March 5th, 2010
Dave Allen on Musicians and Social Media in The Austin Chronicle
This is the unedited version of an interview I did for the SXSW edition of the Austin Chronicle with Audra Schroeder.
Audra: With technology getting smaller and more integrated, eventually devices like the iPhone are going to be the size of a contact (let’s call it the iEye?) and perhaps we just place it in our eye and we’re online. Or an mp3 player chip placed in our ear that lets us control what music we listen to. We’ll adapt because we’ll be the machine.
Audra: With this current need for people to constantly be in touch, wouldn’t that be the ultimate, if we became the device, if no other technology outside of us was needed? How much would that change the dynamic? Does that sound crazy?
DA: Simply put – technology only shortens the distance between us. These tools, such as Twitter, Facebook, texting etc, are just that, tools. Anthropology shows that the there is an innate human need to be part of a tribe and to remain in touch. This confusion over technology’s role in society really muddies the water. The iPad for instance was roundly panned by developers and those that wanted it to have Flash in its OS. Those folks misunderstood that Apple is providing a device that creates a cultural shift in how people will approach and use such a device. Those suffering from the “Curse of Knowledge” will remain disappointed.
Here’s my thoughts on Anthropology and Technology
Audra: Can you tell me a little about what Fight’s mission is? And why it was started?
DA: Fight was formed by three partners who have spent many combined years in the advertising industry. We had come to the realization that the web, or online advertising, was an increasingly difficult medium for advertising companies to understand. The web is malleable, asymmetrical and doesn’t play nice like TV. There are no one-to-many controlled channels on the web so brands and agencies don’t understand why they can’t get attention. Advertising is based on the concept of controlled messaging – think TV, Print, Radio – and also on the Big Idea and executing on that. Fight is about ensuring the Big Idea is the Right Idea and also about showing real dollar ROI for our business clients.
Audra: What’s the problem with bands having just a Myspace or using Facebook?
DA: There is no problem with that as long as bands and musicians understand that a MySpace page or a video on YouTube, is just a tactic. It’s not strategy. A strategy might be “We should acquire 1,000 true fans who always buy whatever we have to sell.” Goal: Attract and retain 1,000 true fans. Tactic: Interact with them on the Social Web – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace. Listen and learn what they want from you – it might be a free download or two, discount show tickets, cheap merchandise etc – then give it to them. Test and analyze different methods and see what works.
Audra: Do you envision one day having a sort of streamlined global network for music?
DA: Not really. I’m more interested in learning how an 8 year old girl today wants to access music. Currently I see record companies and musicians simply messing around with almost identical models, trying to replace the dollars that they were used to earning through music sales. For instance, Spotify is not a game changer. It’s more of the same. Ask young people what they want, then give it to them. McDonalds discovered that offering more healthy food and fresh espresso at reasonable prices worked really well, so they broke their own mould and pursued that avenue to great success. By the way, one of the executives from Spotify is giving a speech at SXSW – I predict that whatever he says will be championed by those who are desperately looking for help. They will hang on his every word and begin talking about how Spotify will save music….
Audra: There was a Brian Eno quote I wrote down after reading an interview in the Observer last month: “The record age was just a blip.”
DA: Here’s Eno’s quote – “The record age was just a blip. It was a bit like if you had a source of whale blubber in the 1840s and it could be used as fuel. Before gas came along, if you traded in whale blubber, you were the richest man on Earth. Then gas came along and you’d be stuck with your whale blubber. Sorry mate – history’s moving along. Recorded music equals whale blubber. Eventually, something else will replace it.”
I agree with him. The record companies traded in CDs, they gave music videos for free to Viacom for its MTV program, Viacom made millions of dollars from that deal. Now everything has changed and those assets are of little value in an always-on, Internet society.
Audra: Do you see CDs being phased out soon?
DA: No, CDs are still popular. Remember, CDs were supposed to make vinyl extinct and that never happened.
Audra: What do you think of the idea of the “celestial jukebox”?
DA: To me, that was a term that was being bandied about back in 1998 when I was General Manager at EMusic.com – It didn’t get very far did it? I think that Apple, with its acquisition of LaLa, will come close to offering up the original promise of the Celestial Jukebox. Accessing your own music collection via the ‘Cloud’ will be a game changer because of mobile ubiquity and the iTunes app ubiquity. Apple remains a trusted company that people evangelize, so they will trust their music collections with them. And remember, mobile is bigger in the rest of the world outside the USA.
Audra: As a musician that was recording in the “record age,” do you think in 2010 it’s sort of pointless for musicians to keep releasing physical product?
DA: I think it’s completely pointless to simply release a CD. Think of that 8 year old girl I mentioned earlier – does she want a CD? I doubt it. So what’s required is first and foremost the release of music as an “event.” Do not follow the traditional, worn out methods. Reinvent the idea of what a release of an “album” should now be. Cirque De Soleil is a far cry from Barnum & Bailey’s…
Here’s my thoughts on doing things differently.
Audra: Where do you see major labels going? What about “indie” labels?
DA: I’m not one who tries to predict where any company might be in the future. I’d prefer to envision, on my own, what the “music business” could look like in 2020. As a society we have forgotten to think about the future, and that is our loss. We have become obsessed with short-sightedly hoping that the next gadget or application will better our lives and our experiences. The music industry is especially guilty of this. We need more forward thinking people running record companies who can embrace the long term. One’s who are willing to take more risks and bet on a future that is determined by research and deep analysis of how people want to access music…
Audra: There’s a music panel called “How Will We Listen to Music in 2020?” Any ideas, theories, wishes?
DA: See my answer above..