L.A. Reid: Decay in Music Has More To Do With Quality of Music
Posted September 19, 2007 — in KOAR Rants, Music News
When Kanye West opened up with 957k while 50 Cent topped 691k, Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid said the sales are proof that music fans will still buy albums as long as the quality is good.
“Market conditions certainly have changed in the last few years, but the
decay we are seeing has more to do with the lack of quality in music,” he said.
The Bottom Line:
L.A. Reid is one of the few executives in the music business other
than Rick Rubin who acknowledges or at least speaks out that the decay in the music business is due to quality, in what KOAR calls the CREATIVE DROUGHT. Unfortunately, many other executives have fell to the idea that the lack of sales is mainly due to technology.
Many execs and music labels spend their long days in meetings thinking about selling music. This is a BAD OMEN. We can be rest assured with this mentality that the quality of music will continue to suffer. Instead execs in music labels need to focus on CREATING quality music with potential artists. Many execs will argue, it’s not that easy - ok fine, lets continue..
The Music business consists of ART and COMMERCE.
There is a lot of mediocrity out there that consumers will bypass. We have so many more releases, more genres, more artists, more competition. To many releases clogging up the arteries. Music labels do not set up a record for a year, its all about the first week. Music Labels cannot focus on 10 releases for the full year. When companies work more than three records they are overwhelmed.
You would think that with more competition we would have better music. The long tail is wrong, its just the opposite. With more competition we have less heroes because it gets watered down.
We know there is no such thing as artist development, instead we have priorities now.
Music Labels want FACTS. If there is not a story, a label won’t work a record. If you are that type of artist that is radio driven and you have lukewarm radio, you will get lukewarm attention - unless you are a multi-dimensional band. A multi dimensional band does not rely on radio for success - radio is icing on the cake. A multi-dimensional act has great songs, great players, great live performance, and has a true unique vision. Multi-dimensional artists are AFI, Slipknot, and Foo Fighters in the rock world, 50 Cent and Kanye in the Hip Hop World.
Our best guess that the creative drought may in fact have resulted from technology. We can make people sing in tune that cannot sing. What does this mean? It tells me that we have lead singers that should not be singers. Developing………………
With all this being said, Hey I’ve got a great band and we don’t have any problem selling our music. Live gigs and thru our Las Vegas Distributor and one Distro.in Japan. We promote thru Myspace and sell sell sell!!! LA Reid and Rick Rubin are the best in the business.
Comment by Dave — September 19, 2007 @ 2:13 pm
“Our best guess that the creative drought is due to technology. We can make people sing in tune that can’t sing. What does that mean? it tells me that we have lead singers that shouldn’t be singers. Developing”………………
OH so true!
Comment by fulldeviljacket — September 20, 2007 @ 5:32 am
KOAR - Our best guess that the creative drought is due to technology. We can make people sing in tune that can’t sing. What does that mean? it tells me that we have lead singers that shouldn’t be singers. Developing………………
I am sure that goes on, but I dont think thats the whole issue. The issue is with the internet and digital recording technology. With a decent PC and few hundred bucks spent on software and minimal recording hardware you can record better than CD quality tracks. (If your a thief you can get bootleg copies of thousand dollar PRO audio effects plugins for free). My point is any body can record now. Talented, extremely talented, mediocre talented, to just hobbyists.
The result of this along with Myspace, purevolume, broadjam, etc. is millions of artists creating mostly forgettable music that you can listen to for free. You get myspace, check out a band, get bored and go to another artist page that is a friend of the page you are on. Its endless. One forgettable song to the next. TOO MUCH, TOO MANY OPTIONS. Recorded music has become worthless. Too much quantity, no subtance, just digital shit. A program. Music has become digital code. Think about it. We are taking a natural vibration of a string then converting that into 1’s and 0’s. Amazing really but what does that have to do with music?
Its hard for any of the good stuff to surface in a sea of forgettable junk.
Back before the internet and digital technology, it was hard enough for local bands to get people to come out to shows. Now with every god damn band on myspace I think its alot worse. Hear some hype about a local band? Just go check em out on Myspace. You might hate the tracks, but maybe it translates differently live. You will never know. 17 years ago you didnt have internet. You hear about a good local band. YOU GO CHECK EM OUT TO HEAR THEM OR YOU GO TO YOUR LOCAL MOM AND POP STORE, TAKE A CHANCE AND BUY THEIR TAPE.
You dont have to leave the house to check out the local bands. You can do it sitting on your ass. Music is free now. You can download it, your friends can email you MP3s, you can listen online, shoot major acts let you preview their new albums online in entirety!
my scattered thoughts…
Comment by D — September 20, 2007 @ 6:47 am
I agree with the above comment.
I don’t think the music quality has gone any where. I just think there are way more bands to chose from. The internet age is allowing a lot of lesser talented bands to get exposed because of MySpace and other social networks.
