The Future of the Music Industry - Live Performance

Live performances have always interested me. Ever since I could, I started attending music events and concerts of my favourite artists every time they were in town. I want to explore this topic and think about what would happen in the future in the live music scene. I feel this is very important because music evolves along with technology - in all aspects. Before computers, musicians were playing instruments. Now you can produce tracks in your bedroom. It is the same with distribution. Before technology, you had to buy physical cassettes, CDs or vinyls to listen to music. Now, you can stream music online or buy music from online stores. Everything is happening online and music works around the evolution of technology, which is why I think it is interesting to explore this. No doubt the music performances will start changing.

Years ago, but not too long ago, musicians would just go on stage, play the instruments and perform (or do a DJ set) and just have a simple spotlight on them. Performances were very basic and straightforward. In the 70s and 80s though, when disco, synthpop and the electronic genre started to evolve, so did the performances. There was more focus on the production of a show and lighting started to have a bigger part in it. With lighting effects, shows started to evolve as well and artists started to include huge backdrops, logos and LED screens in their performances.

The idea to explore this topic and area of the music industry came after I watched the Daft Punk “Unchained” documentary few months back. Even though they are an electronic duo, they’ve had a huge impact on the industry and pop culture and have influenced many artists with their innovative ideas. Aside from music production, their live performances have been iconic, especially the infamous show at Coachella music festival in 2006. As shown in the documentary, anybody who wasn’t there, wish they were. Daft Punk haven’t been touring for a while up until that show, and Coachella tried to get Daft Punk to play every year. They declined. In 2006, however, they decided to do a live performance and kept the production of the show a secret. They came up with the idea themselves and didn’t even tell their manager. Nobody knew what they had in mind and when they turned up in the pyramid, it was very revolutionary. Playing around with robots and futuristic themes and machines has been a re-occurring thing in the live performance world, which is why I think this is relevant for the future of music and how those live events come together.

Porter Robinson, who has always stated Daft Punk has inspired him, puts his own twist on it. Only in the past few years, DJs and producers have started putting on live shows instead of DJ sets. To me, it shows that the electronic music scene has come a long way and has evolved a lot, especially in the past 10 years. Porter Robinson started out just few years ago when he first came out with his Spitfire EP, which was the first release from Skrillex’ label OWSLA. Within the EDM world, it became very popular and Porter got his foot into the music world. However he decided to step away from the ‘typical, generic’ EDM sound and sets and went down a different route. What I admire about him is that he doesn’t mind being the black sheep and doing something different. Fortunately, this has worked out for him because it brings him on another level. I got to experience his live show in the summer of 2015 at the Frequency festival in Austria and was blown away how perfectly it fit with his debut album Worlds that came out in 2014. Porter has always been a fan of the Japanese culture; in fact the dancing game Dance Dance Revolution has inspired him to produce his own music. Worlds works as a story, an alternate reality that makes listeners escape the real world and create a new one. It is very modern, atmospheric, futuristic but emotional at the same time and he incorporates that in his live shows. Although he doesn’t have any mecha set up on stage, he focuses more on the light engineering and visuals that include huge LED screens that project exactly what goes on in his head. The visuals are intense and the whole show definitely seems much less 1-dimensional than other shows where the producers just play a set through their laptop and go. Porter tells a story and it feels like a glitchy, melancholic movie that is accompanied by a great soundtrack. The whole atmosphere makes the audience connect and go on this magical journey together.

Below, I want to include the visuals that represent this and show his voyages through Japan. It has everything from video games and cartoons to anime.

Porter Robinson - 'Worlds' live tour visuals

While I have touched on the topic of Japan and its influences, I want to discuss Hatsune Miku. She is Japan’s holographic pop star and many say she might be the future of music, which I do agree with to an extent. But would people really pay to see a hologram perform? Short answer is yes. In Japan, she has sold out shows and even Pharrell Williams has done a collaboration with her. Miku started out as a Vocaloid, which is a software created by Yamaha that uses samples of human voices which can be manipulated in any way possible. She is a huge hit in the otaku subcultures but she also became a global phenomenon.

