Is DIY Suddenly DOA?

Is DIY Suddenly DOA?

Artists have always needed fans - lots of them - but now more than ever, they need friends. Not groupies, but a group of smart individuals, or even - shockingly - a label.

But the broader theme was 'partner,' not just 'label,' during a Tuesday roundtable at the New Music Seminar in Los Angeles. "This is not about 'oh I need a label,' this is about, 'oh, I need a partner,'" TopSpin CEO Ian Rogers relayed. "The value chain is moving from what used to be artist-label-distributor-retailer-fan to artist-marketing partner-technology-fan. There are a lot of people who are going to be in that technology box, and there are a lot of people who are going to be in that marketing box."

Sounds perfectly logical, and other experts agreed. But the subtext was striking - suddenly, all the Long Tail, do-it-yourself zeal of previous years was getting updated by something more sensible and realistic.

Even by some of its more ardent supporters. "I'm tired, tired of hearing about DIY, I don't need a label crap. Tired of it," ReverbNation chief Michael Doernberg stated. "Because the truth is that everybody needs advisors. Everybody needs people to help them. Because when you get bigger, you need help. The question isn't 'do you need help?' - the question is, 'who?'"

And TuneCore? In the days leading up to the Seminar, Tommy Boy Silverman found himself in a high-profile spat with TuneCore CEO Jeff Price. The oft-unhealthy debate canvassed a few topics, including the extreme difficulties that artists face when trying to 'break,' whatever the definition of that is. Is a serious team and promotional firepower needed, or can a career get jump-started from scratch?

Price was not on hand, though the consensus seemed to fall somewhere in the middle. Indeed, Doernberg offered ReverbNation as a well-oiled technology partner, not a superhighway to DIY superstardom. In the end, 'experts agreed' that even the best DIY weapons need a supporting platoon, or at least a well-coordinated band of brothers. Other questions related to marketing firepower and financing may take some time to answer.

But what will this next-generation team look like? According to Rogers, different bands require different and customized support structures. But the manager will be a critical part of that future structure. "The manager is truly... the artist partner who quarterbacks and puts it together," Rogers noted.

But getting the right manager? That is a difficult challenge. The legendary fist-thumping, bus-touring manager of old suddenly needs digital credentials, and oftentimes, a more sophisticated resume. "Someone has to quarterback it all, and that takes strategy," Tommy stated. "There aren't that many good managers."

via kerascene.blogspot.com

Posted via web from TJ Chapman's Blog