Music Marketing in the Digital Age Part 3: Instant Gratification.

Part three of my analysis of music marketing in the digital age looks into the implications of modern music consumers lust for instant gratification in the age of the internet.

Adding Value: We want it and we want it now.

I have mentioned that the digital age has brought with it a culture of instant gratification, where savvy consumers have come to expect to get what they want, when they want. The implications of this dictate if the music is not made easily accessible, consumers will go elsewhere and they will probably blog about their negative customer service experience in the process. Clair Chamberlain expanded upon this in our interview; ‘The whole timing issue of which way round things need to happen and the idea that people have to wait is also really archaic because everyone wants something right now.’[1]

A problem which has arisen as a consequence of the rise in illegal downloads is the leaking of albums prior to their official release. A recent example of this is the third album by pop-punk artists “Billy Talent”. The album was leaked illegally via “torrent” networks months prior to its official release on July 13^th 2009 after previews of the album had been sent journalists to review. The leak was made apparent by fans, who had begun writing reviews on blogs and forums and singing the lyrics at “warm up” shows. It is only natural that upon reading reviews, curiosity grew amongst fans as to how the new album would sound and they particularly wanted to be familiar with the songs prior to attending concerts by the band. The album was unavailable through the official channels so they procured it another way, albeit illegally.

I propose instead of cursing those who leaked it, Billy Talent should have embraced it. They could have allowed fans to stream or download some of the album songs before the album’s official release. That way fans would have heard the album and they wouldn’t have lost out on sales because fans would have been able to pre-order a physical copy in advance. If they are going to play songs live fans are going to want to listen to the tracks and if they can get a copy they will.

A further example of artists missing opportunities and not allowing fans instant access to music comes from UK rock band Muse’s release of their latest single “Uprising”. The band sent a message out to all fans on their mailing list to say the new single was available to download now. However, as you scroll down to download, it becomes apparent that the single is available for download everywhere in the world, except for the UK, whose fans have to wait a further month until it will become available for download. The band are practically encouraging their native fans to download illegally as they are given no other option. Why should they have to wait when their friends around the world do not have to?

---

[1] Chamberlain, C (2009) Interview 5, 22/07/09 in person. (Qu2) Appendix C (p2)

Creative Sweatshop?

As a recent arts post-graduate currently seeking employment in the creative industries, the issue of exploitation of arts graduates is seemingly blatant. Given the present economic downturn, unpaid internships are commonplace with recent statistics proposing that 40% of graduates enter the creative industries through unpaid work (and I would hazard a guess that the further 60% got there because they ‘knew’ someone). So how does this compare with other sectors, is this really exploitation and are there alternatives?

The creative industries are a desirable sector to work for and this is a point that hasn’t gone amiss amongst recruiters. Arts organisations are aware that there is a high level of competition for jobs and with so many young graduates prepared to work for free, why pay for labour when it is available for nothing?

A well-structured internship programme can benefit employer and intern alike. An extra pair of hands and fresh ideas paired with mentoring, advice and hands on experience can be invaluable to entry-level workers with great qualifications but lacking in experience. But all too often interns are brought in to carry out work which employers would otherwise have had to pay someone to do and the mentoring side is missing. Or worse, the intern’s skills and experience are undervalued and they spend their time on menial tasks such as making cups of tea and coffee.

Hypocritical?

Most british arts organisations have established their own access and diversity policies, which are often key to satisfying funding criteria. However, the majority of internships run by arts organisations require applicants to work full-time for between three to six months – unpaid.

There is something about that request which doesn’t gel well with the diversity policy they portray (although it does look pretty good in their annual report and Arts Council England seem to think it constitutes a boost in funding). By the very nature of asking interns to work unpaid for a sustained period of time, they are inviting applications from a particular background and in turn creating boundaries for applicants from the diverse backgrounds they were probably aiming to attract to their organisation in the first place.

Drawing comparisons.

It does seem as though arts graduates are getting a rough deal especially when compared to their career-led graduate counterparts in the fields of engineering, accounting and law, who undertake internships which pay well, often result in employment and are well-regulated.

The Arts Group have released a report ‘Emerging workers: a fair future for entering the creative industries’ to provide fair guidelines for organisations to take on board when providing work opportunities for young people embarking on a career in the creative industries. They are hoping to use the document to lobby government and provide impetus for government to take steps to regulate arts internships.

