Trivia a la Claudia : Trends to watch in the music industry.
1. Choose a category from one of these:
- Television,
- Stage & Screen,
- Nightly News,
- Publishing,
- Lives & Times, or
- Music
2. Find 8 bits of trivia about your selected category
3. Be sure to let Travis know when…ok, if…you decide to play along so I can see what you come up with.
4. You may tag, or simply offer the meme for borrowing or stealing as you like.
~~~~~~~~
All right. I pick music, particularly popular music. Here are a few interesting trends that I am following:
1. Jay Z? You know, Rihanna’s boss and Beyonce Knowles’s husband?
Right. That guy.
Anyway, I noticed that his singers always look nice, never say negative or stupid things, and seem to be well matched with song writers. So I started digging around.
Was this an accident? Or was it by design? I realized that Jay-Z, as the head of Def Jam records, was mostly responsible.
He found talented people, matched them with talented song writers and producers, fashion coordinators, dance specialists, coached them on dealing with the press, and whaa laa – suddenly they are winning grammy after award after grammy.
Why is this interesting?
Because a lot of very very talented people don’t get this kind of attention. Millions of bands, authors, writers (like me! 
wallow in obscurity. (The most talented band I know, Born in the Flood, spent an entire tour playing with their backs to the audience – that’s just dumb.)
Here’s what I’m watching. Jay-Z quit Def Jam in December to open an advertising company with a friend . My guess is that this little firm will generate the next generation of grammy winning artists.
2. Independent = financially sound. Clap your hands, say yeah. Never heard of them? Here’s what they did. Using their parent’s money, they paid to record then press their first album. They had the CDs made for less than $1 a piece. They sold the album at shows, on their website, and limited release to record stores.
How many albums did they sell? 100, 000 copies. (I paid $20 cash only for my copy. Do the math.)
Second album? They ran this deal for their MySpace “friends”. Buy their album early (for $20) and you get an electronic copy. The CD will arrive in the mail a few months later.
Result? They paid for the entire printing of the CD, all the graphics and advertising from the profits from the electronic version.
They’ve been offered recording contract after recording contract. They turn them down. Would you take a contract after this kind of success??
Independent is a trend to watch. People say the music business is dying. Maybe it’s just changing. And Clap your hands is on the forefront of this trend.
3. Free Music: It started with Prince. He arranged with the London Mail to give away copies of his CD in their Sunday newspaper. Not the shitty tracks, B sides or whatever. London Mail subscribers received a great CD. People have speculated that the London Mail paid Prince between 1-3 pounds per CD. They distributed over 3 million CDs. (You do the math.)
No record company. No distributer. Result? At least 3 million cash and 3 sold out stadium shows in London.
Radiohead followed with a “pay as much as you want” album. Big Head Todd and the Monsters arranged with a local radio station to give their album to the radio stations listener list. (I can send you a copy!) NIN released their first single free on MP3 then began selling out their tour.
Free is a trend to watch because it’s filling these band’s bank accounts.
4. Return to vinyl. Elvis Costello bucked every recent trend by releasing his album on vinyl. That’s right. VINYL.
Why? There’s no way to digitize a vinyl record.
Result? Zero. None. Zip. Pirated copies of his new album. Not a leak in sight.
5. Return of the show. Not so long ago, you would see a band lip sync their album then get off the stage. You were lucky if the lead singer said, “Hello (fill in the city).” Now, audience savey bands have begun to interact and laugh with the audience.
And fill their bank accounts by selling T-shirts, albums, and other “goodies” simply due to audience participation in the show.
Examples?
DeVotchka has live trapeze artists. Result? This tiny band from Denver sold out their South by Southwest shows.
My favorite band, Breaking Benjamin, Ben invites interaction with the crowd. He talks, laughs, throws cold water. When you see them, you hear a great show and get this amazing personal interaction with the band. They convert audience watchers into audience participants. Result? A cult of people called “Ben Heads” sell out their shows and buy their albums – even though they are not played on any conventional radio station.
