My take on Von and the record industry
Posted: 20 Jan 2006, 01:56
The 'dust may have settled' alittle, but I don't
see the industry as any more lucrative for
record companies or artists to make cds.
simple as that. In fact I think the whole
industry is still in the middle of morphing
into a state where artists can write and produce
in their bedrooms (with technology only previously
available in top-rent studios) and publishing it
on line- a medium still very much in its infancy
for this purpose - record companies are nowhere
near up to speed with the potential of the medium
for selling content - partly because the nature of
the medium is still being defined - in fact the
record company itself may no longer be significant,
if the costs of producing the art are low, and
the distribution issue is resolved by the internet.
Where does all this leave Von?
A guy wanting a fat load of money for his art?
Nothing wrong with that - If you believe your
art is of value, why not charge money for it?
If there is no viable avenue for him to do this,
he's not going to do it is he?
It would be more shrewed not to release anything.
Which is exactly what he is doing.
The Avenue in which to sell your art that remains
viable is of course to play live.
Which is also what he is doing.
I think Von's primary struggle, while he was
signed to warner, and now, is one of promotion;
how to (get the record company) to promote
your art to a general audience and avoid
being sidelined as a cult act;
How do you raise your profile, and promote
yourself (and your product) to a wider audience,
when all you have is a small
(but admittedly fanatical) fan base?
A stuggle made all the more acute now, since
for the reasons discussed earlier, they have
no physical product to sell.
see the industry as any more lucrative for
record companies or artists to make cds.
simple as that. In fact I think the whole
industry is still in the middle of morphing
into a state where artists can write and produce
in their bedrooms (with technology only previously
available in top-rent studios) and publishing it
on line- a medium still very much in its infancy
for this purpose - record companies are nowhere
near up to speed with the potential of the medium
for selling content - partly because the nature of
the medium is still being defined - in fact the
record company itself may no longer be significant,
if the costs of producing the art are low, and
the distribution issue is resolved by the internet.
Where does all this leave Von?
A guy wanting a fat load of money for his art?
Nothing wrong with that - If you believe your
art is of value, why not charge money for it?
If there is no viable avenue for him to do this,
he's not going to do it is he?
It would be more shrewed not to release anything.
Which is exactly what he is doing.
The Avenue in which to sell your art that remains
viable is of course to play live.
Which is also what he is doing.
I think Von's primary struggle, while he was
signed to warner, and now, is one of promotion;
how to (get the record company) to promote
your art to a general audience and avoid
being sidelined as a cult act;
How do you raise your profile, and promote
yourself (and your product) to a wider audience,
when all you have is a small
(but admittedly fanatical) fan base?
A stuggle made all the more acute now, since
for the reasons discussed earlier, they have
no physical product to sell.
Don't get me wrong - I am no fan of the majors!!