Can´t stop the music (2)

Seguimos con el repaso más o menos desordenado de novedades en la industria de la música y su circunstancia.

New kids on the block

Las noticias más interesantes sobre nuevos modelos de negocios en la industria de la música llegan habitualmente de actores ajenos al sector, tal como lo demuestra esta entrevista a Saul Klein:

“The businesses that are most interesting to us are businesses like Sonos that fundamentally change or improve the way fans or music lovers experience music. And the other businesses – Songkick is a good example of this, as is Viagogo – is in a world of content abundance, the thing that really matters is the unique experience. Live music is still the most live and social musical experience that you can get.”

El Economist también analiza con entusiasmo el fenómeno del crowdsourcing ligado a las industrias creativas. Hay un pelotón de start ups tratando de aprovechar el envión, encabezado por Kickstarter.

En sincro

Vale la pena leer el resumen de la charla del supervisor musical de Glee en MIDEM para entender el potencial que tiene la sincronización como modelo de negocios en la industria de la música:

Bloom talked about syncs being a very ancillary part of the music business ten years ago, when he started. It’s a very different story now, with the spotlight shining on Bloom’s area.

“In a lot of ways it’s THE income stream, and the only income stream for a lot of people,” he said. “Syncs have become significantly important to the industry and how we operate, so much so that MIDEM is now doing their own sync day.”

Argentina es un importante exportador de contenidos audiovisuales (un estudio que desarrollamos el año pasado ubica al país como cuarto exportador de formatos para televisión). ¿Si ven nuestras series y nuestras publicidades por qué no habrían de escuchar nuestra música embebida en esos productos?

Gerd te tira la posta

Gerd Leonhard es uno de los "futuristas" (¡sí, eso es un trabajo!) más activos con relación a la industria de la música. En un post de hace unos meses puso el dedo en una llaga bastante compleja: el atraso en las leyes de copyright.

My thesis is that - just like telecom deregulation - we urgently need new, open and public mechanisms that first significantly encourage and then possibly even enforce the licensing of copyrighted works for new services that require a new and more experimental approach, and that may end up serving the consumers much better than the traditional services. A 'use it or lose it' rule may be useful to that end; and as far as music is concerned I have been proposing a new, public digital music license for a long time.

Can´t stop the music (1)

El blog de MIDEM sigue dándole de comer a mis reflexiones sobre la industria de la música. Comparto entonces algunos artículos y elucubraciones para provocar el debate (¡y seguir viviendo de otros!).

Everybody loves Mark

El CD murió hace rato y todos mencionan a las redes sociales como la gran esperanza blanca. Esta entrevista a Albin Serviant es interesante para analizar el cruce entre música y Facebook a partir de los videojuegos y otras aplicaciones con potencial de viralización:

In order to get users interested in music apps for Facebook, we have to create music apps that go far beyond just offering a passive listening experience. Instead, we have to offer the element of interaction and challenge that games offer. Moreover, we’ve already seen that people are inclined to “like” music pages because they feel it gives them a certain connection with the artist as well as with other fans, so we should be developing music apps that offer an even deeper connection.

And then there’s the issue of monetisation. Game apps on Facebook have proven so successful at driving micropayments that brick-and-mortar retailers are starting to sell – for real money – gift cards for purchases of virtual goods on the site. If music can adapt and give consumers the social, interactive, fun experience they’re looking for, it too can benefit from this new and growing economy.

El encuentro entre música y videojuegos tuvo un tratamiento detallado en otro panel de MIDEM. Nightclub City es la nueva estrella en el firmamento:

Nightclub City, a Facebook game where players run their own virtual clubs and hire friends as DJs, is hugely successful. “We’ve had 20 million users play our product, and at its peak we had 1.2 million daily users,” said Lee. “We were able to draw in more than two million Likes for a lot of the artists that came into the game.”

