David Byrne on the Music Business

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the spasms of change the music industry is suffering these past few years. To me, it’s a proxy for so many other media and publishing models that have grown in the past few centuries who are also under similar pressures (books and newspapers being the ones closer to my domain).

David Byrne wrote a great article in Wired (see link below) on the different models the music business has adopted to deal with the decrease in the price of production, distribution, and marketing, and the digitization of music and artist challenges for more control.

The article provides examples of successful artists for each business model and is very even-handed, not stressing any over the other. I like it that he points out the value of performances, partly because that is what being a musician is about, but also because it can also be a good source of revenue if done right. And, having been involved in producing and performing in different types of events, I’ve always wondered why musicians didn’t try to rely more on shows.

Byrne also gives some advice about what is important, regardless of the business model – keeping the rights to your creations (“This, for a songwriter, is your pension plan”). Something to keep in mind in the world of creative works.

The quote below is the closing of the article.

Link: [via Stuart Mudie]: David Byrne’s Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists — and Megastars:

No single model will work for everyone. There’s room for all of us. Some artists are the Coke and Pepsi of music, while others are the fine wine — or the funky home-brewed moonshine. And that’s fine. I like Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man.” Sometimes a corporate soft drink is what you want — just not at the expense of the other thing. In the recent past, it often seemed like all or nothing, but maybe now we won’t be forced to choose.

Ultimately, all these scenarios have to satisfy the same human urges: What do we need music to do? How do we visit the land in our head and the place in our heart that music takes us to? Can I get a round-trip ticket?