It has been suggested that arts graduates should pay lower tuition fees in respect of the lower salaries they receive from working in the arts sector and whilst this may not be too favourable with science graduates, it is an interesting proposal.

Arts graduates are expected to undertake free labour and receive low salaries in return for doing the work that they love. Organisations are able to get away with it because there is so much competition in the industry. There needs to be regulations in place to avoid exploitation.

Alternatives?

As with many others budding to work in the creative industries, I have done my fair share of unpaid work but I have also tried to take a more practical approach to gain skills and experience to try to get noticed.

As someone who wishes to work in the music industry I have gained experience through organising my own concerts, running a successful clubnight, writing zines and of course this blog to try to further my expertise whilst studying or working in admin jobs to survive. Through organising something of your own be this writing your own comic, starting your own band or organising events you can prove to employers that you can use your own initiative and hopefully add something to your CV which is unique to you and displays your skills in an unusual way.

Gain further qualifications. I decided to embark on an MA in Arts management in order to give me further confidence and specialist knowledge. I learnt valuable information and gained a much better understanding of the sector as a whole and a recognised qualification. But the expense and the lack of funding meant that I used up my life-savings and therefore struggle to afford to undertake further unpaid work, which is so vital for gaining experience and a permanent, paid job. Catch 22?

I guess the problem facing so many budding arts employees is that there is no hard and fast rule or set formula to follow to obtain that dream arts job. I wish that there were a set route to take, like my peers in the field of medicine have followed but it’s not as clear-cut as that. I believe the main thing is if you’re determined and enthusiastic, you will get where you want to be in the end. Choose to the pathway which suits you best, enjoy the work you do and hopefully that chance will come along in time.

Music Marketing in the Digital Age Part 2. Adding Value: The power of exclusive content.

With a new year comes a new resolution to keep up with this blog more regularly. I feel it is now time to look at a further facet to Music Marketing in the Digital Age and pick up where we left off.

To reiterate; I was discussing ways of adding value to MP3s to convince consumers to part with cash for something which they can essentially get for free elsewhere (albeit illegally).

One of the ways we can do this is through providing consumers with exclusive content which is not available elsewhere.

Ever since the recording industry began, consumers have been fascinated with musicians as celebrities. Fans follow the artists through interviews, images and news stories and desire information about the music itself regarding lyrical topics and the recording and composing processes.  I believe this desire for information varies from fan to fan, with some music fans satisfied with printed lyrics and others, which I refer to as ‘mega-fans’ left always wanting more. I propose that the music industry should utilise fandom and allow fans access to exclusive content. This will work as a marketing tool and improve buzz for the artist or their recordings which should increase sales. This is reiterated by the affiliation vinyl collectors still have today with “limited edition”, rare and exclusive presses.

The internet can be exploited to allow users to gain access to exclusive web content including videos of the recording process, live performances or interviews. This content can be used as part of a wider promotional viral campaign.

Access to exclusive content via the internet was handled particularly well by rock artists, Metallica who delivered content in a clever and effective manner building up to the release of their latest album, Death Magnetic. The band allowed fans to pay a $10 fee to register on a specially set up website; Mission:Metallica, which allowed registers to access daily video clips and footage of the recording of the album including interviews and jam sessions. As it got closer to the official release of the album more content was released so that users had already heard clips of finalised songs and this created fantastic buzz for the album by the time it was released.

Music of 2009.

So the end of the year is drawing near and this has been a year of musical highs for me.

I’m going to take you on a whistle stop tour, month by month of some of my favourite 2009 discoveries, albums and gig memories.

These are the bands that have been my highlights of 2009 and I implore you to check them out if you haven’t already!

January

The Steal @ Retro Bar Manchester.

The year kicked off with a storming show from UK hardcore band, The Steal on an icy January evening. This is what UK hardcore is about.  Tiny sweaty venues and collective sing alongs. As intimate as it can get.

Lost and Found Orchestra – Southbank Centre, London

From the makers of ‘Stomp’, the Lost and Found Orchestra creates orchestral music from the most unlikely sources. The musicians use whatever they can find to make some of the most interesting sounds and unusual timbres you will ever come across.

I was suffering from a terrible bout of the flu and should have been wrapped up in bed but I’m so glad I did not miss this performance. We even found ourselves being upgraded from the cheapest seats in the house as it had not sold out!

