creative deconstruction

3 More Ways to Make Music Worth Paying For

Posted on 10. Jun, 2009 by refe in INNOVATION

Recorded music has lost so much of its value in the digital age. For the past few posts we’ve been talking about six different ways for artists to add some of that value back – what I call ‘supplimental scarcities.’ You can find the definition along with the first three here. The final three scarcities are called embodiment, patronage and findability. If you are an artist or in a band you will need to understand these concepts if you hope to be able to sustain a healthy career in music.

4. Embodiment

Embodiment is more important now than ever for the music industry. In the transition to digital music files we have  lost the ability to use any sense but our ears to enjoy music. Sure, the ears are the most important instrument for experience music, but what if you want to look at something, watch something, hold something while you listen?  The recent resurgence of vinyl proves that embodiment is valuable to listeners, and they are still willing to pay for it. So, find ways  to give your music three dimensions and make sure everything that goes along with your music is just as much a work of art as the music itself. That means packaging, videos, performances, merchandise – everything. If every one of these things (and whatever else you come up with) adds up to the ultimate experience of your music, your biggest fans will want it all.

Performance is the oldest and still most important aspect of embodiment. Play whenever and wherever you can. Don’t just show up – make it worth your fans’ time. There are two things that irritate me most when I pay to see a band perform: 1. The band sounds nothing like they do on their record. The quality of the live performance should meet or exceed the quality of the record. For example, if you sing on pitch on your album (whatever tools you use to get there) you should sing on pitch live… 2. The band sounds exactly like they do on their record. If I wanted to hear your record I would listen to it in my living room over a nice set of speakers. Fans don’t come to hear the record, they come for an experience. A new experience. Give them something they can’t get anywhere else. If they have a reason to come and a reason to return, they will.

5. Patronage

I ran a small venue for a few years and when we invited a band that we really loved to come and play, we would offer to put them up for the night so that they could save on expenses. We weren’t booking those bands for the profit they would bring, we were in it for them. We liked them, liked their music, and wanted to help them out wherever we were able. This is patronage.

The Internet has introduced artists across the world to an environment where the powerful middlemen that used to run this business are no longer as necessary. This is good, because it fosters real patronage. Fans like giving their time, energy and even money to a band or artist they love. They don’t like giving their money to souless corporate giants. Jill Sobule, who I mentioned in Part Two, raised $75k in fifty-three days by simply asking her fans to fund her new record. Radiohead’s pay-what-you-want campaign for In Rainbows was a big success and has shaken up the industry in a big way. A few months ago we reported on bands taking the pay-what-you-want concept to their merch table. All three models, along with many others, worked because they made the fan feel like their money was going directly to the bands they love. No over-paid executive was taking a slice of the pie.

I’m so glad that more independent artists are beginning to recognize how important this is, because there is a flipside to an industry without middlemen - when they left they took most of the funding needed to actually cut a record with them. Sure, it’s a lot cheaper to record and distribute these days, but it still costs money that cash-strapped bands may not have. Appeal to your fans in a way that makes sense within the relationship you’ve cultivated with them. You might be surprised at the response.

6. Findability

Kevin Kelly says this about findability, “A zero price does not help direct attention to a work, and in fact may sometimes hinder it. But no matter what its price, a work has no value unless it is seen; unfound masterpieces are worthless. When there are millions of books, millions of songs, millions of films, millions of applications, millions of everything requesting our attention — and most of it free — being found is valuable.”

Giving your music away for free does not gaurantee that anyone will care enough to listen to it. I came across a band recently that was just beginning to promote their new release by offering it as a free download on their site. I asked one of the musicians how it was going and he replied that they hadn’t been prepared for how little response they received. ‘Free’ is not a magic bullet, and it certainly isn’t a marketing campaign in itself.  Your band has to find a way to cut through the clutter.

One innovative example of findability – although, admittedly one that may not be realistic for everybody - is Trent Reznor’s NIN iPhone app. The app is like an all access pass to everything NIN – everything a fan could want is at their fingertips. They don’t have to search for anything because it’s all right there. It is even GPS enabled so that fans can find each other if they want. What is the result of this? Every product he offers – from merchandise and special edition CDs and LPs to live performances – is more valuable because the hurdles between fan and artist have been torn down. As an artist, you need to figure out where the hurdles are in your fans’ experience. What stands between your fans and your music, or your products? There’s always something, but your job is to find ways to tear them down. The more unique, the more innovative, the better. Innovation brings attention which only increases findability.

Conclusion

Betting your future on a career in music is a risky thing to do these days. The odds are not in anybody’s favor. But there is also so much opportunity for those who can think outside the box and are willing to do something crazy. Please let me know what you think of these ideas and the concept of supplemental scarcity in general. And as always, I am interested to hear your ideas as well – the more dialogue there is about this subject the better off the community of independent artists will be in the long run.