SxSW, Leftits and other Whiners: A Music Industry Spectacular!

March 19, 2008

I spent last week in Austin at South by South West. As always, it was as entertaining as it was drunken, and as successful as it was loud. In many ways, SxSW is a microcosm of the Internet. There are way too many bands to see with one brain, so you have to pick and choose based on what some trusted filter recommended, or what you accidentally stumble into after eating the worm (and you had better eat the worm, pussy). The fact that it’s a microcosm is great, because the Internet is too fucking huge.

Good Ol’ Leftsetz seems to think that SxSW is a giant waste of time – which is true, if your band has certain goals. The fact that Leftsetz still thinks that’s what bands who go to SxSW are after, shows that he is as out-of-tune as the Major Labels that he despises.

Then after claiming that there’s too much competition for attention at SxSW he advises that the real path for a band to fame and fortune is:

If it’s good, put it on the Web, energize your fans, they’ll spread the word.

What Bob is saying is that playing SxSW is a waste of time because there are 2,000 other bands there, but the Internet is the way to get noticed. Apparently Ol’ Bob is under the impression that there are less-than 2,000 bands on the Internet, or, he is using an out-of-date Internet. If you’re getting the same numbers as Bob, try a hard-refresh, or clearing your cache.

So much whining, so little constructive suggestion towards a solution. “It’s about the passion,” “stop trying to make money on a passion,” he says; that sounds great, but show me a musician who doesn’t wish they could pay their rent with their music? Show me the same musician who wants to spend all day on the phone, doing the books, routing a tour, etc. etc. instead of writing songs? What I’m saying is, don’t be a retard.

How about this; If you’re in a band, go to SxSW every year and have a great time. Play as many shows as you can, drink a lot, meet other bands to tour with, enjoy some of that music that you have “a passion for.” If something like an article, or an agent, or a blog-post comes out of it, great; if not, you had a blast and that’s the least you deserve for working so hard all year long for so little (or no) pay. It’s your reward, and anyone who calls you stupid for going is a sad, jealous, old man who will always wish he had made it.

Those who can do, do. Those who can teach, teach. Those who can’t do either, teach for free on the Internet*.

*if you think I’m not aware of the irony, you might want to read the “part of the problem” page.

2 Comments | lefsetz, mp3, music, retarded, sxsw | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by c007km

Easily pushed around

March 4, 2008

This post is to prove how easily swayed I am. Someone posted a comment about how this anti-blog-blog doesn’t blog enough (what?), then I read a post on the only blog I read about something remotely relevant and, kapow, a new post.

So fickle am I (no, this whole thing isn’t in Yoda).

Jasper linked to this WIRED article by Frank Rose talking about how the Film/TV industries are making the same mistakes that Music did (strangely, he’s not referring to the Maroon 5). Specifically, that mistake is failing to recognize that the content-consumer will acquire content in the most convenient way. Whether that method is legal or illegal is less important than now, now, fucking right now man. (picture masses of pop-culture inundated grad-students frothilly awaiting another episode of South Park).

Aside from the fact that taking all your content now, now, give it to me right now godammit I need it right now will inevitably lead to lower, and lower quality content as there’s only so-much good stuff out there (just look how 900 channels begat shows about the trials and tribulations of the American Meter Maid); Frank fails to see how this is all his fault.

Primarily, Frank blames the producers, the studios, for not having their shit together – and claims the reason for not making things digitally available is due to the complex digital rights structures involved in a production. Now, yes, that is all very complicated, but there is something else involved here, and it’s not the studio’s fault … it’s Frank’s (or his kind, if you will).

For simplicity’s sake, let’s take the time from Theatrical Release to DVD release of a hollywood motion picture. Frank is suggesting that the studio should make that release available for download, legally, as soon as humanly possible after theatrical release, or perhaps even simultaneously, seeing as some super-rope-munching usher is going to cam-cord it and have it online by the end of the first week.

The lead-time on DVD releases, however, has as much to do with the Press (guys like Frank) as it does the studios. If a studio is going to release content, they’re going to want as much press as possible. They want their stars booked on Late Night TV, they want a write-up in MAXIM and Wired. WIRED’s pre-release deadline for content is 90 days.

So, Frank, and I’m sorry to pick on just you, I know you’re just following orders, but if you want your content now, now, omg, now then as a producer I want my press on a 24-hour turnaround. Sure, magazines take a while to print, but …

… it’s not like you don’t have digital press.
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::::UPDATE::::

I’ve just gotten reliable word that Pitchfork is running Three Months (there’s that 90 days again) lead, or in their case, behind on reviews currently. Let’s collectively whisper sexily into the Internet’s ear, “hey Internet, you’re so much better than print media, you’re so now, you’re so next, print media wishes it could be as hip and current as you, Internet.”

4 Comments | business, movie, website | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by c007km