Nightclub City players can choose music to play in their club, from Lady Gaga and Daft Punk down to independent artists. As the songs play, players can mark the song as Liked – which in turn signs them up to the fan page of that particular artist. “What really excites us is working with a lot of independent artists, and we’ve been able to really garner a lot for them.”

La música es el contenido ideal para explotar las redes sociales. Es sexy y a todos nos gusta compartirla. El modelo de negocios cambia radicalmente en Internet ya que hay que apuntar a viralizar a velocidad supersónica y desde ese lugar sentarse a conversar. De todos modos, el tema del copyright puede ser un escollo insalvable:

Why haven’t the biggest publishers in social gaming – like Zynga – done much with music? Hudson said that most big social games companies have been hesitant to involve third parties of any kind – brands and music included – because it slows down the process of making constant changes to the game: something that’s key for social game development.

Despertar a las masas

Jay Frank aporta un dato más que interesante para los fanáticos y agoreros de Internet: La mayoría de los usuarios todavía no consume música online (en forma "legal" o "ilegal"):

If 5% of internet users download legally and 9% of internet users download illegally:

Over 85% of US internet users do not download music legally or otherwise.

Y luego da una serie de recomendaciones para activar a esa multitud silenciosa y potencialmente muy lucrativa:

Encourage more retail outlets – iTunes may own the market, but the way to grow the market is just like it used to be: foster independent retail. The success of niche sites like Beatport shows that these sites can be profitable. But as long as label groups demand onerous terms of startups, these indie outlets will never see the light of day. Ask for reasonable terms and watch sales increase with volume.

Durante años trajiné las disquerías independientes de Buenos Aires en busca de esmeraldas perdidas. ¿Cómo podrían recrearse las tiendas indies en Internet? ¿Cómo recuperar esa magia? Creo que hay una oportunidad interesante para el que lo logre.

Stop whining!

Estuve siguiendo con atención el blog de MIDEM ya que esta vez no pude ser de la partida. La industria de la música parece haber superado el shock inicial provocado por el cambio de paradigma y ahora se entrega con entusiasmo a todo tipo de experimientaciones (más allá de la cara de perplejidad de los más veteranos). En línea con este nuevo optimismo El Economist sacó un artículo el año pasado en el que revisa modelos de negocios que sí están funcionando (y algunos muy bien). Copio algunas frases sueltas pero vale la pena leerlo entero:

It is not that more people are going to concerts. Rather, they are paying more to get in.

Fans complain bitterly about the rising price of live music. Yet they keep paying for concerts. One reason is that the live-music experience has vastly improved.

However much fans pay to get into a venue (and thanks to ticket touts they often pay more than even the greediest artists charge) they tend to have cash left over. This they spend on merchandise.

The re-release of the Rolling Stones’ 1972 album “Exile on Main Street” in May was accompanied by a merchandising blitz that illustrates how far the business has evolved beyond selling black T-shirts. Bravado released more than 100 items, from baseball caps to boxes containing signed lithographs. There were not only album-cover T-shirts but also a higher-priced “as worn by” collection, featuring reproductions of clothes that members of the band happened to be wearing in the early 1970s. The huge range of items at different prices meant products found their way into budget stores like Target as well as dearer ones like Bloomingdale’s.

Scorcher, a rapper from London who recently signed his first record deal, set up a clothing label even before he made his first video. He invariably wears his own products in the music videos that he gives away on websites like YouTube. Scorcher is not so much selling music as using music to sell.

Music’s best business customer is television.

Because it derives revenues from business as well as consumers, publishing is much more stable than recording.

On television, music is either supported by advertising or bundled invisibly into the cost of pay-TV subscriptions. That model is spreading from the box to the web.

In a sense, the recorded-music market is not so much dying as greying.

The consequences can be seen in the pop charts. America’s bestselling album since 2000 is “1”, a collection of Beatles hits from the 1960s.

The ageing of the recorded-music market has been accelerated by trends in retailing. As independent record shops and specialist media stores like Zavvi (formerly Virgin) have closed, supermarkets have emerged as leading outlets for music.