 Hatsune Miku

Upon exploring different artists and seeing how they prepare their live performances, looking at the visuals, stage set up and effects, I have come to a conclusion. Even though we live in days when technology constantly evolves, I don't think that the change of live music will be so drastic. Some say that the future will be different - due to hologram performances or virtual reality. But if you think about it, would both of these outputs catch on and become popular so soon? Oculus Rift is a headset that hasn't evolved to its full potential just yet. I recall trying it at a tech expo two years ago and even though it was cool and new, the graphics weren't that developed. It will take a few years to catch on. It would also create problems if it was used during live performances. But who would really 'go' to a live performance through a headset? Most music lovers can agree that this would just make the listeners feel disconnected from the music and the atmosphere. Virtual reality could have a lot of hype, but it wouldn't stay for long. It is the same as holograms. Hatsune Miku might be popular in Japan, but it's not like there are many random pop stars that are holograms. Hatsune Miku is popular because she is original and unique, and that is her own thing.

Tupac's 2012 Coachella performance was written about for a few months but fast forward to now, who is actually putting on hologram shows? Especially in the Western world. It might seem popular back in 2012 when it was seen as a new thing - and it was great because it was Tupac, but it's not real and people got over it. Thinking of artificial intelligence or virtual reality feels like too soon for the music industry and I highly doubt something like this would become a standard in the next 10 years.

In my opinion, the future of the live scene is still raw and organic. Artists are finding ways in which they can create spectacular performances that bring people together and create their own worlds. They explore different themes to create a certain atmosphere. In the electronic music world, I think that artists will be incorporating more mecha and robots in their live sets. Focusing mostly on visuals and special effects. Something that will make the audience remember. It is still very futuristic when compared to live performances 10 years ago.

So in which direction will live performances go? I honestly think that for the next 10 years, we will be seeing shows a la Deadmau5. His shows are visually interesting with images displayed on huge LED screens. Along with the light show, stage set up and special effects, it makes an unforgettable show.

Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3833822/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOdhRIU2aIc

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/dec/05/hatsune-miku-japan-hologram-pop-star

http://mic.com/articles/89785/how-creepy-holographic-concerts-are-transforming-the-future-of-the-music-business#.VfENzn1ri

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6141104/porter-robinson-edm-videogames

Key areas within the music industry: Live Performance

Live shows are great. They help the fans to connect with the artist on a more personal level. They are also necessary for developing upcoming artists and exposing their music. Seeing a performance at a venue or a festival can turn anybody that is attending into a fan. Myself, I end up going to a gig at least once a week.

Who is involved in the live music scene? 
No matter what kind of performance it is (for 1,000 people or 20,000 people,) to make a gig happen, you usually need the following:

Tour manager - They will make sure everything runs smoothly, manage the budgets and organise everything. From administration to schedule, they will guide you through the tour. They also get the payments in and deal with any problems the artist might come across.

Booking agent - Their job is to facilitate live performance, which mean they pitch the artists, arrange the performances, negotiate deals and arrange set ups. They work closely with event promoters too.

Promoter - Promoters host the event. They also promote it, make the flyers and posters to get the word out. In recent years, they have also started using various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which is a great way to advertise an event.


However, if there is more work to be put into a performance (visuals, special effects, light show,) more personnel is needed. In the creative direction, stage director, show director/manager, production manager, creative director/consultant join in.
The roadies also travel with artists on tours. They are technicians or support personnel and they consist of monitor engineers, sound engineers, lighting directors, lighting techs, guitar techs, drum techs, keyboard techs, bass techs and possibly pyrotechnic techs among others. Security guards, caterers and merchandise crew also get involved.
Of course, if it is a big show for a huge artist like Beyonce or Lady Gaga, they would also need choreographers, dancers, additional band members for the tour, stylists and makeup artists.
It is clear that many people are a part of the live scene and a lot of work has to be put into it and sometimes each person involved has an assistant as well.

How to book a gig?

The best way to book a gig is to e-mail the venue in advance. The artist pitch should be brief and a soundcloud link with a press kit can be attached, which can possibly increase the chances. Venues get many e-mails so it is good to follow up 2 weeks after the first e-mail. The payment should be negotiated before the show.


Marketing it

Online marketing is a great way to advertise an upcoming show of an artist. Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram are very essential tools to promote an event. It is an easy way to connect the artist to the audience. With Facebook's ability to create an event and invite people to it, it helps fans to keep track of all the important information.
Offline promotion is also good to get the word out. Aside from 'word of mouth,' posters and flyers can be made along with some merchandise.


How does a tour happen?

