Part 1: Shadow Language Guitar Quartet interview

The Shadow Language Guitar Quartet is an electric guitar ensemble organized by guitarist Ken Rosser. This extraordinary group of musicians recently debuted at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts in Los Angeles, performing pieces by Paul Lansky, Betsey Biggs, Mick Goodrick, Rob Wannamaker, and Fred Frith.

Electric guitar ensembles are something I have always been involved with. The instrument's iconoclastic nature makes it a versatile tool in the hands of a skilled composer and an exceptional ensemble.

In this chapter Ken discusses his longstanding interest in guitar chamber music and the origins of this group. In the chapters that follow he discusses the other musicians and the repertoire of their debut gig. In the final chapters Ken demonstrates some of the unique techniques involved in Rob Wannamaker's piece and gives us a taste of Mick Goodrick's music.

Dave Holland..a true jazz legend..check out his new website!

Dave Holland, the master jazz bass player, composer, and band leader has a new website:

http://www.daveholland.com/  

Check it out. Take a look around. There is some great stuff here. Extra kudos to Dave for kickin' it on the web and really digging into the power of social networking...

Ken Rosser's Shadow Language Guitar Quartet

Performing tonight (2-7-10) at The Eagle Rock Center For The Arts...7 pm. Here's a clip of Ken checking out my Ransom Tele at today's Wirechoir rehearsal...

Updated 2-10-2010: The concert was fabulous. Stay tuned for an in-depth video interview with Ken...

Independent Music Publishing: What's Working, What's Ahead?

On Tuesday evening the California Copyright Conference (CCC) hosted a lively panel of independent music publishers discussing the current state of their industry; what’s working, the challenges ahead and opportunities for innovation. The panel was moderated by Eric Polin, Sr. VP, Music Publishing, Universal Pictures, and Jonathan Rosner, President of the CCC and co-President of Bicycle Music.

The panel:

David Hirshland - President, Bug Music
Kathy Spanberger - peermusic, President, Anglo American Region
Kenny MacPherson – President, Chrysalis Music Group
Randall Wixen - President and Founder, Wixen Music Publishing
Ron Sobel - President of North Star Media; Partner at Winogradsky/Sobel; and Chair/Music Business Division, McNally Smith College of Music

The companies represented range in size and manage a mix of established and independent artists. Most are grounded in traditional catalog administration, but North Star Media in particular partners with unknown artists without mechanical or performance royalties and is primarily focused on artist development and leveraging innovative revenue streams and new media opportunities.

The panel felt that this was generally a good time to be an independent publisher. David Hirshland discussed the dangers of complacency and the need to repurpose catalogs and encourage writers to work in new, creative ways. Randall Wixen said that his company is being approached by many new artists who are looking for more attention from publishing partners due to shrinking or non-existent advances from record labels. All the panelists emphasized the importance of quality and focusing on great music. David Hirshland: “It’s still about being moved by what you hear…” Kathy Spanberger discussed the importance of partnering with artists who have a strong work ethic because of the demands of social media and the exploding opportunities provided by the Internet.

The panel discussed “360 deals” and the trend for publishers to expand their services beyond catalog administration. While none of the speakers would consider their services truly “360”, they are all innovating aggressively, seeking out new revenue streams and pushing artist development as mechanical royalties decline.

Ron Sobel threw down the gauntlet (at one point donning a referee’s shirt), opening an energetic discussion on the practice of issuing minimal or “free” synch licenses to build and artist’s brand. He shared the story of an unknown artist who approached him to manage his catalog. Sobel was appalled to see that he had issued a synch license to MTV for $1 until he saw his ASCAP statements which had generated a living wage for eight years and helped the artist build his career. The idea of “free” was discussed quite passionately, particularly by Kenny MacPherson, who was strongly opposed to lowering the bar for synch licensing fees. All the panelists shared a concern for the de-valuation of music catalogs but acknowledge the need to examine each deal on a case by case basis.

Ron Sobel discussed his role as a teacher and asked where this industry will be in 2020. “If we don’t innovate I think we lose.”

For more information on the California Copyright Conference and their monthly panels see their website: www.theccc.org

Mike Clinco Quartet at The Oyster House

I caught guitarist and composer, Mike Clinco with his quartet, at The Oyster House in North Hollywood Monday night. Mike is a fluid, melodic player with a warm, open, sound and a great relaxed feel. He has worked with many extraordinary artists including: Bo Diddley, Bobby McFerrin, Ella Fitzgerald and Henry Mancini. Mike has composed music for film and television, including underscore and source music for ‘Big Shots’, ‘Outer Limits’, and ‘Sex in The City’.