The growing clout of middle-aged and old listeners extends beyond recorded music. “Many of the acts selling out stadiums are old,” says Rob Hallett, the president of international touring at AEG Live.

¡Mientras tanto, en Buenos Aires, los amigos de Bicicletas lanzan un videojuego y le marcan el camino al resto!

PD: Aprovecho el post musical para invitar a la charla que desarrollaremos sobre gestión de negocios para salas de música en vivo (¡la industria está girando al vivo y nosotros queremos acompañarlos!). Martes 22 de febrero a las 17:30hs en el CMD, en el marco del 2do Encuentro Iberoamericano de Gestión Musical (EIGM).

Queda la música

Mientras nuestro equipo de Opción Música parte nuevamente al MIDEM yo me dedico a leer sobre música. Gracias a un twit de Fer Isella llegué a las entrevistas de fin de año que realizó Hyperbot a referentes de la industria sobre el futuro del sector. Si bien el optimismo de algunos tecnólogos puede parecer un poco forzado, vale la pena leerlas para identificar tendencias que están en el aire. 2011 va a ser un año super intenso para nosotros y lo vamos a coronar con un BAFIM aggiornado a los desafíos que aparecen en estas notas.

Bob Baker pone el ojo en el cruce entre la música, Internet y las tecnologías móviles:

Bob Baker: One technology trend that will affect music marketing is something I call "Real World meets Mobile and the Internet." I'm talking about things like image recognition, QR codes, and Near Field Communications (NFC) technology.

What the heck are those things? Well, they all involve the ability to use your iPhone, Android or other smart phone to "read" something in the real world that connects to more information online.

Aparece también el cruce entre música y videojuegos, que nosotros venimos fomentando a nivel local:

I think we'll also see more innovative artists use techniques from the video game industry. This involves making creative use of competitions and challenges. Think of the way Foursquare makes users win badges and earn the rank of "Major" at an establishment. Artists who make interacting with them more fun and engaging will see results.

Another important aspect of the gaming trend is that it involves more than just a direct relationship between the artist and the fan. It also requires a relationship among fans, with each other -- much like the most active gamers compete with and communicate with each other. How could you use this idea? It may be worth exploring in 2011.

Bruce Warila ve cada vez más portabilidad de la música en Internet:

Bruce Warila: Sometime in 2011, we should see the 'add music' button adjacent to songs and videos on sites around the web.

The 'add music' button will enable music fans to collect (bookmark) songs for subsequent streaming to any connected and capable device.

Google will have a huge advantage over other competing providers of stream-collection (bookmarking) services, as Google could seamlessly enable rightsholders to connect the 'add music' button to YouTube videos or to any MP3 on the Internet. Search results featuring songs connected to the 'add music' button will also make it dead simple for fans to add songs to their music libraries.

Bobby Owsinksi tira el listado entero de lo que vendrá:

Bobby Owsinski: As I see it, there will be several important trends in 2011, but they’ll all be mostly a continuation of what we’ve seen in 2010.

The most important trend for 2011 will be realism.

• The realism that DIY takes a lot of work and the rewards aren’t as great as in the heyday of the major labels. Musicians and artists will begin to see success in a different way as making a living replaces stardom as the big score.
• The realism that social networking has limitations, and traditional marketing and promotion can’t be abandoned. You still need both for effective branding and marketing.
• The realism that the touring market is not nearly the goldmine that it once was during better economic times. Fewer venues, less money and more competition makes gigging more difficult than ever. That being said, look for this to loosen up a bit towards the end of the year as the economy rebounds.
• And the realism that some things in the music business never change. You still need talent, some great songs, lots of hard work, and a little luck to make your mark.

