I think it’s really interesting how much stick Google/YouTube is getting right now over PRS payment issues, especially regarding the Rick Roll thing.
I absolutely agree that performers and composers should be paid fairly and accurately, but I don’t think this is bringing up a new problem: it’s simply business as usual. The Beach Boys were launched into the public domain in the UK by being played from a pirate radio ship before the labels could properly promote them in the press. Radio Luxembourg instilled an “edgy” sense of listening to music. The legendary “mixtape” (a romantic notion still brought forward by the Abercrombie / OC generation) was, oddly enough, not “street legal”. It seems clichéd to say it, but the best selling CD of all time is……. the blank CD!
So where does this leave us?
The early route to mass audience reach was radio play. This had obvious problems, (including fidelity, accountability, easy piracy and limited reach) but it is tried and tested. The route now is, um, basically the same. But bigger.
The only difference now is that fidelity is better (let’s ignore the MP3 vs FLAC argument for now, but I will write about it soon) you can accurately track play numbers and retention and the audience reach is effectively unlimited and the product tail is long (quickly read about the Long Tail principle).
I am really loving Spotify right now - it’s just so perfectly produced. Instant playing of tracks with no buffer time, excellent content range and a great pricing policy. I happily pay £1/day from time to time to remove ad interruptions! I feel the problem is that people have a troubled understanding of what the internet will do for them. They either view it as free mass marketing (uh oh) or they see it as an easy way to make money from the fans (err..).
I think these are both dangerous stances.
We hear about the “digital natives”, or the phrase I prefer, the “born digital” generation. This doesn’t just refer to people - oh no - I would like to suggest it applies to content as much as it does to people.
The problem with the Rick Roll track is that they didn’t have the back end covered: with viral content comes responsibility to behave properly. If it’s acting as a way to push your audience at your new album/film/book/shoe, you have to have a compelling reason for them to buy at the end, assuming that’s the end goal. The TV appearances, comeback tours and best of albums that have come off the back of the big viral releases have more than likely covered the loss leader. Their fans created this stuff - no record label could have promoted Never Gonna Give You Up on the scale that Rock Rolling reached - is there not a better way to thank them for bringing them back to life?
If we in the music industry are to really integrate into the digital age and have a sustainable future, we simply can’t assume that the point of sale and route to market is the same but easier, bigger faster and cheaper than before. You’ll end up spending a lot of money on creating digital content and not a penny on your fans, and as is becoming clear, money spent on your fans is money well spent.