~~~~~~~~
Sorry for the long ass post (as Tommie would say). I’m excited about these trends and plan to watch them for a while.
What does it mean?
I have no idea. The music industry is evolving and, with 17% losses last year, the publishing industry is not far behind. Harper Collins and Perseus are responding in interesting ways.
Maybe as authors, we need to follow some of the music industries lead.
Just a thought.
Feel free to do this meme if you like! 
Let me know when it’s up and I’ll link to you.
~~~~~~~~
Mimi tagged: On A Limb with Claudia Sarah Spelled the Right Way The Backwoods DrifterRose’ World Jo Beaufoix . Another Desert . Caught In The Stream Anyhow Blogs Dixie’s Heart and Soul Wonderland Or Not Marie Millard Asara’s Mental Meanderings That Grrrrl . In Search of Life Laketrees .Amel’s Realm. Clumsy Mommy What She Said Too Maryannaville . Odat’s Mumblings Much Of A Muchness Late Bloomer Boomer Mighty Mom Blue Dreamer’s Top Five. california is a recipe for a black hole Balitang Kalye Twisted Sister Life and Adventure PinayMama’s Diary Amazing Life Terri Terri Quite Contrary Run Away Thoughts of EMZ Points of View Filipina In Hawaii BryningBunny’s Challenge Page Modern Musings Sacred Ruminations . O’Ceallaigh & The Quill Leaf Float Down River Kids, Cats, & Books…What Else Is There? No More Mr. Nice Guy Just Another Day In….Paradise? moms……check nyo Meezer Tails When Silence Speaks Wandering Consciousness Mom Knows Everything
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“OK…lets see… I’ll choose Publishing for a thousand Alex.”
1) The post office should, but doesn’t sponsor any writing awards for the hundreds of thousands that snail mail manuscripts out, using their service.
2) An assistant to the assistant to the assistant editor is going to be the first person to pass judgment on every piece submitted cold.
3) I know the difference between a Query letter and a Cover letter. I like to write cover letters more than Query letters but most are more adept at Query’s than they are cover letters and often confuse the two.
4) A great cover letter opens the door for poor prose. If the cover letter doesn’t grab the assistant to the assistant in the first fifty words the rest of the package is doomed…to the
5) Slush pile. The slush pile is a pile of a couple of hundred submissions by unknown writers. They have passed through all of the assistants and were found to be acceptable. The Editor will read out of the slush pile when they come up short for an issue or have some down time and don’t want to get drunk that day. Even making it to the slush pile is a bit of hope. So the longer it takes for the rejection to come the better your chances.
6) Editors are human, not faceless automatons. ergo if you research the editor, you can schmooze them in your cover letter. I always liked the opening Gambit of: Dear So and So, I was thrilled to see you puking at the Hidden Lodge Inn last May. You may not have noticed me but, I was the one whose shoes you let loose on. I know it wasn’t the manuscript I was trying to hand you that fostered this reaction because you hadn’t read it yet. I am assuming it must have been the quart of Stolichnaya I saw you drink. just to make sure though, here is the manuscript you never got to read…” A personable tone to the cover letter is best.
7) A poorly edited query or cover letter is more damaging than a poorly edited manuscript. Unless you sent out crap intentionally. Then it had better be real crap (I suggest dog crap for this, it usually is the right consistency) to grab the assistant to the assistant to the assistants attention.
Never query an agent who charges a reading fee. These people are most likely to be headed to jail for fraud. Same with publishing houses that offer you a one dollar advance (or similar amount) against future sales (5k is normal with up to a seven point on the back end after the 5k is recaptured for a new author with potential).
These are both common tricks to get rights to your creative property. Better to go unpublished and continue perfecting your craft than to become a carcass to the vultures in the publishing world. Keep your intellectual property rights until your attorney tells you it is time to give them up, because the deal is right.