Mike’s group featuring Jeff Driscoll on tenor, Adam Cohen on bass, and Bob Leatherbarrow on drums, played a mix of originals, jazz standards, and tunes by John Abercrombie, Jerry Bergonzi, Vic Juris, and Marc Johnson (“Union Pacific” from The Sound of Summer Running...a great record featuring Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell and Joey Baron). Singer Janelle Sadler and trumpeter Ron King sat in for a couple of tunes adding their magic to the mix.

The sound of the group was conversational, chamber jazz with a swinging groove and a deep pocket thanks to Adam and Bob. The melodic interplay between the guitar and sax was super musical and sensitive. The rhythm section listened hard, provided solid, energizing support and contributed some nice solos.

Mike and I both studied with the late Charlie Banacos, legendary jazz educator. In one way or another, Charlie’s influence touched many of the musicians who were there last night. 

Great players and a wonderful night of music. Thanks Mike! I’m looking forward to the next gig...

Are you ready for Telegigging and Songles?

Computer scientist, musician, and philosopher, Jaron Lanier, has created a fascinating, intelligent, critique of digital collectivism in his new book, You Are Not A Gadget. This is not the cynical rant of a Luddite, but a serious examination of the dehumanizing potential of technology. Mr. Lanier compares the impact of Web 2.0 paradigms on humanism and individuality to the relationship between MIDI and music. He makes convincing arguments questioning the rhetoric of the digital gurus, and proposes several fascinating new approaches to the cultural and financial conundrums presented by the explosion of the Internet into our lives.

Building a personal music brand with blogs and RSS...

Blogging is an indispensable tool for building a personal brand online. RSS feeds provide a slick way to manage blogs and stay on top of your online community. Here are a few things musicians may find useful:

• If you are using a Mac, as many musicians are, you can add a folder to your Bookmark Bar for your favorite music related blogs. When viewing a site in Safari, click the RSS button in the URL address field. The page will change into a list of all blog posts for this site. The view can be customized with the tools in the right sidebar. Add a bookmark to the folder you have created for this page. When new posts are added, a number indicating new posts will appear to the right of your bookmark (as well as the Bookmark Bar folder). You can do the same thing with any RSS reader, but this is particularly easy with Safari.
• Review your favorite blogs each day and add comments to posts you are interested in. Be sure to direct folks back to your blog or website to keep the connection and conversation going. This is a simple, effective way to stay connected with like-minded musicians and industry bloggers.
• You can use RSS feeds to deliver customized content in any number of other ways as well. For example, if you are looking for a job, you can create a custom search at Indeed.com (or any number of other sites), view as RSS and bookmark. This is much more efficient and manageable than sorting through piles of daily email notifications.
• Make sure that your website and blog are set up for RSS so that your community can follow you and easily engage in the conversation.
• If you visit topical websites that are not RSS enabled (for example, local live music listings wherever you may be), let the site owners know that you want to subscribe to an RSS feed.

RSS is a powerful tool that will help you to keep your blog current and communicate with your community, whether you are at home, on a laptop somewhere, or using a mobile device.

Just remember, always be authentic in your communication. Before you hit the 'post' button ask yourself if you really have something to say that is adding value and coming from a deeper personal place.

Support live music in LA...

One of the things I have really enjoyed since moving to Los Angeles a few years ago is the incredible wealth of skilled musicians living here. The boom years of the recording industry attracted and developed a remarkable pool of talent. One could work in music in this town for decades and still not meet half of the great players and writers.

The live instrumental music scene in LA is perplexing. Any night of the week you can hear world class musicians that would be A Big Event anywhere else, particularly outside of the United States, yet the local scene never seems to take off. I would love to do my part to instigate change. One of the best ways to start change in a difficult situation is to figure out what's already working and do more of that. On that note I have some ideas to start a conversation with local music fans:

1. CD release parties and special gigs always seem to be well attended by friends who generally spread the word. Even if you don't get out to see all the shows you would like, keep track of what's happening each week in the clubs and post upcoming gigs by your favorite artists on Facebook, Twitter, your blog. It only takes a minute.
2. Email artists you like. Get on their mailing lists. Ask them what they are doing to promote local music and what you can do to help. Are they using social networking and the web to it's fullest potential? What clubs do they like best and where do they see the most potential growth? Let them know you're a fan!
3. Become a fan of local musicians and venues on Facebook, etc. Comment on gigs you like and let the club owners know what's working.
4. Blog about local music. Spread videos and recommendations.
5. If you don't know where to find great live instrumental music contact me and I'll share what I know!

Any other ideas?

