The rise of the new DIY is upon us. This DIY no longer explicitly implies shabby sound, poor production and execution. The technology made many stages of recording easily available and the sound professionals are no longer the rarest breed too elite to be hired by common mortals. Along with the revolution in music creation, its distribution saw a radical makeover. The musicians dispose of the tools to make their music widely available via the Internet. The upfront costs are minimal. The financial risk is close to none. So, everything is available, everything is ready for consumption. The whole world seems to be at our fingertips, and this is where the hiccup comes in. Music is there, but is seems like the public is not.
Everyone was praising the change to the wretched music industry. The fall of the vile music labels ripping off the artists, killing creativity, releasing inferior quality music and dictating what should or should not be listened to. The end of the music television and the arrival of the Internet videos. Legally free music downloads and pay-what-you-want purchases. Myriad of social networks providing worldwide billboards and means to communicate directly with the public. The people didn’t want to be told what to listen to, where and how. The people wanted the power. The people have spoken. The power is theirs now. The musicians and the public are no longer what they used to be. The musicians have become agents, distribution specialists, social networking gurus, commercial strategists and risk managers. Such is the price of liberty. Freed from the label oppression we became free from the massive teams of trained promotion experts. Yet, all things considered, the trade-off seems fair. After all, before the business, music is art, and it feels better out of financier’s control. The musician’s role has changed, so has the listener’s.
The public was given reins it couldn’t have dreamt of before, but oddly enough, it seems reluctant to steer. For decades the music consumer was just that – a consumer. All they had to do was wait for the DJ to choose the next big thing and then rush to the store to get the record and practice singing along for the upcoming show. Nothing wrong with that. What is wrong, though, is that the public has done everything in their power to make the new entertainment model possible. Praising it on every occasion, clamoring the freedom for the musicians, the end of the evil mastodons, and massively opposing the later’s attempts to regain the firm grip on the industry. Now, having finally reached their goals, the public is waiting for the DJ to choose the next big thing and then rush to the store to get the record and practice singing along for the upcoming show. What happened to power to the people? Was it all just words, and the power is that of freely following the same thought leader as always? Vox populi is silent in the DIY department where it is most needed. Enjoying the music as a listener is a rather laid-back and passive task. In this new system, however, an audiophile is expected to walk that extra mile that comes with the absolute freedom.
The public has to act; you have to act. We, the musicians, have thrown away our preconceived notions of the financial model in music. We have accepted that we are no longer are an inspired artist, head in the clouds, waiting for the manager to do their dirty work for them. We have embraced the new music technology, we have learnt the sound skills*, read Music Business 101 cover to cover. We learnt our way around Web 2.0. We bend over backwards not just to survive in this ruthless new world, but also to reach you in the way you want it. We make deals with heaps of online distribution platforms, cater to the most ludicrous retailers, all to let you acquire the ridiculously priced fruit of our labour without ruffling your feathers. We have accounts on every living or dead social network just to let you read our ramblings in your way. We adapt, we step over our principles, our pride, our ego, everything we have, because such is the price of freedom.
What is the price you are paying? You suffer an occasional “spread the word” cry for help, a promo link here-and-there and a few other tricks up our beggar’s sleeve. You are being given free music on every occasion, you get to speak with every artist in person, your names are known to us, you are being treated like royals (being called “maggots” and “minions” does not invalidate my point in the industrial world). None of it is wrong. We love the personal contact, we love our public and we love to make you comfortable. What is not too agreeable is witnessing your respect we somehow lost by doing the very thing that we were told would gain it in the first place. What is saddening is seeing your time and efforts being devoted to the well established artists backed by the very major labels you despise so much. Telling your friends you like Gary Numan defines you as a person more the Dragonfly Lingo? Quite possibly. Is it just because Gary Numan is way more talented, or is it also because none of your friends ever heard of Dragonfly Lingo? How about You Shriek? How about Cellmod? Now that he is signed to Metropolis Records, you feel that Caustic is valid and barely start including him in the list when asked? What have you done for the unsigned artists who are doing way more than they bargained for to be heard? Have you done anything besides downloading the free album and, if you are truly generous, paying $10 which don’t even begin to cover the fees that went into making the album? A tweet? A “Like?” Do you go away with a sense of accomplished duty? Does it feel like your effort is on par with what you got in exchange?
Here is the thing: if you do not become an active promoter of the independent music you enjoy, there will be no more of it in the foreseeable future. If your position is “no matter, there are tons of other artists out there,” then you are listening to all the wrong music for all the wrong reasons. Disposable music you only download because it is free is not what this revolution was about. If you put Dragonfly Lingo in the “disposable” category, you may have the right judgement, but you are on the wrong website. Stop this catatonic consumerism. Be active. Show the world that you are alive. You wanted it your way, now you have it. By all means, do something with it. The industry is in your hands. We are in your hands. Do you like what we do? Does it sound good alongside Nine Inch Nails, Chemical Brothers and Orbital? Do you want this something hopefully original and probably fresh? Do you want this new blood to keep flowing? Then, please, do something. Tell the names of your unknown entertainers to the world, loud and clear. Convince your like-minded friends that this music is what they need. Convince them that just because we are no Grammy winners we aren’t any worse than the signed and promoted superstars. Convince the world. Truly, genuinely, spread the word. Be the promoter. Keep the music alive. Hold the wheel and drive.
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*I am saying it for fairness sake, but as a trained sound professional, I know that what is learnt is not nearly sufficient. The DIY sound in most of the cases is, for all intents and purposes, dreadful.