Not only was it an engineering spectacle, the composed pieces are catchy and the stage show is captivating.

With the added possibilities of pitch, Lost and Found Orchestra can go where Stomp could never go before.

February

First Aid Kit at the Fly in Camden, London.

I first heard about First Aid Kit in January. After they covered Fleet Foxes’ Tiger Mountain Peasant Song and posted it on You Tube they became an instant hit tipped for the future.

We saw them at the Fly, an intimate venue in the heart of Camden and were absolutely blown away. First Aid Kit are two Swedish sisters aged 14 and 17 who play heartfelt acoustic songs which are musically and lyrically beyond their years. They express an endearing vunerability which leaves you mesmerised, add to this their witty banter in between songs and you’re really onto a winner. I could watch these girls perform all day long and as they come back to London this February (2010) for the 7th time in a year it seems i’m not the only one!

March

Heptones at The Jazz Cafe, London

I managed to get guestlisted to see one of Jamaica’s finest original rocksteady and reggae greats.  Still going strong nearly 50 years since their debut it felt an honour to be able to experience such legends live. I was surprised how many of their tracks I was familiar with and realised how influential they have been and how many bands have covered them. The atmosphere was friendly and crowd diverse.

April

Whitest Boy Alive at Scala, London

Following the release of their second album, ‘Rules’ Whitest Boy Alive put on one of the best shows I have ever seen (and i’ve been to an awful lot).  Frontman, Erlend Øye is full of energy and encourages audience participation culminating in him jumping into the crowd to dance with fans and circle the auditorium.

Whitest Boy Alive play infectious, keyboard heavy electro-pop which is impossible to listen to without dancing.

Alice Russell at The Jazz Cafe, London

21st century soul diva, Alice Russell and her band of amazing musicians put on a great show. She has an extremely powerful soul voice which, if you hadn’t seen blonde, blue-eyed Alice, you would swear was the voice of a black woman.

She has featured on the tracks of many of the coolest acts in Nu-jazz and contemporary Soul and Funk working alongside Fat Freddy’s Drop, Mr Scruff, Nostalgia 77 and Quantic her credentials speak for themselves.

Kaki King at The Jazz Cafe.

Dubbed by Foo Fighter’s  Dave Grohl as the best guitarist ever, Kaki King is proving that guitars aren’t just for boys. To label her a singer/songwriter guitarist would be to underestimate Kaki’s talent.

She has a sweet, beautiful voice and writes delicate guitar melodies but that is just one side of Kaki’s output. Where she really carves a name for herself is through her intricate acoustic guitar instrumentals which are flavoured with harmonics and more notes that you or I could imagine, her virtuosity is captivating on record but in a live setting is where she really comes to life.

May

Youngblood Brass Band at Cargo, London (6th May 2009.)

I have loved this band for a few years now but this was the first time I managed to catch them live and boy was I excited.

They write funky hip-hop and jazz pieces for full brass ensemble which are unique and live they really put on a show.

Fat Freddy’s Drop – Dr Boondigga and the Big BW (The Drop Out in NZ)

This is the long awaited second full-length album by Fat Freddy’s Drop. I for one would count thier first album ‘Based on a true story’ as one of my favourite albums of all time and was particularly looking forward to hearing their new output. (Hence I had the album shipped over from NZ before it had come out in the UK)

It does not fail expectations. It is more dance orientated than the previous album but again it is an album which grows on you and where songs slowly build up to oh-so-sexy, spine-chilling climaxes. Great background music for parties or dare I say, bedroom music. An album everyone should have in their record collection.

June

Billy Talent at the Underworld, London.

Prior to the release of Billy Talent III, these guys play an intimate show at Camden’s underworld as a warm up show for the new album and subsequent tours ahead. It was great to see the band in such a small venue and I was clearly amongst hardcore fans which meant everyone appreciated every minute.

I do find though that I like to know an album before I hear it played live so that I can sing along and so it was a shame that this gig occurred a month before the album came out, although you wouldn’t have known judging by how many fans already knew the words following the album’s leak on the Internet.

Still a nice intimate show to compare with seeing them both at Reading Festival and Brixton Academy later on in the year.

July

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble at Barbican Free Stage.

