SAMRO has approached MBAC partner Jon Shaw to set in place a new course to help educate SAMRO members about the music business. As Gilli Moon says, artists must wear two hats (especially indie ones): musician, and business person.
Education is the cry of the hour.
For more please check out www.mbac.co.za.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
South Africa has 2 new Idols so now it's twice as irritating...
Due to a technical glitch, the latest winner of Idols SA, Sasha-Lee Davids, was actually beaten by around 200,000 votes in last Sunday's competition by Jason Hartman.
In a media interview, when asked how she felt, Sasha-Lee explained that what she wanted was the recording contract (M-Net has decided to declare both joint winners and double the prize money, while both will also get contracts from Sony BMG). Davids went on to say that it was the contract that she was after. Sadly, spoken like a true amateur... The South African media wasteland is literally strewn with the corpses of past Idols finalists who really have not had very successful careers, when compared with their American counterparts.
In the Idols vein, a recent article in the Saturday Star explains that real success actually means looking beyond the recording contract to the future by having the business savvy to see Idols as a means to an end, not the end in itself. Despite the hype, Idols is not a one-way ticket to Superstardom Nirvana, with untold riches, millions of adoring fans, massive CD sales and endless A-list gigs - it's merely a starting point and an opportunity.
For anyone who wants to really achieve sustainable success in the music industry, that's an important lesson to learn...
In a media interview, when asked how she felt, Sasha-Lee explained that what she wanted was the recording contract (M-Net has decided to declare both joint winners and double the prize money, while both will also get contracts from Sony BMG). Davids went on to say that it was the contract that she was after. Sadly, spoken like a true amateur... The South African media wasteland is literally strewn with the corpses of past Idols finalists who really have not had very successful careers, when compared with their American counterparts.
In the Idols vein, a recent article in the Saturday Star explains that real success actually means looking beyond the recording contract to the future by having the business savvy to see Idols as a means to an end, not the end in itself. Despite the hype, Idols is not a one-way ticket to Superstardom Nirvana, with untold riches, millions of adoring fans, massive CD sales and endless A-list gigs - it's merely a starting point and an opportunity.
For anyone who wants to really achieve sustainable success in the music industry, that's an important lesson to learn...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
SA & India
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.
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.
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.
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