It is very different for an artist who is well known and highly demanded by the public and for an artist that is signed to an indie label with a specific type of audience (for example Beyonce vs. Flume)
Below, I will explain what needs to happen and general step by step guide on how to plan a tour for both of these artists that are completely different. Of course, each artist already has material out that they will be touring with.

Beyonce - Arena tour, 50,000 attendees per show (on average)
1. Since she is a worldwide sensation and signed to a well established label (Columbia Records, parent organisation is Sony,) she can afford to go 'all out.' So firstly, a budget is set (although it is a big one.)
2. Tour manager is hired, along with the whole team and departments, they decide when to go on tour, how many cities to visit, how many shows they will do, how much it will all cost. They will also plan the most convenient route.
3. After the general requirements are sorted out and planned, the marketing team along with art and promotion departments etc. work on the design and theme.
4. Once all that is planned, they announce times, dates and locations to the public and make tickets available for purchase (of course after deciding the ticket cost.)
5. The stage director/manager, production team and anybody in the creative department start working on the theme and what they are going to go for, what kind of set up they would want etc. or any other special effects. They also decide on the setlist.
6. They hire choreographers and hold auditions for backup dancers. Also get any other backup singers they may need and a band. Practice starts.
8. The creative team is working now with everyone else on visuals, special effects etc.
9. Sound, lighting technicians and engineers are hired.
10. Once everything is set up, rehearsals start happening. Along with the artist.
11. The whole styling team is hired and decide on the artist's look.
12. Once everything is set up and planned out, they also hire additional security, bus drivers, roadies (to help with equipment too), potentially a personal chef and masseuse/physiotherapist.

Flume - Smaller venues, 1,200 attendees per show (on average)
1. Tour manager is hired after a budget is set. They decide dates and locations and plan the route.
2. The marketing team along with art and promotion departments work on the theme and prepare the artwork for posters or any other promo.
3. The shows get announced, tickets go on sale (after ticket cost was decided.)
4. They hire some sound and lighting technicians and engineers to work on the creative aspect of the live set or visuals needed. They help with the whole vibe of the show based on the setlist.
5. The live show can be rehearsed, DJ sets - not really.
There can be only 2 people travelling with artists like Flume, usually managers.


It is very important for an artist to keep writing new music and go on tours frequently. If they don't, fans can lose interest. Live performances are also great to earn money, because most of the profit goes to the artist. This is very useful these days as records don't sell as much as they used to. With today's day and age, music streaming services or illegal downloads, artists have to come up with other ways to have some good income.

Key areas within the music industry: Artist management

For an artist, it is very important to have a manager. Without one, the artist would not be able to make the right career choices and things may get overwhelming. It is crucial, that an artist manager is hired in the beginning stages of the artist's career as he builds his/her team. They will act as the artist's parent, giving them support and help them make the best choices and guide the artist's career.

So where does one find a manager? That depends. You have Empire, Heavenly, LH, Midnight To Six, Big Life or 19 Management that are established artist management companies, so an artist can choose to go with one of them. Depending on their budget and expectations, they have to be careful when choosing one. It is an advantage to have a good relationship, somebody who cares about the artist and has a good plan of business development and some connection within the industry. 

It can be very usual for an artist to hire their friend at the beginning. A friend might seem like a good idea, but the artist needs somebody that can deal with any aspect of their career (getting a record deal, building the brand, booking shows, actively seeking any kind of employment for the artist) and somebody that understands the business and has connection. 

Up and coming managers with good feedback, genuine passion and connections might be the best bet. When selecting a manager, the artist should choose carefully, so meeting a few times might be a good idea. 

What exactly does the manager do? 

It is not an easy job, the manager needs to be passionate, determined, organized and hard working, willing to work long hours (that can include going to the artist's performances as well.) Generally, the manager promotes the artist's career and runs their business affairs. Below are some of the typical duties.

- Negotiating and signing a record contract or any other contract (with the help of a music lawyer.)

- Be up to date with the industry. Keep networking and building relationships. 

- Bookkeeping and budgeting. 

- Building and marketing the artist's image.

- Helping hire the rest of the team (such as the accountant, booking agent, tour manager, music lawyer etc.)

- Coordinating appearances and live performances.

- Making a career plan, having career goals. 

- Keep focus on the artist's career and stay away from being distracted by the frustrations or even the highly rewarding perks. 

- Be friendly, but professional. Being calm and resolving issues is very important.