I have had to miss Hypnotic Brass Ensemble play a few times this year due to other commitments but managed to catch them at a free gig at the Barbican in a foyer outside the main hall. The band really get the crowd going and my hat goes off to them after they managed to get a crowd of white, middle-aged Barbican go-ers dancing in a truely hip-hop manner. Priceless.

Barbican’s Blaze Festival.

The Barbican put on a summer dance and music festival throughout London Venues with some really interesting programming from around the world. On a whim one night I bought 6 tickets to 3 different events at the festival for acts which I had never heard of but which had interesting marketing copy which intrigued me.

All of the acts I saw were fantastic and unique in their performances.

I saw NY afrobeat, jazz and funk band ‘Antibalas’.

African Brass Band ‘Gangbe Brass Band’.

Congolese Electro-traditionalist music by ‘Kasai All Stars’

Serbian gypsy brass band – Boban Markovic Orkestar.

August

Reading Festival.

I worked at the Reading Festival. A perfect excuse to see many bands for free, meet new people and volunteer for charity in one go.

Highlights were; Radiohead, A Wilhelm Scream, The Living End and seeing friends Sonic Boom Six open up the main stage!

The Aggrolites at The Underworld, Camden.

I don’t know why it took me so long to get into these guys but they are fantastic contemporary Reggae which you can’t help but skank to. I saw them play at the Underworld following the release of their album IV.

September

A Wilhelm Scream at the Underworld.

A Wilhelm Scream are the best melodic hardcore/ skate punk band around. Identifiable by complex guitar duets and catchy vocal lines their songs lend themselves well to live shows where the virtuosity of the guitarists in particular is awe-inspiring.

October

Diablo Swing Orchestra at The Purple Turtle in Camden.

This was the band’s album launch for their new album ‘Sing Along Songs for the Damed and Delerious’. They are a genre-defying band from Stockholm.

Based around the genres of metal, the band mix in unlimited musical influences including classical, jazz, klezmer, folk and salsa to create something unlike you have ever heard before.

Think System of a Down crossed with Mr Bungle then add a cello and an opera singer and you might just start to understand what i’m talking about.

November

RX Bandits – Mandala (Sargent House) UK release Nov 09.

RX Bandits just keep getting better and better. This is the fifth studio album by the band and each one has its own style. This is an excellent demonstration of the band’s tight working style, catchy tracks and musical virtuosity.

Stand out track – Hope is a Butterfly, No Net Its Captor … (The Virus of Silence)

December

As Tall as Lions at Camden Barfly, London.

I really got into As Tall as Lions this year and was really pleased to find out they were playing their first headline UK show at the barfly for only £6.

They play excellent indie/alt-rock a la Explosions in the Sky. Their music is vocal led with lead singer Dan Nigro providing touching, sensitive vocals. The band are particularly tight live. If you go to watch them live, watch out for the bassist’s facial expressions and movements which are, interesting to say the least. It’s nice to see a musician really into their music and that can certainly be said for the bassist who provided no end of amusement for us.

Special Thanks to Abhijeet, Jason and Alex who were my gig buddies.

Punk Problems

When I was 18 I started up a zine related to punk music, which unfortunately never got published. I discovered some articles i’d written for it yesterday so I thought i’d post them on the blog.

First off; punk problems; an agony aunt column specific to punks.

Dear Dr Steph,

I’ve got a tattoo on my arm, which I got about two years ago. At the time I couldn’t show my parents, because they’d be annoyed at me. However now it’s 2 years later and they still don’t know. Should I tell them now and hope they’ll be more understanding, or just try and keep it hidden?

Paul, 20

Dear Paul,

I understand that you are worried that your Mum might be angry with you for getting a tattoo, but do you not think she’d be more hurt and angry if she found out that you’d been lying to her all these years?

I think it always better to tell the truth and risk some short-lived heartache than keep secrets, which breed mistrust and anger.

Why don’t you sit your Mum down and explain to her about your tattoo? Let her know that you understand that she might not agree with it but that you are a responsible adult who makes his own life decisions. Point out to her your reasoning for the tattoo (ie it represents something to you personally) and that if need be it is easy to cover up (after all she didn’t notice all these years).

Give your mum time to express any concerns she may have and try and discuss these in a calm and adult manner. This way your Mum will see how mature you are about the whole thing and will be less likely to shout.

Yes there may be some anger at first but this will mend in time.

As Pinnochio showed, lying is never a good thing and it only leads to more harm in the long run.