Peace OG
mark
Wow…you did a lot of work on this one!!! Very interesting tho….
(Oh no…I was tagged by Mimi and didn’t do the meme??? Looks like I’ll be spending my summer in the dungeon! ;-(
Wow, what a cool meme! I tagged you for a meme, too
I have heard great things about Breaking Benjamin, will have to check them out!
What a statement by Elvis Costello. Maybe turntables will come back. So much here I didn’t know but find inspiring. I would like to read a post like this on what writers do to promote their work. Artists need canvas, writers need books, but they are usually in the hands of big name publishers.
I like Big Head Todd, listened to Ben …sounds like Nirvana/Pearl Jam I thought.
First, I totally cracked up laughing at the shout out! This was very interesting. Never underestimate the power of marketing.
The radio station I am listening to on my laptop has Colby Caillet playing live. Granted this is the biggest radio station in Austin(and syndicated in Wichita), but it just surprised me to hear someone so popular now doing a local show like this.
I normally am not home in the morning, but I am waiting for the microwave guy! UUGHH!
interesting. the best shows i’ve been to were ABSOLUTELY the ones w/the most audience interaction. playing with their backs to the audience?? get outta here. i obsess over these things too much as it is tho i’m sure i could give some interesting news insight i’d rather not! people understimate the importance of media interaction. it can absolutely make your career. you better know how to flirt with that camera and be engaging w/reporters. sigh. i get tired of having to yell this at screens. lol.
TWM – Go Mark!! I hate those query letters to – so impersonal, so boring. I wonder if anyone reads them…. I didn’t realize the slush pile was post editor interest. That’s depressing.
Odat – It was a pulling together. These things tickle my mind and appear in my dinner conversation quite a bit. Good luck with the meme!
Bethany – Yes, BB is very cool!
Colleen – M’k I’ll take that challenge – maybe next week? I have 2 I’ll have to dig up more.
Tommie – You usually say: “a$$” but you know me. Any opportunity to swear is a good one!
Good for Colby. Sorry about the microwave guy – grrrr….
Jameil – Amen. Working in the Open Grove, I was amazed at the stuttering fools. Even ones who HAD publicists – or maybe especially those who did – were awful. I know I have much to learn, but I’m a gonna learn it.
Wow – you did some serious research. Go Jay-Z! I did mine a week ago and enjoyed it. I like new memes. Have a great Tuesday, Claudia!
OG I know it said 8 but I got a…
9) $35 dollars and a one page form to the Library of Congress, copyright section, will get your work legally copyrighted and you get a nifty official paper saying you are the copyright holder. Get the form on line and print it out.
Follow the directions carefully, and if you are really serious about intellectual property rights, this should be done the same day you send work out.
Poetry for example can be bundled in one folder with a title, this way you can (c) many pieces at the same time. Same with shorts and flash, full length works should be done individually. Most editors assume the work has a (c) so it is not necessary to mention it in a cover letter. Note in in the mss header where you put your contact information.
and i ain’t saying anymore.
OG the slush pile is a good step. It may take awhile for the editor’s final read, but it is similar to being on third with no outs. You just hope a batter sends you home before the third out.
peace
mark
I may try this next week.
Great job! I appreciate the effort you put into this. And I think I agree with you that music isn’t dying…the means of delivery is changing.
Thanks for playing along!
excellent. here’s my linkage
http://www.shebecameabutterfly.net/?p=414
You never cease to amaze me. That was really interesting. I learned a lot about something that I don’t know much about. Now I need to go hear some of that music.
Oh but there is a way to make transfer vinyl into MP3 – check it out
http://www.brookstone.com/store/thumbnail.asp?wid=11&cid=1101&sid=110108&cm_ven=Search&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Bidword&cm_ite=vinyl%20to%20mp3&gclid=CIHey8ynk5MCFQsrswodMAkaAA