Managing an artist requires interacting with people of all personalities (some with big egos) so it is necessary that the manager is composed and understands that he/she should not take some things personally. This also includes trying to find jobs for the artist. 

They have to work well under pressure and prepared to work anytime and anywhere. This can mean that there are no set office hours. 

It may seem like it is a hard job and very draining, however if the relationship between the artist and the manager is good, it doesn't have to seem like work at all. The manager gets to tag along with the artist and get a taste of the lifestyle and its perks from behind the scenes. And lastly, the salary is not bad at all. Usually, the manager gets 20% of the artist's income so depending how much work the artist gets, the manager can be very successful and make a lot of money along the way.

Key areas within the music industry: Publishing

A publishing company makes sure that the composers/artists receive payment when their compositions are used commercially. A legal contract is made between these two parties that confirms that the publishing company can publish the material created by the composer. The composer basically gives their copyright over to the publisher. This may involve only one piece of work, or a whole series.
A well known artist signed to any record label can be working with a publishing company. But anybody can be signed with a publisher. To make it simple, publishers are similar to record labels -they make deals with composers and promote their material to musicians or whoever would want to use their work. This could include anything from video games to movies, TV adverts, radio adverts, campaigns etc. Then they collect the licensing fees.

Example: "Make It Bun Dem" by Skrillex and Damian Marley has been used in a video game Far Cry 3 for PlayStation/Xbox/PC.. During this mission, the player has to destroy marijuana fields that belong to the enemies. He goes around using a flamethrower and anything flammable to burn those fields down. It is very fitting, apart from the obvious title and the lyrics that are repeated, this track is mostly dubstep-based with reggae vibes and vocals from Damian Marley (reggae genre and his father Bob Marley are almost seen as the ambassadors for cannabis consumption.) 

Types of music publishers

Similar to record labels, there are different types of these companies.

Major - These are the same as the "Big 3." Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing (largest in the world) and Warner/Chappell Music being the most known ones. 

Major Affiliated - Independent companies that have deals with the majors. The majors end up handling their licensing administration. Example: EMI Music Publishing.

Indie - Independent companies that are not affiliated with the majors. They have no deals and run by themselves. They handle the licensing administration on their own. Example: Kobalt Music Group.

Writer-publishers - They are basically the composers that are working on their own and handle everything on their own. They get paid for their work that is used and nobody else takes a cut out of the income from the material used.


Licensing fees and royalties

Publishers usually get 50% of the profits made from the material they have represented. This is because the composer (original owner of the work) signed a deal with the publisher and gave away a portion of the copyright for a set amount of time. Back in the day, publishing companies kept the rights of a song forever. Nowadays though, the publishers usually get some of the rights of the material for a set amount of time. The full rights then return to the original owner who could potentially renew the publishing deal.


So how does it work?

For performance royalties, the composer gets affiliated with a performing rights organisation (PRS) They register the material directly with many collection societies and collect the royalties on their behalf. Then they can receive payments regularly which is easier and the composer gets a frequent income. This helps set up all the publishing royalties the owner is owned. This means that radio stations, or anybody who broadcasts their music pays PRS who then pay the owner/publisher.

For mechanical royalties, the composer/publisher is entitled to a royalty every time the material is reproduced (vinyl, tape, mp3 etc.) and this works for any work produced. These royalties are paid to publishers by the record labels.

Synchronization royalties get to the composer through the publisher. These are compositions that have been used in movies, TV etc.

Example: Daft Punk's "Giorgio by Moroder" is used in an advert for the F1's Lotus driving team back in 2013. The team had Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean and Daft Punk have been seen walking about with them at the Monaco Grand Prix to support their own race car. The car was designed by Lotus and Columbia Records as a tribute to the French duo. Lotus and Daft Punk/Columbia Records have obviously used each other to gain more exposure. This was also the year that the highly anticipated Random Access Memories album came out.

The copyrights owned and administered by publishing companies are one of the most important forms of intellectual property in the music industry. The publishing companies can also sign a deal with a composer who would write new material from scratch. For example, if they needed a movie soundtrack, they would ask the composer to come up with a set amount of tracks and even guide them creatively. 

Key areas within the music industry: Record Labels

If you are interested in the music industry and want to know more about it, then keep reading. You may find out things that you were not aware of and that there is more to it than seeing your favourite artist on TV or hearing their song on the radio. A lot of work goes into it and there are many important aspects we will explore. In the upcoming posts, I am going to talk about and explain the 4 key areas in the music industry: Record Labels, Publishing Companies, Artist Management and Live Scene.

