Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music • Hacker News Board

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#21

Post by Dornkirk » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 4:01 PM UTC

JonnieCache wrote: post #9

bittersweet wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've experienced this a lot while going to Dubstep parties, there are a lot of DJs that indeed have those special ocassion records laying around. First party I went to a DJ called Skream played a track, later I found out it's one that he would never release and has a bit of a legendary status on the boards etc surrounding Dubstep. It was indeed amazing to experience it.

It should be noted that some of the time this is because the tracks in question have a massive, unclearable sample from a major label artist. Eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RJy2-F2irA It pains me that I will likely never get to own this record. However I have already paid to go and see someone who played it, and this was certainly part of my decision to do so. They've probably made more money off me from that t…

"However I have already paid to go and see someone who played it, and this was certainly part of my decision to do so. They've probably made more money off me from that than they would have if I bought the flac."

Who's the "they" there? The DJ who played the track or the artist who produced it? Sometimes it seems that in electronic music DJs get more attention/credit/$ than the artists who made the tracks being played. (although I know some DJs are also producers as well, I think they're the exception to the rule)

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#22

Post by measure2xcut1x » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 4:17 PM UTC

JonnieCache wrote: post #4

The electronic music scene has always had lots of very unusual and interesting business models going on, right back to the late 80s. People in the early rave scene in london were doing stuff in the early 90s that looks modern today. Consider the idea that there have always been some records out there that DJs consider too good to even play, except at very particular and infrequent times and places. There are artists…

I was lucky enough to have a few house records published in the 80's and 90's. An initial run of a record would always include a few hand-labeled "test pressings" that we would take around to radio and club dj's to see how they would fare in the mix - and also to build the buzz.

It was always a rush, going to a full club or hot radio station and handing "fresh wax" to the dj - no it was not really wax - and getting immediate feedback. Very similar to launching a new app or feature these days!

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#23

Post by hugh3 » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 4:34 PM UTC

leviathant wrote: post #15

norswap wrote: post #11

This piece speaks of the democratization of the access to electronic music, but fails to properly address the democratization of its production. It is mentioned, but there is no suggestion that it may affect the sales average per producer. Its basic supply/demand imho : internet brings perhaps a tenfold increase in electro demand, but also a hundredfold (or more if you count in the likes of http://www.newgrounds.com/…

I posted a comment on this page when it was originally published, pointing out that his analogy to political science misses the mark - it's not democratization, it's full on marxism. The means of production (and distribution) have rather suddenly become accessible to the workers. This guy's rant is just another example of someone in the traditional music industry not quite getting it.

That's not really what Marxism is about. Marxism is about the workers taking over the one big factory from its owners, not about someone inventing an efficient cheap small-scale factory so that all the workers go home and become small businessmen.

Democratisation isn't really the right word either, of course. It's more like the Industrial Revolution in reverse -- increasing technology shifts production back from huge centralized facilities to one-man operations.

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#24

Post by sandGorgon » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 4:44 PM UTC

JonnieCache wrote: post #4

The electronic music scene has always had lots of very unusual and interesting business models going on, right back to the late 80s. People in the early rave scene in london were doing stuff in the early 90s that looks modern today. Consider the idea that there have always been some records out there that DJs consider too good to even play, except at very particular and infrequent times and places. There are artists…

Please do - I have been following electronic music for a few years now (DI.fm subscriber, head-fi) and never knew about this stuff.

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#25

Post by mojuba » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 4:47 PM UTC

ALXfoo wrote: post #19

ctdonath wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Proof that there is no such thing as bad publicity is that parent comment managed to differentiate itself and draw attention to its core content by leveraging, intentional or not, a sub-zero rating.

I'd like to point out that the initial comment said something along the lines of hi I'm part of the computer science community and I make unconventional sounds you might like. I only changed it after it was ostracized to reflect the reality of our disconnection.

Let's start with that I didn't downvote the comment you've now changed that one into. I downvoted something else and I think it's at least a bad tone to liberally edit comments.

Second, the original comment said nothing about you being part of the community. It looked like poor self-promotion of some musical piece I didn't find interesting, let alone unique or "unconventional".

