knowledge patients come to them with about an ailment (thanks to a quick Google search or a visit to Wikipedia), to be successful in today’s music world means that the bass player and the drummer or the Idols hopeful should at least know the basics about the music industry, not just about their instruments. That is, of course, unless they want to continue being the proverbial garage band or karaoke singer, keeping their music firmly in hobby mode by playing Guitar Hero or Singstar on their XBOX 360.
One thing that hasn’t changed at all is that artists have to be dedicated, passionate and hard-working if they are to turn a hobby into a career. Not even the Internet and Facebook can magically wave that wand to make the hard work disappear. As in the past, the groups or individuals who put in the hours and do the work will succeed with mathematical inevitability. There are still huge rewards to be had if a band or singer “cracks it” in the elusive game of music. And instead of the information being coveted by a few in the record industry, anyone who now wants to learn has the means, if only they have the will.
Certainly, without doubt, interesting times lie ahead…
Author Rob Rodell is a founding member of MBAC, the Music Business Academy (www.mbac.co.za). Rodell is also a singer-songwriter and indie record label owner who is starting his doctorate on music branding and marketing, and when not recording and releasing his own music, he teaches singing to students.
The New Music Frontier Part 1
The music industry is a paradox. Sales of CDs, which peaked in 2000, have dropped every year since, yet Internet and cellphone downloads have soared in the past few years, but not enough to replace CD sales yet. Likewise, record companies have downsized and retrenched staff, yet music consumption is at an all-time high thanks to nifty inventions like the MP3 player and cost-effective big car sound systems.
So where does this leave both the music creator and music consumer today? The saying “the more things change the more they stay the same” has never rung more true: the players may have changed but the game is still music. Some suggest that companies like Apple with the iPod and MTN with music-enabled cellphones are the new industry moguls, but old established record companies like EMI or Universal won’t simply give up their positions that easily. Whatever the status of the music industry, there will always be people who make music and there will always be people who listen to it and, if they like it, buy it (or swap it with friends).
But a certain theme has emerged in the past few years, fuelled by trends in the United States, which still controls more than a third of the world’s music market: DIY (do-it-yourself) music. This can be seen on both fronts: more bands or singers record their own demos, EPs or full albums in small efficient electronic home studios, while listeners have found new and interesting ways of discovering music other than what they hear on the radio. The numbers have changed, though: for example, there are over 2 million registered bands on MySpace, with more people making music now than at any other time in history. Given the fact that the world now has the biggest population it has ever had, this makes sense.
So where does this leave both the music creator and music consumer today? The saying “the more things change the more they stay the same” has never rung more true: the players may have changed but the game is still music. Some suggest that companies like Apple with the iPod and MTN with music-enabled cellphones are the new industry moguls, but old established record companies like EMI or Universal won’t simply give up their positions that easily. Whatever the status of the music industry, there will always be people who make music and there will always be people who listen to it and, if they like it, buy it (or swap it with friends).
But a certain theme has emerged in the past few years, fuelled by trends in the United States, which still controls more than a third of the world’s music market: DIY (do-it-yourself) music. This can be seen on both fronts: more bands or singers record their own demos, EPs or full albums in small efficient electronic home studios, while listeners have found new and interesting ways of discovering music other than what they hear on the radio. The numbers have changed, though: for example, there are over 2 million registered bands on MySpace, with more people making music now than at any other time in history. Given the fact that the world now has the biggest population it has ever had, this makes sense.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Multiple Streams of Musical Income
I really have Deborah Russell, whom I met in Los Angeles, to thank for the term.
Here's the article:
I had been trying for years to break into the music industry. Many people, as is the case with a lot of artists, gently told me not to bother. Even professionals encouraged me to keep it a hobby, such were the perceived barriers to entry.
But I persisted. After doing the music business course at Wits, I had newfound knowledge and energy which allowed me to keep moving toward my stated objectives and goals. More than a year after finishing the Wits course, I went to Los Angeles for a music conference. One of the most valuable lessons I learnt there was the concept of multiple streams of music income (MSMI). The basic idea behind MSMI is that instead of artists hoping to earn an income solely from record sales and gigs, they find other music-related ways of making money.
Given the downturn in sales from CDs and the increase in illegal downloads, the advice given was: find alternative sources of music income until you reach a critical mass where you can sustain yourself from CD sales, legal downloads and gigs alone.
Enter the opportunity to conduct research for the Gauteng Government on the music industry: this was a great way for me to earn an income doing something music-related (as long as it’s in music I’m very happy; the minute it’s not music-related I become frustrated). Not only that, but it also gave me the chance to increase my skills base concerning the local music industry, collect and gather research data for my PhD in music marketing and branding, and grow my music industry network, while also becoming more of a recognised face in the industry (because it’s a very small industry, actually).
The research also gave me the opportunity to continue working with Jonathan Shaw on various music projects including the Music Business Academy (MBAC), hone my skills as a music business entrepreneur, and position myself as an expert in the industry. This, together with teaching vocals, doing gigs, selling CDs and merchandise, teaching music business courses and consulting to the industry has created a sustainable income within the broader scope of music, while I’m waiting for my proverbial ship to come in. In the meantime, I am still in music, having fun, making money, and living happy.
Here's the article:
I had been trying for years to break into the music industry. Many people, as is the case with a lot of artists, gently told me not to bother. Even professionals encouraged me to keep it a hobby, such were the perceived barriers to entry.
But I persisted. After doing the music business course at Wits, I had newfound knowledge and energy which allowed me to keep moving toward my stated objectives and goals. More than a year after finishing the Wits course, I went to Los Angeles for a music conference. One of the most valuable lessons I learnt there was the concept of multiple streams of music income (MSMI). The basic idea behind MSMI is that instead of artists hoping to earn an income solely from record sales and gigs, they find other music-related ways of making money.
Given the downturn in sales from CDs and the increase in illegal downloads, the advice given was: find alternative sources of music income until you reach a critical mass where you can sustain yourself from CD sales, legal downloads and gigs alone.
Enter the opportunity to conduct research for the Gauteng Government on the music industry: this was a great way for me to earn an income doing something music-related (as long as it’s in music I’m very happy; the minute it’s not music-related I become frustrated). Not only that, but it also gave me the chance to increase my skills base concerning the local music industry, collect and gather research data for my PhD in music marketing and branding, and grow my music industry network, while also becoming more of a recognised face in the industry (because it’s a very small industry, actually).
The research also gave me the opportunity to continue working with Jonathan Shaw on various music projects including the Music Business Academy (MBAC), hone my skills as a music business entrepreneur, and position myself as an expert in the industry. This, together with teaching vocals, doing gigs, selling CDs and merchandise, teaching music business courses and consulting to the industry has created a sustainable income within the broader scope of music, while I’m waiting for my proverbial ship to come in. In the meantime, I am still in music, having fun, making money, and living happy.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The G20
It was very interesting to see how the leaders of the G20 met in London yesterday and today. All the news bulletins collectively spoke about the rise and rise of emerging market economies, and how they represent the future of the world from a social and economic perspective. The US will continue to dominate economically, but its role is diminishing.
Among the emerging market economies represented in the G20 are Brazil, Russia, India, China (BRIC), Mexico, Argentina, Indonesia, Turkey and South Africa. With almost 50% of the world's population included in that list, there is a huge market for music from the emerging world.
Watch this space...
Among the emerging market economies represented in the G20 are Brazil, Russia, India, China (BRIC), Mexico, Argentina, Indonesia, Turkey and South Africa. With almost 50% of the world's population included in that list, there is a huge market for music from the emerging world.
Watch this space...
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