Y finalmente Jonathan Ostrow habla sobre "social charts" que sería bueno traer en algún momento a Argentina:

2010 saw the introduction of 3 new charts, all using social media influence as an important element of the ranking process. Big Champagne was first to market with their Ultimate Chart, and soon there after came Billboard's Social 50 and MTV's recently announced Music Meter. In an interesting turn, MTV has actually created the most 'emerging artist' friendly chart, by working with Echo Nest to ensure that all established artists, such as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber have been stricken from the list.

In 2011, the new focus of social media influence-infused charts could start to flip the music industry on it's head, giving emerging artists an even more real opportunity to use social media to create a very real and sustainable career as a professional musician.

Esto de la interné

Yet another music post! El blog del Midem es uno de los sitios más interesantes para reflexionar sobre el devenir de la cada vez más híbrida industria de la música. Revisemos, por ejemplo, dos entradas de mediados de este año:

Esta entrevista al músico Erin McKeown es un buen ejemplo de la perplejidad (¿y frustración?) que provoca la tensa relación entre música y redes sociales

What’s frustrating? That the people who are listening to you through unauthorized copies weren’t counted or that they were listening through unauthorized copies?

McKeown: It’s that they weren’t counted. It’s that their interaction and kind of additive presence to what my fanbase is is not able to be known in a system that wants to know that. I don’t agree with that system but that’s the system and it’s just been very frustrating for me over the years.

Then these social networks come along and all of the sudden here’s this new number that can be used. So for a while it was like MySpace views or number of friends on MySpace and then it turned into Facebook fans and Twitter followers and I have heard in the music industry “this is someone good to tour with because they have x number of followers” or you know ‘we’re interested in signing you because you’ve got x number of Facebook fans” and in some ways it’s replaced SoundScan.

But how does that translate into people in the room? I know people who have really lively online fanbases, many Facebook responses, lots of Twitter followers who draw the same amount of people that I draw in my rooms. There’s this sort of conversion that doesn’t necessarily happen, or you can’t draw a straight line between this artist has 5000 Facebook followers yet still is only drawing 30 people in this city.

In some ways I’ve begun to think of it as two different careers, you kind of have your online career where it’s like how do you communicate with those fans and what do you do for them and how do you cultivate that interaction and then there’s also do you give a good live show and when are you coming to this city?

I certainly as an artist feel a certain amount of pressure. I was resistant to this social media stuff at the time. I mean MySpace was less about status updates and more about just making music available in your player and kind of collecting friends. But the microblogging aspect of Twitter and Facebook demanded fresh personal content and I have certainly felt the pressure to keep up with that. And that is often at odds for me with the amount of things that I’m willing to talk about with the three or four thousand people who follow me online.

La situación parece ser "hay algo ahí afuera pero no sé bien qué es ni como manejarlo". De todos modos, también se vislumbra de las tantas explicaciones posibles. En tiempos de saturación y copia los fans buscan contenido "enriquecido" y la historia del propio artista surge como lo único definitivamente ireemplazable.

¿En el extremo los músicos deberían twitear más y componer menos para contentar a sus fans? Absurdo. Pero estas mismas herramientas ofrecen una oportunidad inédita de conexión con los amantes de la música de forma tal de poder entender o visualizar el impacto transformador del arte.

¿Habrá casos locales para testear esta hipótesis? Un show (Calamaro en el Luna Park o Puente Celeste en el Vinilo) podría convertirse en una interfase fenomenal de interacción con los fans y de horizontalización de esa relación. ¿Por qué no usar las redes sociales para calentar la previa desde un punto de vista más personal? ¿Por qué no aprovechar la instantaneidad de Twitter para plantear un concierto que incorpore los estados de ánimo u opiniones del público? ¿Por qué no ofrecer contenido enriquecido allí mismo, con la historia de los temas o realidad aumentada desde los celulares? ¿Por qué no consolidar la conexión post show montados en el potencial viralizador de los fans extasiados?

En On Twitter Emily White presenta una serie de ejemplos probablemente demasiado yanquis para nuestra mentalidad American Psycho Bolche pero útiles pensar su eventual adaptación a la realidad local.

