The music business is no place for pessimists and naysayers

Yesterday I allowed myself to look at recent events in the industry with a worried attitude. Wrong, say people who know better. Pierre Perrone at the UK’s The Independent walked the grounds of Midem and talked to some industry figures who all seem to be rather upbeat about the times ahead. Here are some examples of their quotes. Quite infectious. 

“The doom and gloom people, it’s time they left and retired” – Harvey Goldsmith
 ”It’s tough out there, nobody’s denying it, but what do we do to get out of it? (…) How can new bands utilise the internet to help them break through? How does it all work for the fans? How do the fans hear about new artists and start to get involved with them? The new braves, Reverb Nation and Hot Spin, and all these new technology opportunities, basically help acts break through and help fans get to the acts. MidemNet showed the solutions are coming through. There are ways of connecting fans with new acts so everyone’s gung-ho. The doom and gloom people, it’s time they left and retired. Every day you wake up, somebody sends you a track to listen to or you hear about a band you go and see them live, you just get really invigorated and turned on by it. (…) We’ve got ourselves in a mess, now let’s dig ourselves out of it and just get on with it. I feel we’re going to have a great year.”

“I’m very optimistic about the future of live music” - Michael Eavis
“This is my first Midem and I got this green award. I’m very optimistic about the future of live music. People respond to an artist, they buy the records, or now the downloads and they come to the concerts. Live music, especially in Britain, is a very vibrant force. It’s very attractive and it’s good fun.”

“This industry has always lived with piracy” – Alison Wenham
“The British are good at internationalising their business – we only have 8 per cent of our sales in the UK. This industry has always lived with piracy. The supply chain has been disrupted by the demise of Pinnacle but the independent industry is mercurial. We don’t like the duopoly, Sony and Universal, routinely controlling 80 per cent of the charts and the visibility, but I’m always hopeful. You’ve got to remember this industry has been going through an agonising decline for eight years. We haven’t suddenly hit the buffers like the finance industry. So we are rather war-torn but we’re also hardened and resourceful.”

“Are music fans going to stop enjoying music? It’s not going to happen” – Feargal Sharkey 
“All of us have to grapple with a little thing called evolution which has a nasty habit of sweeping you aside as irrelevant should you decide not to cooperate. But the most important thing is the music. We know 63 per cent of 14- to 24-year-olds in Britain are downloading music and not paying for it but, on the upside, we also know they are passionate about music. It registers above mobile phones, game consoles, DVDs. Are young people going to suddenly stop wanting to be creative and make music? Are music fans going to stop enjoying music, wanting it as part of their lives? It’s not going to happen. All the music industry ever did was provide a bridge between creators and fans. That bridge is always going to be there.”

“We have to accept that there’s going to be a new way of doing things” – Brian Message 
“I’m really optimistic about the future of the music industry. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. The gravy train of the past is gone. It was a great production line, great returns, being able to buy copyrights and own them forever. Managers used to make 20 per cent commission for no investment. We have to accept that there’s going to be a new way of doing things. Flexibility is the key. There are no rules anymore. The key word is value. Free music is a valuable part of the artist proposition. If we need to get into a market where we don’t have a base, we can do something with free music to stimulate interest. Let’s focus on that artist-fan relationship. But there’s a myriad of choices out there. There’s no one model any more. It’s not easy. Everybody needs to be creative and come up with what they think is the best plan for their artist. “

EMI to be sold again in “five to seven years”

Much has been said and written about Terra Firma’s real intentions for EMI Music. Some commentators never let go of the idea that TF head Guy Hands might try to combine EMI and Warner Music – a match made in heaven for many financial analysts, not so much for the people actually working at either company. 

Won’t happen anytime soon, though. Roger Faxon, EMI’s publishing CEO and a man known for only going on record when there is something substantial to say, told the Times that EMI will remain in TF’s hands for the overseeable future. “Do we need a huge alternative catalogue when we already have the best in the world? I don’t think so,” Faxon said in regards to ongoing speculation about a possible merger of EMI Music Publishing with Warner/Chappell Music. 

His publishing business represents a “standalone structure” within EMI, Faxon said. He did, however, acknowledge that Terra Firma isn’t interested in holding on to the music business forever. “Terra Firma’s aim is to sell EMI as a whole or spin off separate businesses within five to seven years.” Buyers, start saving.

Creating surefire hits: 6-4-5-1 chord progression

If you’re still wondering how that spat between Coldplay and Joe Satriani turned out you should give it a rest and check out this little clip. I’ve seen this posted on multiple sites today, so I’m just going to repost it here for some weekend amusement. 

Plagiarists of the world unite. A&R people rejoice. They have found the hit formula.