A few weeks ago we began our “Grow the Hell Up!” campaign. So over the next few weeks we are going to expand the series to include posts that will speak to how we feel that these goals can be achieved by record labels, artists and fans.
How the series will work is first a manifesto of sorts will be posted for each focus area, followed by a commentary on each point of the manifesto with not only rhetoric but some workable solutions. We would love for this process to be as interactive as possible so after the initial posting of each manifesto we would love to hear your feedback and incorporate your ideas into the commentary portion of the series.
Up this week: Record Labels
The Grow the Hell up Manifesto(Record Label Edition)
1. “Music like water-Music should be a utility bill.”– ?uestlove
2. “Forget product — sell relationship: The old model of music business is dominated by the sale of an individual artefact for a set sum of money. iTunes is still completely old school. The new model is about starting an ongoing economic relationship with a community of fans.”– Andrew Dubber
3. “Music-world doesn’t need millionaires to be significant – music doesn’t change my life based on the wealth of the artists”-Steve Lawson
4. “Every study on sales has proven one thing: People hate to be sold to, however people love to buy, and people always love to buy from people whom they like and who they feel they trust.”– Ariel Hyatt
5. “So, labels trump up a hit, and are then pissed when people don’t want to buy the whole album. Why? That’s like saying if I liked the pepper in the grocery store, I must buy the cookies and the toilet paper too. One has almost nothing to do with the other…” -Bob Lefsetz
6. “You can’t make art with business in mind.” – Jay-Z
7. “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” -unknown
8. “But they(record labels)really missed the ball in identifying their customers. They thought their customers were Wal-Mart, Target and other record retailers. Instead their customers were people like you and me who actually buy music.”-Dave Kusek
9. “No more yes. It’s either HELL YEAH!or no.” -Derek Sivers
10. “Money had never been the main thing for me. It’s the legacy that was important.”-Berry Gordy
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