Dr Steph

Dear Dr Steph,

I can’t get enough of skinny emo jeans!  But I am gagging for some in pink!!  Find me some now please punk agony aunt!!

Nic, 19

Hello Nic,

This isn’t my usual sort of request but I shall give it my best shot.

I know that Levis do a great colourful range in their skinny jeans and they are good quality jeans which will last you a long time.

I have also found that Lawman do what they call “B-Lo Tribute” Pink ladies jeans. They are supposed to be cowboy jeans but they are particularly tight and so would go with the skinny emo fashion. They are available to order off the web on www.cavenders.com

I hope that helped!

Dr Steph

Dear Dr Steph

I’ve chosen to live a straight edge lifestyle but i’ve met a girl who I really fancy but she likes to do drugs, should I still go after her, or is it obvious we don’t have the same outlook on life?

Joe, 23

Well Joe,

Yes your views may differ when it comes to lifestyle but this is only a problem if you make it a problem. You need to ask yourself how much drugs bother you and it depends how big a drug user this girl is. If she just smokes the odd bit of cannabis from time to time then this probably won’t pose a problem for you in a relationship together, but if she is constantly stoned or tripping then you may have problems with being together.

First of all you should talk to this girl about it. How does she feel? Would she be willing to cut down for you or are drugs an integral part of her lifestyle? If you are both willing to compromise then you should be fine. Yet, at the same time, if you talk and it becomes apparent that she isn’t willing to cut down you need to ask yourself if you are ok with this. If you end up trying to make your partner change for you, you are in trouble. You should like each other for who you both are as individuals.

At the end of the day though, only you know if you are right for each other and if you really love each other then you can get through it.

Dr Steph

My boyfriend spends most of his time in bands. How can I get him to spend less time in bands and more time with me instead?

Ali, 21

Dear Ali,

It is certainly not right for your boyfriend to ignore you in favour of his interests. However, you need to understand the commitment he has to the bands he is in.

Unfortunately for us women, men will always have silly hobbies that they get consumed with whether this be music, computers, football or gaming. It’s just something they do. A hobby is never just a hobby. This is why we need to set them straight as soon as possible.

You need to talk through this and try to come to a compromise. As important as his bands may be to him, you should be just as if not more important to him. If you feel neglected he should be aware of this. If he is not spending much time with you then he needs to be told to rethink his priorities.

Perhaps you could suggest starting a new hobby together, maybe learn a new language? This will make sure you have time for each other and give you something fun to try while you are at it. At the end of it you could organise a holiday in a place where that language is spoken so you have something to look forward to.

Dr Steph

Dear Dr Steph,

My bandmate keeps swanning off to Essex now his girlfriend who studies in Sheffield has gone home for the summer. He’s cancelled two gigs that he was supposed to play because of last minute arrangements. Basically, whenever his missis says “I’m going back home”, he jumps, cancels everything, regardless of importance and he’s gone! This leads to more and more problems, like not being able to practice, not having enough time to get new material ready for gigs etc. A band we are very confident about is turning into a less frequent side project. A side project to his full-time relationship. What’s a brutha to do?

Regards,
Dr Punx, Sheffield

Right,

Now, as a girlfriend myself with a boyfriend in bands I do sympathise with your band-mate. When you live far away from your partner it is easy to take every opportunity that you can to see your loved one because you know you won’t be able to see them when you want.

However, it is unfair that he is dropping his other commitments in favour of his girlfriend all the time. If he doesn’t have the time to be in a band then he shouldn’t have committed in the first place.

Have you tried talking to him? Maybe he doesn’t realise how unreasonable he is being and that by cancelling gigs and practises he is letting down other people besides himself. You need to point out how selfish he is being but try and be understanding at the same time. Maybe you could get a gig near her home so that you could gig and he could see his girlfriend? Does she play an instrument? Maybe she could join? Or perhaps she could travel to Sheffield more to see her boyfriend in between gigs and practises. It’s all about compromise and if he’s not willing or able to juggle the two then one is going to have to end (and I’m afraid he probably would end the band by the sounds of it).

Good luck

Dr Steph

Classical Concert Etiquette: The Barrier to Attendance?