This post will be about record labels. What is the difference between major and indie labels? Who is in charge of signing new artists? Which one would be better for an artist?

What are the major and indie labels?

Record labels are companies that take care of manufacturing, promotion and distribution of recorded music. There are two types of record labels; major and independent (indie) and they are both different. You may think that there are many major labels to go to, but in fact there are just 3. They are Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. Together they are known as 'The Big 3." 

All the other big labels such as Columbia, Def Jam, Epic, Atlantic, Island etc. are actually sub-labels. Any other labels that run without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels are independent labels. Labels such as Future Classic, Monkeytown Records, Mad Decent, OWSLA, XL Recordings or Young Turks all belong into the indie label category. 

Major vs Indie... which one is better?

There are pros and cons to both of these types of labels and I will explore them both. Usually, a new artist starts out with an indie label and then moves to a major one. That however depends on the artist and how s/he is filling to establish herself/himself. Some artists stay with the same labels throughout their whole career. It comes down to preferences and which direction they want to take.

Major Label - PROS

- Networking and connections within the industry. Being in the business for many decades, they know who to go to and who will benefit them both the most. 

- Funding. Major labels have a lot of money and they invest in a lot of it into their artists. This will be very useful to do high quality recordings, global physical distribution, digital distribution, world tours, music video shoots and anything that will take the brand further.

- Major labels are huge and so this makes them more respected in the industry. For example, they have a bigger chance to get their artist to do an interview for Rolling Stone magazine than an indie label would. Major record labels are established and have a big impact.

Major Label - CONS

- If an artist doesn't make a good first impression and have successful sales, the label might lose interest and move onto their other artists that are more successful. At the end of the day, they are big businesses and want to work with artists that make them the most money. If the artist does well, s/he will get good responses.

- When a major label signs an artist, they own them for the duration of a contract. They have the creative control over the artist and their music. 

- Possibilities of small royalties. 

- Employees come and go and there are many employees within a major label. This could cause confusion, miscommunication or a change of relationship.

Indie Label - PROS

- The relationships between the artist and the indie label tend to be much better. This is due to the fact that there are far less people working at the label and it's more like a big family. The label cares about the artist and tend to genuinely enjoy their music. They believe in them and help them grow in all ways.

- The artist gets to keep their rights once the song is recorded, which is a big benefit. 

- The indie label might consult the artist about their music but the artist has creative control over their music. 

- Indie labels have much smaller rosters of their artists and so they will be getting more attention.

Indie Label - CONS

- Since they are independent, they do have much smaller budgets due to their lack of funds. This could also have an impact on the marketing of the artist's work. 

- Due to being a small company, an indie label does not have the power of a major record label when it comes to connections and power in the industry. 

- Indie labels tend to be less formal, and more laid back and some things could go overlooked (correct payments etc.)

Who is involved in a label?

CEO - In charge of the whole company. President/vice presidents in charge of different departments as well.
Legal department - Responsible for all the contracts or any legal issues.
Business Affairs department - In charge of any payments and bookkeeping.
A&R department - aka artist and repertoire. This department is in charge of signing and discovering new talent. They help with pretty much everything and are the middle men between the artist and the rest of the label.
Promotion department - They try to sell the artist to the public in the best way (for example working with radio pluggers so they play their new songs on the radio or have their music videos played on music channels etc.)
Artist Development department - They plan the artist's career while they are signed to the label.
Marketing department - They create marketing plans and help with the publicity, promotions and sales.
Publicity department - Generally arrange newspapers/blogs/magazines to write about the artist or any other coverage that exposes them.
New Media department - They help out with the social media platforms. Has been added in the recent years since internet and technology became a big part of our lives. They help the artist create an online presence.
Record Label Liaison department - The decision makers when it comes to releasing an album - release dates etc.
Sales department - They work with record sales shops to get the artist's work to the retailers.
Art department - In charge of all the artwork.

These charts and departments are showing the set up of big labels. Depending on the label's size, they can have 100s of people working there. This is a big difference between these labels and indie labels. In an indie label, they can have only 5 or 10 people working there. For example, one person might be in charge of many departments at once. For example, they could be doing all the promotions, marketing, publicity and sales at once. This could be a problem for the indie labels and the people working there, depending on their roster. It may be too overwhelming and they might be working long hours which could decrease the quality in their work.