Is your job safe... How can buying CD's, downloads and paying for gigs save your job?

Thats a bit provocative that title is ... dare I say "Well cheeky". Or maybe not. Let me explain.......

I have been working hard for the best part of the last 30 years and have seen the computer age creep up on us (me included) . I have worked with Luddites who refuse to go near one of these new fangled machines , others who are scared of the interweb thing. I have met people who are literally scared of technology and that's OK. That is if you can finance your life and are happy doing what you do.

But for those of us who need to work, who want to connect with our families who are spread all over the world and for those of us who want to do international business computers are a must have.
I am also aware most businesses I deal with now run databases, spreadsheets, email packages, use Microsoft Office. Many use media and social media packages and photo and movie manipulation packages.

The iPhone and Android phones are ubiquitous. The technology is everywhere.

So how come on a regular basis I meet people who use the technology at hand on a "need to know" basis. How come so many people I deal with daily are competent within the scope of their jobs but not good with computers? How come as soon as the envelope is pushed and they have to start thinking of how to make something happen (that they have not been taught) so many people trip up. Their ineptitude is laid bare by an unusual request and their company loses money, a contract or something that they are unaware they have lost. I meet these situations daily if not weekly in my life.

These are the people I am talking to... your jobs and the stability in your lives is threatened. You can save yourselves in 2 ways.

1. Up your skills levels.
2. Buy CD's, downloads and pay for gigs in local venues. 

OK so #1. you may understand but #2?   How can paying money out on entertainment save you?

Here we go :

So when you see some long haired bloke playing an acoustic guitar in your local pub, or a young thrash band doing "screamo" your reaction may well be "yeah your music's ok!" and you leave it at that. You see some muso's on stage singing their hearts out - enjoy the entertainment and leave. Done.  What do I see? Generally, I see a group of people who have learned to work together, learned when to listen and when to come to the fore, learned their craft and learned to put the time in. That's how they all play in tune and in time and in the right place. Its not a coincidence this comes from practice and dedication.

But here is the scary part - that's not the real threat, The fact that they are playing in a venue means that they have written and telephonic communicative skills. They will have a Facebook page (social media skills) a mailing list (Database skills) They will do mailshots (they will have media manipulation skills) there will be associated artwork (normally Photoshop skills) then YouTube videos - (video editing skills, filming skills, story telling skills, the ability to self edit).

Then they will have joined Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube they will have grasped the legal concepts and have a grounding in intellectual property (I.P.) they will have to have Public liability insurance, contracts for venues, music publishing deals, record deals (Legal Skills, - reading and comprehension)

They will prepare recording budgets and tour accounts (Accounting and spreadsheet skills) They will have applied for grants and visa applications (Form filling skills). They will have done self assessment and tax returns, often running limited companies (business admin skills) and do "deals" on a weekly basis (negotiation skills). Hired and fired band members (inter personal skills).  Create and sell merchandise (retail and merchandising skills)... and more!

I have employed musicians for years as they can hit the ground running and are really great inspirational and dedicated employees who  are goal orientated and fun to be with.

Now,  if you keep paying for their merchandise and gigs and CD's etc they will stay with their vocation (music) , and continue living off their music. BUT if you download for free, scam gigs or just don't go and watch bands then the musicians cannot make a living off their music and will start looking for jobs.

I ask you "how do your skills stack up against the musicians skills"? If you are streets ahead you are safe but if not ........   then I don't think you need them writing to your boss and telling him/her why they need to employ said musician.  So save yourself... bone up on your skills and BUY CD's, BUY DOWNLOADS, PAY FOR GIGS, SUPPORT LOCAL BANDS :) peace!

The State of the Industry

So I am just looking at the state of the industry and it seems harder and harder to make things happen.
In the old days getting a record deal was hard but those with a fair modicum of talent could usually find a deal and someone willing to throw a bit of marketing money at the artist.

Today the costs of marketing have gone out of the window, I saw a breakdown od DEF JAMS budget for Rhianna. The basic cost of marketing was $,1078,000 PER SINGLE. They allocated $300,000 just to get the track on Radio. Now you have to ask who at radio are they taking to lunch for $300K , Thats a lot of lunch.

Now lets wind that back to finding talent back home. I know artists who are on their 3rd or 4th albums having sold between 1000 and 5000 albums each per release. That's selling albums themselves marketing  themselves and shipping themselves. How do they step up? The first thing is to record a new album.

You cannot tour if you don't have a new album to "promote" the festivals just won't book you. You cannot get radio or press unless you have new product. In the old days you would do a demo and then get a deal with a record company (the clue used to be in the name), they would then market to press and radio and that would get the festivals ringing you!!. Nowadays the record companies expect you to create the product and the buzz.  This means you have to finance your own recording and as the competition is fierce you have to make it really good. So its either rich daddy, a bank loan or the newfangled crowd funding.

Crowd Funding is a great idea and the big players like Pledge and Kickstarter seem to do a good job and I do believe that they are very well intended, BUT I also think they may be doing artists a disservice, because now record companies use Pledge/kick starter as a barometer of talent / financial return. So now you only get a deal IF you have a successful Pledge / Kickstarter  campaign.

So if an artist you like does one of those campaigns and you want their record, please don't wait till the record is released. Pledge and pre-buy the record, that way it will get made and your artist will get another years work, with touring and selling the album. You will get the album early and the buzz of knowing that you helped a GOOD artist to make a good record. You may also have deprived the big uncommitted record companies of a bit of dosh and got more of the bucks that you paid direct to the artist. If the artists are forced into direct action at least they get direct payment and that's a good thing.

So now the Genie is out the bottle and the record companies are relying on crowd funding as a a barometer the onus is on the public to support their favourite talent at grass roots level. Please support your artists or there will be no new talent emerging, instead it will be flipping burgers and that's not good. :-(