So, I lost my promming virginity this week. For those of you who are unaware, the BBC Proms, which takes place for three months every year at London’s Royal Albert Hall is a classical music tradition spanning over a century.From July-September each year, the hall is host to daily classical music concerts and the ‘promming’ tradition allows up to 1000 people to gain standing tickets for only £5 on the day of the concert. This cheap and less formal addition to the proms encourages non-traditional concert goers to attend events, which is always a good thing in my book.

Whilst ‘promming’ I observed some obvious faux pas with regards to concert etiquette including audience members clapping in between movements, mobile phones ringing and even one lady pouring her drink in the fountain in the centre of the arena mid concert (?!) Ok, so those may not sound like earth-shattering grievances but it is a prime example of the secret code that is concert etiquette.

Performance etiquette is a concept that western classical performers will undoubtedly be familiar with. Classical music appears to be bound by an unwritten existence of rules, restrictions and guidelines, to which I will refer to as ‘performance etiquette’, or ‘concert practices’. Such examples of the rules imposed by performance etiquette are those regarding concert dress and performer and audience behaviours.

Performance etiquette is an institution which has built up over time so that modern performers and audiences will be aware of what is expected of their behaviour in a classical concert situation. It is almost as though through socio-cultural aspects, parts of the performance are unveiled even before a single note has been played as an audience’s perception of the performer can be created through venue, silence and performers’ concert dress and posture.

Walker (2004) suggests that rules for concert practices, musical expressiveness and listener’s responses to music had already been established by the 19^th Century. He states that correct courtly behaviour including appropriate audience responses to music were detailed in the influential text Castiglione’s The Courtier (1527) (p29)

In the article ‘The social in musical performance’ Davidson (1997) discusses the importance of socio-cultural factors in music performance, in particular performance etiquette. “The social etiquette operates in two directions, as there are certain behaviours performers expect of audiences: in general terms, to wear more in-formal clothing than the performers, to applaud as the performers walk on stage, to sit in silence during a performance ect…” (p212)

Why does performance etiquette exist? There is nothing which forces performers to dress smartly and stay silent whilst performing and compels audiences to stay silent while music is being performed and to stay seated during the performance.

Based upon previous research, I propose that concert etiquette can be explained through two concepts:

1. Concert practices act as cues for correct behaviour.
2. To create an impression of oneself that is socially acceptable.

But is performance etiquette really a necessity in modern performances or is it just making the genre more outdated than it already is? In an age when the Arts Council place so much emphasis upon accessibility surely concert etiquette is exacerbating issues of accessibility for new audiences and, if anything, acting as a barrier to attendance for the uninitiated.

As a result, the genre through no fault but its own, is essentially discouraging audience diversity within the genre by marginalising prospective audiences who are not ‘au fait’ with the traditions.

I believe this needs to be radically re-structured if practitioners are serious about improving accessibility to classical music.

An example of one organisation which has embraced this issue is the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, who have set up a scheme whereby they encourage new audience members to attend a concert for free and equip them with the knowledge to understand the traditions and etiquettes before the event. This is achieved through a devoted hotline and information leaflets which describe what to wear, what to do, when to arrive, how to get there ect. The audience members are also allowed to meet the orchestra and conductors in the bar after the event.

I feel this is a fantastic way to encourage participation and break down boundaries to accessibility. This is certainly a scheme which many other classical music organisartions could learn a lot from.  We should place less emphasis upon tradition and more upon creating an enjoyable artistic experience accessible to all.

Brass Band Brilliance

I’ve been getting really into brass bands recently. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that just a load of old men playing military music in Yorkshire? To some extent, yes. But the brass band diaspora is what really interests me. I love how the brass band tradition has reached musicians all over the world, all of which have fused the traditional style with other genres and traditions to create a unique brass band hybrid.

So who am I blowing my trumpet for? (sorry)

My current top five are:

1. Youngblood Brass Band
2. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
3. Gangbe Brass Band
4. Fanfare Ciocarlia
5. Boban Markovic Orkestar

I have gotten the chance to see all of these bands live in the last year or so and I have to say they all blew me away live. I have come to realise that for these bands it is not only about fantastic musicianship (they were all note-perfect and had beautiful tone) but it’s also about showmanship. If a sousaphone player can pull off dance moves whilst playing that thing (wiki tells me that the most popular sousaphone weighs 20k!), well then I think it puts the rest of us non-dancing instrumentalists to shame.