I don't really understand what kind of "disconnection" you are trying prove. In any case, please don't vandalize others' votes.

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#26

Post by samlevine » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 4:49 PM UTC

For what it's worth I lived in LA for several years after graduating college. Dispite playing in bands and being knee deep in the music industry I found that almost all of the new music I was introduced to as being "great" really sucked, notwithstanding the awesome stuff my late 20's roommate had on his CD rack. This was about 9 years ago.

Fast forward to today, and I've found more great DJs and bands based in Seattle in the past 4 months than I did the entire two years I lived in LA. And the 4 months before that, and the 4 months before that. And this is dwarfed by all the great music new being made all around the world.

I find most of my music through fliers, last.fm friends, hyperlocal news and forums dedicated to particular subgenres. We're so much better networked than we were a decade ago that not being amazed at what is being made (and what has been made under your nose) shows a lack of being hooked into that network, not that great art isn't being made today.

It's easy to mourn the death of an industry. Some really great people were involved in making and promoting some really great things. But it's silly to expect the death of art. The kids are alright.

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#27

Post by JonnieCache » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 5:00 PM UTC

Dornkirk wrote: post #21

JonnieCache wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It should be noted that some of the time this is because the tracks in question have a massive, unclearable sample from a major label artist. Eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RJy2-F2irA It pains me that I will likely never get to own this record. However I have already paid to go and see someone who played it, and this was certainly part of my decision to do so. They've probably made more money off me from that t…

"However I have already paid to go and see someone who played it, and this was certainly part of my decision to do so. They've probably made more money off me from that than they would have if I bought the flac." Who's the "they" there? The DJ who played the track or the artist who produced it? Sometimes it seems that in electronic music DJs get more attention/credit/$ than the artists who made the tracks being playe…

Could be both, often it would be a DJ who is on the same label or part of the same crew as the producer who wrote the tracks. Often these people share studios, so there is a direct monetary link there.

There are almost no DJs who aren't producers. The few that are only DJs either have some special and unique facet to their style of mixing, or they date back to the early days when Things were Different.

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#28

Post by radiowave » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 5:46 PM UTC

hugh3 wrote: post #23

leviathant wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I posted a comment on this page when it was originally published, pointing out that his analogy to political science misses the mark - it's not democratization, it's full on marxism. The means of production (and distribution) have rather suddenly become accessible to the workers. This guy's rant is just another example of someone in the traditional music industry not quite getting it.

That's not really what Marxism is about. Marxism is about the workers taking over the one big factory from its owners, not about someone inventing an efficient cheap small-scale factory so that all the workers go home and become small businessmen. Democratisation isn't really the right word either, of course. It's more like the Industrial Revolution in reverse -- increasing technology shifts production back from huge…

Reverting to a cottage industry.

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#29

Post by JonnieCache » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 5:50 PM UTC

sandGorgon wrote: post #24

JonnieCache wrote: post #4

The electronic music scene has always had lots of very unusual and interesting business models going on, right back to the late 80s. People in the early rave scene in london were doing stuff in the early 90s that looks modern today. Consider the idea that there have always been some records out there that DJs consider too good to even play, except at very particular and infrequent times and places. There are artists…

Please do - I have been following electronic music for a few years now (DI.fm subscriber, head-fi) and never knew about this stuff.

You are getting a one sided view from DI.fm, it's very centered around the continental europe based trance scene.

Try listening to some http://rinse.fm shows, particularly the Dusk and Blackdown show. Rinse is the top dog of london pirate radio.

Blackdown's blog is here: http://blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com/

For more about the UK scene, see the writings of Simon Reynolds: http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/2009/

Re: Everything popular is wrong: Making it in electronic music

#30

Post by highpass » Thu, Apr 21, 2011, 6:36 PM UTC

owlmusic wrote: post #5

Looking at the "Closer to what today’s typical studio looks like" picture, it appears this setup is sans speakers, and I don't think the two Apple Macs compensate for this...

The setup in the picture doesn't make sense... There isn't room for a set of studio monitors. Even if there were you'd be too close to them.

I'd guess the guys speakers are behind him and he just fancied doing lots of 180 deg spins throughout the day. Some people.