Music and The Curse of Knowledge

One of the greatest sources of alienation and disillusion for professional musicians is the profound sense that their deep love of music and lifelong commitment to developing their skill, is completely invisible and unappreciated by non-musicians. It’s easy to becoming bitter when you see a crowd jump out of their seats for ‘The Chicken Dance’ at a wedding, yet the original piece of music you have rehearsed for weeks is completely ignored and/or misunderstood by the few people that hear it (often friends showing up out of sympathy for the disenfranchised artist).

There is a tendency to try to balance this phenomena by dumbing down the music, making a more ‘commercial’ record, hiring a mediocre singer simply because they look good on stage and bring in a crowd. This only leads to furthering the distance between musician and listener, deepening the cycle of bitterness and isolation (“...nobody likes my stuff anyway, so I’ll just climb into a hole and write really weird music…”).

We want others to be as moved by music as we are. Why is this so difficult for many of us to achieve? The explanation for this phenomena, and the way out of the artist’s conundrum, is understanding The Curse of Knowledge. This principle is well articulated in Chip and Dan Heath’s book, “Made To Stick”, which I heartily recommend. The idea is that, once we know something, it is very difficult to imagine what our experience would be without that knowledge. A professional musician has spent years developing their ability to hear, perform, and understand music. The simple act of listening to a commercial on television triggers a complex array of associations, emotions, and physical reactions that a non-expert does not experience.

So, how do we bridge communication and understanding between musician and audience? The behavioral change must come from the artist. The key is to find common ground for both parties. It has to be real to avoid the ‘dumbing down effect’. Put yourself in the listener’s position. How will they respond to your music, emotionally, physically, the visual presentation, etc.? Of course, appreciating music is a very personal experience, built on exposure throughout a lifetime, but there do seem to be certain musical phenomena that resonate almost universally and stick with people for hundreds of years. How can you use this idea to connect with your audience without compromising the deepest, most personal elements of your work?

Leveraging Internet Music Distribution

In a recent survey by British think tank Demos, researcher Peter Bradwell found that music listeners who participated in illegal file sharing behavior spent more money on music than listeners who did not admit to using illegal services. Two key paradigm shifts created by Internet distribution come to mind:

1. Distribution, whether as playlists, recommendations, or downloads, is largely controlled by fans, not record labels or content creators.
2. The per unit cost of ‘digital copies’ is essentially zero.

This creates a situation in which even an unlicensed transaction has value for the content owner; a possible new fan, and marketing data. The first challenge is to leverage that value. The second is creating legit services that provide a vastly better user experience than illegal file sharing at a competitive price. In addition, why not simply license file sharing behavior, leveling the marketplace? I know, easier said than done. The issues of copyright infringement are significant, but a major roadblock is the complexity of the traditional royalty model.

People will pay for innovative, superior products. Apple is a great example. Everyone grumbles about the proprietary nature of their business model, but folks are still lining up for iPhones in a recession. The music industry has the potential to transform itself, ushering in a new era of compelling, competitive, Internet marketing and distribution services. Executing will take hard work, visionary thinking, and cooperation.

The Future of The Professional Musician

As the music business continues to shift, the future vision for professional musicians remains a work in progress. By professional, I mean a person who has devoted themselves to the mastery of one or several of the musical arts. This would include instrumentalists, composers, orchestrators, songwriters, recording engineers, educators and producers. Music is a deep and profound human language and I think Malcolm Gladwell is fairly accurate when he sets the bar for mastery at 10,000 hours. For most people pursuing music on this level, a professional career is essential to that process.

To the general public, ‘The Music Industry’ is about pop music entertainers who may or may not be truly accomplished musicians. The topical conversations about freemium and direct-to-fan marketing have been focused on self-contained bands or singer-songwriters. The fact is, there are many complex business models contained within the music industry and all are been shaken up by the rapid changes in technology and the global economy. How do you plan your career if you are not primarily a singer-songwriter or performer?

Professional musicians have always relied on multiple income streams to make money. Today, the business is changing so quickly that musicians will need not only a thorough understanding of the traditional elements of the business, but will also need to master the Internet to brand and market themselves. As you start your career, think about what you do best. What strengths do you have that can be applied to marketing, networking and business? Frank Zappa used to ask people he was auditioning, “What do you do that’s amazing?” That’s a great place to start.

Who is your target audience? Whether they are music fans, film producers, music supervisors, educators, technology managers, or other musicians, be clear about your unique brand and use every tool at your disposal to get the word out and build your network. Educate yourself about the intricacies of music publishing and licensing. Get involved in the conversations about the future of copyright. See how you can apply direct-to-fan marketing strategies like Mike Masnick’s CwF + RtB = $$ to your career goals.