Youngblood Brass Band

These guys are a hip hop brass band from Wisconsin. They have the most catchy and cleverly written tunes of all the brass bands mentioned here, although they are also the least impressive band live in terms of pure entertainment value, so it’s swings and roundabouts. They also have the most talented Sousaphone player in all the land. He manages to use that instrument as a bass and a melody instrument at once, creating some awesome DJ scratch effect noises unlike anything i’ve ever heard before. Check out their track ‘Brooklyn Live in London’ off their myspace. (The amazing Sousaphone solo comes in around 4:20)

http://www.myspace.com/youngbloodbrass

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Saw these guys play at the Barbican a few weeks ago and they have the most enthusiasm on stage i’ve seen in any band in a long time. I particularly liked the way they managed to get white, middle-class, Barbican-loving 60 year olds to bust hip-hop moves. So these guys are a  hip hop/New Orleans/Jazz based brass band from Chicago, made up of 7 brothers, all of which were taught about the New Orleans brass tradition by their jazz musician father Phil Cochran. Pop over to their myspace to listen to ‘Baliky Bone’ or my favourite ‘Sankofa’ on Spotify.

http://www.myspace.com/hypnoticbusiness

Gangbe Brass Band

Also saw these at the Barbican. They are an African brass band from Benin, West Africa. They fuse the traditional military brass band style (brought over by the French when they occupied Benin in the late 19th century) with traditional West African flavours and some African singing and French rapping to create a wonderfully unique sound. Blissful.

Of course they have a myspace – check out ‘Beautiful Africa’ though I don’t think their recordings do them justice to how amazing they were live.

http://www.myspace.com/gangbebrassband

Fanfare Ciocarlia

I got into this Romanian Gypsy Brass Band a few years ago when I saw them play at Roskilde festival in Denmark. They have some great tunes and are a real party band.

They have quite a few albums and again, I don’t think their myspace currently reflects some of their best tracks but ‘Asfalt Tango’ is certainly worth a listen.

Obligatory myspace;

http://www.myspace.com/fanfareciocarlia

Boban Markovic Orkestar

Again, saw these at the Barbican recently, they are a Balkan brass band from Serbia. Again, quite gypsy influenced. Leader of the band, Boban Markovic is often regarded as one of the best trumpet players to come out of the Balkans and you can certainly see why! God knows how he moves his fingers so fast!

http://www.myspace.com/bobanimarko

My favourite is ‘Mundo Chochek’

So go on, give these guys a listen and or be brassed off you missed out!

Music Marketing in the Digital Age Part 1. Adding Value: Towards a custom-made future.

Having just completed my MA dissertation entitled “The Changing Face of Music Marketing in the Digital Age” , I thought I would begin this blog with a series of musings related to that; expanding upon the issues I raised in my dissertation.

Firstly, faced with the problem of marketing MP3s to consumers who are used to procuring their music digitally and for free (albeit illegally) how do we convince them to part with cash for the real, legal thing?

If there is no tangibility, what are consumers getting for their money? Why should they pay for it when they can get it free illegally? Cynically put, Kusek and Leonhard note that ‘despite Apple’s efforts, [with iTunes] it may prove impossible to compete with “free”’.[1]

I suggest the answer lies within adding value to the simple MP3. One of the ways we can do this is through providing consumers with opportunities for customisation;

Now, with the help of the internet, we live in a world where endless choice and instant access is the key. We can “pick and mix” our own entertainment and information packages so that they are tailored to our individual tastes.  Once we have decided what it is we want to enjoy, we can procure it instantly in whichever format most suits our particular needs at that given time. This is a tailor-made way of organising our free time which was first offered by the IPod, as a tool for pick and mixing our listening habits.

The pick and mix process is further encouraged and made easier by applications such as “Twitter”, “Digg”, “RSS Feeds”, “Podcasts” and emailing lists, whereby we select our own criteria for what we are interested in and how and where we obtain that information and have it delivered directly to us without having to filter out information and culture which does not appeal to our tastes.

This pick and mix model has implications for marketers of culture and the arts who can adopt these tools in their viral marketing strategies. Furthermore the model has changed the market, providing consumers with expectations of endless choice and instant gratification.

With easier access to niche musical styles than ever before and so much music to choose from, how do we discover about new music? These niche and underground artists certainly are not being played on the radio so how are they selling?

---

[1] Kusek and Leonhard (2005) The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution. (p6)