In terms of full disclosure, I have to admit that my back catalogue of music isn’t as cool and cutting edge as I would like it to be. The current CD of choice (yes a CD!) in the BB family car is Pop Junior. We listen to Magic FM most mornings. I am certainly no music connoisseur.
I would also like to admit that I download a lot of music and stream more. I’ll leave this up your judgement as to whether you think I’m the sort of guy that would do this legally or illegally.
There is no getting past it. Our love of social culture means we are in a world which believes music, journalism, books, and paid for TV, should be free. The paywall at the Times, for me, doesn’t seem to be working. The implementation of it at the NYT (link here) is another example which will hang in the balance. Music, as we know, appears to be in a daily fight for its rights. This isn’t just a survival of the fittest, it’s a survival of the most agile, the most risk friendly. We are not just in a social culture, we are in a “trial culture”.
Unfortunately, for many artists this “Trial Culture” means they rarely see heavy profits and revenue. A “trial” in the mind of the consumer lasts longer than one play. Its no longer try before you buy, more try and maybe, just maybe I might buy (but only if economic conditions are right and I can’t get it for free anywhere else)
But brands, music labels, are trying new things. The two most exciting releases (both of which I have purchased) I have seen over the last 6 months have both been EPs. Beth Ditto’s EP (link here) and Delta Maid’s Broken Branches (link here). These have both been experimental. Both perhaps a show of what could be achieved.
It seems to me that there a couple of reasons why the EP could be the way forward for music:
1) Shortening the production process (4/5 high quality songs) means there are no “filler tunes”, making the EP much more of a modern consumer focused purchase. e.g. a response to bite-sized culture
2) Creating more frequency (produce EPs more often) means the artist doesn’t disappear for months at a time, they are constantly active.
3) Reduced price means there is a clearer consumer benefit
4) Focus on the richness around the EP, give away an Augmented Reality desktop performance for example or maybe an exclusive entry into a fan club.
Like I said at the start, I’m no music connoisseur but I do love music. I love the artistry behind it, it would be a shame if these people weren’t rewarded for the passion they put into it. Let’s get behind the EP, let’s make that music’s future and see where we all end up.
Beth Ditto’s
