"There are no borders anymore--either by device or region--for entertainment."
--Elisa Wiefel, Network Live
"By being small and sleek, we can try things that don't cost a lot of money that the majors wouldn't necessarily invest in."
--Jason Fiber, Cordless Recordings
Appointment-based viewing is a thing of the past. We provide an opportunity for the consumer to connect with an exclusive event on her own terms. On DirecTV, you're probably watching a concert in its entirety. On your mobile phone, it's typically a three-minute viewing. Drivers will listen to the concert on XM for the duration that they're in the car. We're programming to digital enthusiasts who are also big music and pop-culture fans. They want to enjoy their content across devices, across platforms, and they'll be able to use Internet and IP technology to do that.
Digital technology provides access in a way that's never been available before. We produced and distributed Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor launch party live from Koko, a 1,500-person club in London. It's live. Who knows what's going to happen? It's unexpected, unpredictable, and a little dangerous. There are no borders anymore--either by device or region--for entertainment. Live 8 showed that."
Fiber, 36, runs Warner Music Group's newly formed digital label. It's an incubator for ideas about how to develop, market, and promote emerging artists.
"Cordless wants to establish a new way of introducing artists into the marketplace. What we're not doing is replicating the offline model and taking it online, hoping people will migrate their habits over from the physical world. We advance money to artists for recording--not a terribly substantial amount, but enough that we think they can deliver some interesting material to us. In return, we ask for a two-year license and retain the rights for roughly five years. If we aren't able to generate the kind of interest we'd like, we give their masters back. That's appealing to artists: It's very little risk with a lot of upside if they're successful.
We release music in three-song clusters, and our vision is to release several clusters during that two-year period. Typically, artists release new material every two years. We're giving audiences a greater impression of the artist. Our marketing strategy is to use newer techniques, such as building e-lists and driving traffic to band Web sites, social-networking sites, and blogs. Let's get that music heard by as many people as possible. Then we gauge the reaction to the band and its music. Unlike most labels, sales will be only one metric we use. At the moment, we have 10 artists signed to the label. We have released music from six of them and are still looking for additional talent.
If we're successful with an act and there's greater demand than our staff can handle, we can give the act the opportunity to record with our major-label brethren. By being small and sleek, we can try things that don't cost a lot of money that the majors wouldn't necessarily invest in. We don't pay a huge penalty if it doesn't work."
Toomey, 39, is a musician who helped create the Future of Music Coalition to educate artists about the world of digital music and to advocate for their rights.
"I've been involved in the punk music scene in DC since high school and ran an independent record label starting in my senior year at Georgetown. We actually put Dave Grohl's first solo record out on cassette before he became Nirvana's drummer. We were all part of a community. Our ideology was to put out friends' records and not take their copyrights. But the moment Nirvana hit it big, it had a devastating effect on the independent music community. Musicians who had been countercultural suddenly wanted a retirement policy in place, radio promotion, and for us to get them into chain stores. The two bands that would've paid for all that left for major labels. We closed the label in 1998.
After that, I got involved in public advocacy. The idea behind Future of Music is to publicly document digital-music issues so independent labels and artists can have a trusted resource. We think artists shouldn't be afraid of anything technical or political. We help them understand issues like digital-rights management, changes to the copyright act, and media consolidation. Musicians competing in a landscape of corporate control don't have time to read up on 60 different business models for online music.
The Internet offers exposure that commercial radio hasn't offered for the past 25 years. Artists should use the exposure to book as many tours as possible. The bigger the fan base, the more power artists will have in future negotiations. Major labels force artists into exclusive contracts that limit them. We try to educate artists and advocate for contract reform. Instead of signing permanent contracts, artists should license their copyrights for just a few years. It gives them more choices."
Email
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Buzz Up!
LinkedIn