Back in the day, albums were set up months in advance and of course they still are now, but, via Twitter, Imogen Heap can engage her audience in each step of the creative process. By the time the album is released, her audience is clamoring for it. Imogen's fans were actually a part of her most recent album: from the songwriting to the recording to even naming the songs. They witnessed and experienced the emotional highs and lows of creating music, making the final result that much more of a visceral experience. And they followed along when she launched a feed at The Grammys via her dress.

La clave es involucrar, entusiasmar y comprometer a los fans.

One of the most powerful aspects of Twitter is the search function. What better way to find out what is going on by searching real people's online chatter? We have interns search for our artists daily to find casual fans chatting about them. Then, they either ensure that the artist replies or the interns will reply and tag it as the artist’s team so as not to pose as the artist. When I say casual, I am talking about someone who posts "Making Thanksgiving dinner listening to Brendan Benson's Lapalco," who may not even know he's on Twitter, on tour or has a new album, nor are they the kind of fan that might seek that info out (especially since the aforementioned album is from 2002). When we took Brendan on late last year, we found hundreds of fans speaking about him daily in casual conversation. No one had been tweeting back at them with news of his tour and, as soon as we did, tickets spiked. For example, his NYC show's sales went up four times in as many days after we'd launched these basic internet marketing tactics. This information is free and available and should be a no brainer for an artist at any level or a team of any size.

Esto parece ultra sencillo pero dudo que algún artista local lo esté aprovechando. Hay que tener la oreja atenta para escuchar esas conversaciones y desarrollar desde ahí una nueva estrategia de vinculación.

Want to distribute a track exclusively to your Twitter followers? Check out CASH Music's open source code to do just that. Fans obviously love it.

Looking to connect with other artists? At any level, re-tweet and publicly chat back and forth with the artists that you share camaraderie and bills with. Whether you're just getting started and gig-swapping with other artists in nearby cities or are Dave Matthews supporting The Rolling Stones, it's important to disseminate necessary promotional info and interesting to watch the dialog. I have also had industry folk come out to shows at the last minute based on seeing a reminder from my Twitter feed.

Todos administramos redes de contactos de manera más o menos intuitiva. De todos modos, es necesario reconocer su potencial y actuar en consecuencia. Los cruces deben provocarse, buscando puntos de encuentro no sólo con otros músicos sino también con el amplísimo espectro de la comunidad creativa. The Times They Are a-Changin'

Noticias desde el frente musical

Esta semana se desarrolló en Cannes una nueva edición de MIDEM, la feria más grande del mundo de la industria de la música, que tuve ocasión de visitar en enero de 2008. La Ciudad de Buenos Aires estuvo presente, como hace ya cuatro años, apoyando a los sellos discográficos locales y a otros actores de la industria y promoviendo BAFIM como punto de encuentro latinoamericano. Vale la pena recorrer el blog de la feria para ver el grado de desconcierto en el que sigue envuelta la industria de la música y también para analizar los posibles puntos de fuga.

Ed O’Brien, guitarrista de Radiohead, fue entrevistado durante MIDEM:

O’Brien, que está completamente relacionado con el mundo de internet y sabe perfectamente de lo que habla, explicó que siente que el P2P es la versión “sofisticada” de lo que hacían en los 80s que era grabar casettes con la música que les gustaba e iban conociendo en la época y pasárselos a sus amigos. Y agregó que si realmente a algunos les gusta, terminarán comprando el disco. E incluso si no llegan a comprar el disco, sí comprarán los tickets para ir al concierto o merchandising.

Según él la “piratería” no está matando el modelo sino que simplemente los mismos sellos lo están haciendo porque están trabajando con un modelo de negocio analógico en la era digital.

Recomiendo también la lectura del blog de Mr. Fogg, un señor que creo haber conocido en Popkomm 08, y que derrocha cinismo y claridad en sus comentarios (por ejemplo, acá y acá).

(Y acá hay una video entrevista al muchacho de Radiohead).