There are many excellent blogs and resources on the web. There’s a good article in the latest issue of Berklee Today on Gerd Leonhard and his ideas for collective licensing and web marketing for musicians. Don’t get stuck on old paradigms. Even traditional aspects of the music business such as publishing, are in flux. The process of change will only accelerate and the successful business models of the future will be entirely new.

The challenge is finding a balance between the need for self-promotion and the passionate pursuit of music. It’s not easy to spend twelve hours a day immersed in music and then put on your marketing hat. Planning is key. First figure out what you do best, then set specific goals for your career. The tools for self-promotion can be overwhelming. Having strong mission and vision statements and clear milestones and benchmarks will help you identify the tools and strategies that will work best for you.

Above all, stay connected to the music inside you.

Impermanence & Innovation in the Music Biz...

Michael Masnick’s great presentation at NARM 2009 really lit a spark in me. While many of us want to hold onto or modify the old business models in this industry, everything has changed.

The supply of digital music far exceeds the demand, and most everything is available in one form or another for 'free'. The devaluation of recorded music mandates the development of new, innovative business and collective licensing models.

As Tim Hurson states in his book, Think Better, reproductive thinking can only go so far. No amount of incremental improvement will ever turn an adding machine into a spreadsheet. Creative problem solving, the back and forth between out-of-the-box thinking and structured strategic planning, is the key to breaking free from old paradigms and dead ideas into new, productive territory. The urgent need for new ideas increases daily as the globe shrinks and technology continues to disrupt.

Rudder: Matorning

I'm loving the new disc by NYC-based Rudder - Matorning. This is what might happen if Eddie Harris, Medeski, Martin & Woods, Zawinul, P-Funk, and The Prodigy had a BBQ in The Fun House. Killer trippy, electro-funk wackiness. Takes me back to Miles in the 70s...

Thoughts on the DIY Utopia...

Reading Paul Resnikoff's article, The DIY Utopia, struck a chord with me. Jazz musicians and composers have been living under the radar of the pop music biz forever. Typically their 'art' is one of multiple music-related income streams.

The quality of the music and the musicianship is key. Good music moves people, brings them together, and naturally creates community. A powerful piece of music can create a relationship with the listener that lasts a lifetime. This shouldn't be too hard to market, particularly if you have a defined niche. Mediocrity on the other hand, is a hard sell. The question is, "Can this model scale to the mainstream music industry?"

Appaloosa Review

OK, I have seen enough Westerns that I am more or less done with the genre. But I am always open to something new. I am a big Robert B. Parker fan, I love Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons, Renee Zellweger and Jeff Beal’s music so I had to see Appaloosa, although I regretfully missed it on the big screen.
Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen play two hired guns, brought into Appaloosa to do battle with the violent, power-hungry rancher (Jeremy Irons) who has shot the former sheriff and deputy. The classic Western setup...good guys take on evil sociopath and his large posse and clean up town. Of course, there is a mysterious and beautiful woman (Renee Zellweger) to keep things interesting.
What sets this film apart from the standard fare are the many unexpected subtle twists and turns. The plot never quite goes where you expect. The film focuses on the relationship between Harris and Mortensen and the gradual unveiling of Renee Zellweger’s enigmatic character. Mr. Harris is a brilliant storyteller and skillfully balances the classic Western backdrop (the film looks absolutely gorgeous) with fresh characters and plot twists. For example, Harris’ character reads Emerson and uses $50 words unexpected from a gun slinger. The gag is, he tends to forget words, and continually looks to his strong, silent sidekick, who even more surprisingly, completes his sentences. Shades of Spencer and Hawk...
There is some classic Robert B. Parker-style dialog as well. In one of my favorite scenes, Mortensen’s character is attempting to start a difficult conversation with Harris about Renee Zellweger’s indiscretions. Harris interrupts him, explaining that while he is the perfect sidekick, he will never be the fastest gun in The West because he has feelings, and “Feelings get you killed.” Mortensen asks him about his feelings for Zellweger and Harris replies, “I cared about Allie in town and I’ll care about her when I get her back, but right now there’s something runnin’ and we’re trying to catch it.” Great stuff...

Jeff Beal’s score provides the perfect backdrop for Ed Harris’ masterful character development; expansive, understated and slightly whimsical. He covers the requisite Western territory (nods to Morricone) with a light touch and strong melodic themes. He introduces new flavors, including his own trumpet, and atmospheric textures, without straying far from the genre. There is great fiddling by Sid Page throughout the score. The end credits feature a well-picked Tom Petty tune and a Johnny Cash-ish original penned by Harris & Beal. Ed Harris’ vocal performance is a real kick.
At first glance, Appaloosa appears to be a semi-standard Western. In the end, it feels like a personal, independent film; a slightly quirky, character study in Western clothing....not any easy feat to pull off. Highly recommended!