Kids (fans) tend to like the less substantial music and then go to the next band. The buying (or downloading) age is getting younger and younger. Bands are getting younger and younger.
I think more of the problem is less mature songwriters rather than poor songwriting.
Development is what is missing. It’s harder to find the “timeless” band because of all the choices and then once we find that band, the development aspect is long gone from the labels.
That is more the problem than poor songwriting.
Comment by tim.towner — September 20, 2007 @ 7:44 am
[...] view and says it’s because the music isn’t much good. The Kings of A&R site has a take on Reid’s comments as [...]
Pingback by » Why Are CDs Sales Down - Technology or Creative Drought? : LMN Editor's Blog — September 20, 2007 @ 8:05 am
Reguardless the technology isnt going to go away, its going to increase. Labels need to learn to make a profit with smaller sales. If they have an artist who is commercial enough to sell big numbers they’ll make even more profit. If anything this over abundance of bands/ music says the cost of doing business isnt what it used to be. Sure its hard to make a profit when you spend to much money!
Comment by nathan — September 20, 2007 @ 8:05 am
I dont understand the last 2 comments. YES, artist development is dead, but so what? DO IT YOURSELF! Nobody is holding you back to spend years working on your songwriting skills, saving up money, and then finally recording a record full of smashes in a high end studio.
The point is, IT’S EASIER THAN EVER TO DISTINGUISH YOURSELF FROM THE REST OF THE PACK! Sure, it SEEMS to be harder to get heard, but as we all know, word spreads fast in this day and age, especially since we have MySpace. If you got the goods, people will hear about you, it’s inescapable. You just have to write songs that are worth remembering.
The biggest song of the year is “Umbrella”. The competition isnt THAT massive!
Comment by anonymous — September 20, 2007 @ 8:09 am
I love these Guys! Finally, you think their getting it?
I’m trying to think of any other industry that the CEO’s would have had THIS LONG to figure out what the problem was before getting the BOOT!! Hey Mr. Reid, I know lots of really Talented Artist’s that have been patiently waiting for you guys to “GET IT!”
Wanna hear some GREAT MUSIC? STILL HAVE ALL THE SAME
“GATEKEEPERS” WORKING AROUND YOU? Here’s a little suggestions for ya: 1.)Hire some people who now and love good music! 2.) Sign people who can actually sing and play! 3.) RAP and HIP HOP are DEAD!! Be a visionary
and look for something NEW and EXCITING!! 4.) Ask yourself if you where part of the problem, if so maybe it’s time to STEP DOWN!!
Comment by Michael Barile — September 20, 2007 @ 9:25 am
I see this mix up here in the comments all of the time.
It seems like most people here treat the following 2 questions as the same thing: How do we (all people in the music business) make money from music and what makes a good song. Qualifying the question goes a long way.
1. How do artists make money and what makes a good song.
2. How do labels and management make money and what they think a good song is.
These are 2 different issues…
Half of us are responding from an artists perspective and the other half is from a management/ label perspective. Half of the people that respond in the comments think it was a good song IF it sold a lot. The other half think newer songs that sell alot are watered down and appealling to the lowest common denominator. Obviously its a bit of both depending on a song by song basis. Most of the time its very clear to me what camp each comment is in but I’ve never seen someone mention the differances that these two parties have. what do you think?
Comment by nathan — September 20, 2007 @ 10:08 am
Almost nothing is taboo anymore. Almost nothing shocks us. We read about and watch the every move of our favorite stars. We have become so inundated with the latest gossip and footage of celebrities the paparazzi and media feed us each day.
The 24/7 circus-like coverage of movie and music stars has become so over-saturated that people are not caring, globally, when it comes time to see a movie or buy the stars’ products. Star power is not crossing borders like it used to. EMI’s Robbie Williams was the U.K.’s best selling solo act in history and they didn’t know what to do with him when it came time to sell him to an American audience. There are very few stars out there today that have the global appeal that Michael Jackson once had.
Of course people have more choice now in the digital world in regards to which artists to buy and where to buy from. People also have the power to crown and be stars of their own such as the case with American Idol. Aspiring stars can also ignore the hoopla and set their own sights to stardom recording and producing their own music. Music recording programs such as Garage Band come free with Macs and there are also inexpensive programs for windows that with practice, you too can be the next Rick Rubin.
Even though the media and paparazzi decides who they want to be stars in the limelight, consumers have the ultimate opinion because they have:
Purchasing Power + Unlimited Choice - Limited Time = The People’s Vote
Comment by Peter Merli — September 20, 2007 @ 10:35 am
Label execs make a bunch of excuses .. come to Boston .. you will find bands that will make you frigging millions. MAKE THE EFFORT .. DEVELOP
Comment by realmad — September 20, 2007 @ 11:50 am
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