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Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

tedgioia.substack.com

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Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#81

Post by Barrin92 »

This is a much observed secular trend as Ted Gioia points out, tech platforms are disintermediators, Ben Thompson has been writing about it for ages. Platforms give creators the possibility to directly interact with consumers and it's the traditional distributors who are getting canned.

In some cases this has arguably significant downsides, say in the news industry where traditional outlets have many social functions that platform owners don't feel obligated to provide, but honestly record labels with their at times mafia like behavior shaking young artists down have it coming.

Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#82

Post by gregmac »

kromem wrote: post #59
majormajor wrote: post #35

Interestingly, labels playing games about releasing albums is an old trick for various old reasons too. https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/apr/15/arti... https://www.buzzfeed.com/azafar/what-happens-when-your-favor... for a couple old references A change in negotiation power seems like a good evolution of the industry for anyone but record industry execs. But this "record industry is committing suicide"…

It's not committing suicide - it's just fighting over the rights to the tide pool where the water receded entirely unaware of the tsunami barreling towards them. When the software world can convincingly create new songs that sound like the hit songs people like, but sufficiently different to dodge copyright law, then it's game over. We don't blink an eye at efforts to do things like complete one of Beethoven's sympho…

> When the software world can convincingly create new songs that sound like the hit songs people like, but sufficiently different to dodge copyright law, then it's game over.

In what way?

This is already a thing in shoes, clothes, handbags, watches... Yet the original brands thrive. I'd counter that listening to "cheap knockoff" music will have a similar appeal (or lack thereof).

Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#83

Post by wardedVibe »

Barrin92 wrote: post #81

This is a much observed secular trend as Ted Gioia points out, tech platforms are disintermediators, Ben Thompson has been writing about it for ages. Platforms give creators the possibility to directly interact with consumers and it's the traditional distributors who are getting canned. In some cases this has arguably significant downsides, say in the news industry where traditional outlets have many social functions…

This makes me wonder to what degree will firms in general start dissolving as we move more and more into digital markets.

Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#84

Post by visarga »

gregmac wrote: post #82
kromem wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not committing suicide - it's just fighting over the rights to the tide pool where the water receded entirely unaware of the tsunami barreling towards them. When the software world can convincingly create new songs that sound like the hit songs people like, but sufficiently different to dodge copyright law, then it's game over. We don't blink an eye at efforts to do things like complete one of Beethoven's sympho…

> When the software world can convincingly create new songs that sound like the hit songs people like, but sufficiently different to dodge copyright law, then it's game over. In what way? This is already a thing in shoes, clothes, handbags, watches... Yet the original brands thrive. I'd counter that listening to "cheap knockoff" music will have a similar appeal (or lack thereof).

When software can convincingly create new songs the risk will be so low that it will open up the scene for more experimentation and diversity. People tend to risk averse, AI doesn't care.

Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#85

Post by octodog »

dragontamer wrote: post #6
theflyinghorse wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Upfront funding to get you going. Recording, traveling, promoting all costs money. We're getting better with cheaper tools, and cheaper promotion platforms (tiktok and all), but still there is a need for capital

>> The singer Halsey put up a TikTok last week complaining about her label’s obsession with TikTok. “I have a song I love I wanna release ASAP,” she told fans on the platform, “but my record label won’t let me. I’ve been in this industry for eight years and I’ve sold over 165 million records, and my record company is saying that I can’t release it unless they can fake a viral moment on TikTok.” ------- The article is…

That doesn't make sense. Halsey is already signed. She doesn't need the capital or really even the label any more. But at one point she did - so she signed away those rights and the record label is holding it over her right now.

Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#86

Post by creativenolo »

kromem wrote: post #59
majormajor wrote: post #35

Interestingly, labels playing games about releasing albums is an old trick for various old reasons too. https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/apr/15/arti... https://www.buzzfeed.com/azafar/what-happens-when-your-favor... for a couple old references A change in negotiation power seems like a good evolution of the industry for anyone but record industry execs. But this "record industry is committing suicide"…

It's not committing suicide - it's just fighting over the rights to the tide pool where the water receded entirely unaware of the tsunami barreling towards them. When the software world can convincingly create new songs that sound like the hit songs people like, but sufficiently different to dodge copyright law, then it's game over. We don't blink an eye at efforts to do things like complete one of Beethoven's sympho…

It will be possible for computers to generate the content but will they be able to generate the culture that surrounds content.

I like your analogy of the tidal wave but without computers being able to generate the culture I don't see it coming.

Take football [or soccer]. Whole sports seasons can be simulated and are in games like Championship Manager. But these have never changed the collective & cultural shared experiences of real world sports.

Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#87

Post by shellfishgene »

mr_toad wrote: post #3

I don’t get why artists even use record labels anymore. Is there something that Facebook/YouTube/iTunes etc doesn’t provide?

I mean, it even goes the other way: I recently talked to someone who works for an "influencer agency", not sure what the proper term is. They sign up YouTube creators who have done everything themselves and became quite successful on their own. But they apparenlty see value in the agency managing their ad contracts, advising with video production, doing promotion, finding new topics to cover, and give them a good cut of their revenue. Sure, they probably don't sign over the rights to their content (or do they?), but it's a similar arrangement I think.

Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#88

Post by Ntrails »

winternett wrote: post #71
majormajor wrote: post #35

Interestingly, labels playing games about releasing albums is an old trick for various old reasons too. https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/apr/15/arti... https://www.buzzfeed.com/azafar/what-happens-when-your-favor... for a couple old references A change in negotiation power seems like a good evolution of the industry for anyone but record industry execs. But this "record industry is committing suicide"…

The only way to break ground is to promote the music of others that "magically" trends on TikTok non-stop. I joined because I wanted to figure out how it worked and luckily I have been able to mostly resist the addictiveness of it by manipulating search on YouTube to find the content deeply buried on that platform. As a label runner myself. it quickly becomes apparent that TikTok is gamified, and it really only cares…

> any music, even total drivel, played repetitively to people simply ends up selling.

I think there is a magic here that is under appreciated. The reality is that music often takes a few listens to appreciate, or perhaps the right mood/moment to really connect. indeed it seems to me that we learn to like that which we are exposed to, irrespective of whether someone with "taste" thinks it is drivel.

Seems like a feature not a bug

Re: Record labels dig their own grave, and the shovel is called TikTok

#90

Post by nikanj »

mr_toad wrote: post #3

I don’t get why artists even use record labels anymore. Is there something that Facebook/YouTube/iTunes etc doesn’t provide?

The label pays (via cash, favors, festival tickets, etc) for Spotify / radio stations / ads / tv-shows etc etc to play your song.

Discoverability is a huge issue, more songs get made every year.

How do you recon the ”Hot new artists” list on Spotify is created? There’s a ton of deals, payments and polics behind it - and getting placed on a list can make/break a career.

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