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Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

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Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#71

Post by api »

dudifordMann wrote: post #14

I always thought the age of the internet, especially with modern bandwidths, could be the end of large labels for the music industry (or publishing houses for literature). I understand (to a naive degree) that the labels establish large networks, and complex licensing with public avenues like the radio or concert halls. It is also interesting that that most self published artists get the semi-derogatory term of "Indi…

What I've seen is that the Internet intensifies the power of gatekeepers in the long run. It overloads people with too many choices, and in choice-overload people fall back to relying on a few filters to tame it down.

The information age is numbing. There is too much of everything, so it's all debased.

The Internet also flattens everything. You get a market with no barriers anywhere. Power and prestige accrete to the winners due to network effects.

Put those two things together and you get an extreme power law market with one or maybe at most two or three winners who own each vertical. I expect Apple Music and Spotify to be the only two "record labels" on Earth here in a few years.

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#72

Post by guscost »

rorykoehler wrote: post #55
earlz wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Realistically, this is also true of most modern music. Sure it requires a bit more equipment, but with software amp simulation and the plethora of VST plugins you can get, you can almost always get a tone similar to your target for just a couple hundred dollars, at most. Combine with equipment and you're looking at maybe $600 in instruments/equipment and a basic mic for vocals. The only sticking point right now it se…

>you can almost always get a tone similar to your target Therein lies the rub. You can't beat real circuits and valves especially when you're cranking it loud for a gig. The difference between the (admittedly pretty amazing) VST's and the real deal is the difference between sounding good and sounding great. Touring a band is still expensive. So much so that it was the difference between going on extensive global tour…

> The difference between the (admittedly pretty amazing) VST's and the real deal is the difference between sounding good and sounding great.

Honestly I think mixing and mastering each make a much bigger difference with recorded music. In my experience the "amateur aesthetic" usually comes down to these five things:

1) Timing

2) Tuning/intonation

3) Variation or lack thereof

4) Mixing

5) Mastering

The old adage applies to music too: Beginners care about gear, professionals care about technique, masters care about sound.

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#73

Post by partisan »

20after4 wrote: post #66
at-fates-hands wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to work in a record shop and found out first hand how much promotion a band needs just to sell a few CD's. I can't tell you how many insanely good bands died because either the label didn't promote them, or they just ran out of cash and quit. The only problem I see nowadays is there's virtually no vetting process. It used to be the good bands would eventually rise to the top and the shitty garage bands would b…

This guy does it all alone, never gets hardly any recognition and yet he's still pumping out great songs after a bunch of years: https://soundcloud.com/plastic-pieces

I see what you did there.

The question is a good one. How does one differentiate themselves from the pack. The same goes for just about any art form today. There are so many artists and so many works, many of them good enough to tickle your fancy and yet the majority of them will only get a tiny fraction of the consideration they deserve.

I would love to publish music or books, but I know that given my dysfunctional relationship with social media, that I am just about wasting my time doing any of the above, even if I had a shred of talent.

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#74

Post by andrewvc »

6stringmerc wrote: post #47
k-mcgrady wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "Also Skrillex - his label had no interest in his bleep-blonk-screech-BASS DROP tunes and he set it free online and got that avenue going - now he's got his own label and millions in the bank." Financially I think artists like Skrillex (EDM producers in general) are incredibly lucky. Production costs are practically zero. You buy a DAW and some monitors and you can do everything at home on your laptop. You don't n…

Good point for sure. It's not just EDM - a basic Pop song can be produced at practically zero cost once an independent musician and producer has sunk the costs of DAW and equipment into the operation. A lot of music, in general, is stunningly simple. Hip-hop can be done with one MPC and a mic (okay maybe AutoTune as well haha). Country only really needs an acoustic guitar, vocals, and a quality mic. Yes, there's a re…

It COULD cost that much. But actually it doesn't. See http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2011/07/05/137530847/how-m...

$78k production $1m in advertising

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#75

Post by partisan »

20after4 wrote: post #66
at-fates-hands wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to work in a record shop and found out first hand how much promotion a band needs just to sell a few CD's. I can't tell you how many insanely good bands died because either the label didn't promote them, or they just ran out of cash and quit. The only problem I see nowadays is there's virtually no vetting process. It used to be the good bands would eventually rise to the top and the shitty garage bands would b…

This guy does it all alone, never gets hardly any recognition and yet he's still pumping out great songs after a bunch of years: https://soundcloud.com/plastic-pieces

Also, btw, the problem need to be solved for the software industry as well, which at this point is starting to resemble the arts: few big earners stoking the dreams of the many, and many, many others fighting over the scraps.

The world today is still kind to the western developer, but how do we solve this problem for developers now so that we don't have to figure it out in the future?

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#76

Post by yolesaber »

thomnottom wrote: post #51
yolesaber wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, to be fair, Steve Miller is like the blandest of bland dad rock. And Miles Davis is literally the coolest person who ever lived.

To be fair, Miles Davis regularly beat his wives...

Upvoted because you are right. Sometimes we let the work and creative persona of an artist overshadow their flaws. While I still deeply respect Davis the musician (not that he'd care what some white guy thinks), how he treated some of his wives was disgusting.

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#77

Post by mattbeckman »

jar3624 wrote: post #62

I really hope Ethereum takes off. I think this will go a long way of cutting out the middle men between the customer and "content maker". I even hear all the code that runs on Ethereum is open source which makes it even more transparent/turstworthy. Its the cure to capitalism ! hopefully See http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/imogen-heap-shows-how-music-smart-c...

Just what I was thinking. It seems like the music industry could be a great use-case.

Direct link to the Imogen Heap alpha: https://alpha.ujomusic.com/#/imogen_heap/tiny_human/tiny_hum...

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#78

Post by beachstartup »

firasd wrote: post #50
beachstartup wrote: post #32

this happens in any industry run by gatekeepers. see: hollywood, video games, venture backed technology startups, fashion. all these verticals are run by assholes and basically suck unless you become a successful indie outfit. p.s. it doesn't surprise me the hall of fame was started by a bunch of lawyers and people from rolling stone, a magazine with basically zero journalistic integrity, at best.

The other similarity across the industries you mention is that people want to participate in them for 'passion', in a way they wouldn't participate in, say, accounting.

yeah, psychopaths can spot an easy mark from a mile away.

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#79

Post by yolesaber »

mathattack wrote: post #56
yolesaber wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, to be fair, Steve Miller is like the blandest of bland dad rock. And Miles Davis is literally the coolest person who ever lived.

If you say this, you've only listened to early 80s Steve Miller. Check out his blues and folk. Lots are up on Youtube. (Which, to the point of the original article, probably doesn't pay him much)

The Joker came out in 1973 and it's one of the lamest songs of all time in my opinion. Miller's watered-down style just isn't for me.

Re: Steve Miller: The Whole Music Industry Is Fuckin' Gangsters and Crooks

#80

Post by collias »

baldfat wrote: post #23

I owned a SMALL Record Label and Studio. I was (still?) good at picking out talent in bands. The Whole Industry Sucks I had two bands that ended up on Major Labels and Toured the World. I met a kid on the street wearing one of my Bands shirts and struck up a conversation. They still love the band 10 years later. These guys per person made at the TOP $7,000 in profit after expenses were paid. One band did a KickStarte…

Just chiming in to say it's fun to see someone mention Zao. As it turns out, I was just listening to them yesterday after not listening to them for years. I used to be a huge fan. I love that band, and they absolutely deserve to get paid.

As someone who works in/with the music industry, it really pains me to see bands put out great work despite so much pain (and drama) to themselves, only to get underpaid.

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