Proven Leadership Found in the NFL, Not the Music Industry

By Amir Said

Why is the NFL's business model so solid, and why is there so much talent parity throughout the league? I'll tell you why: It's because the NFL values veteran leadership. Indeed, the NFL routinely recycles proven winners at coaching and front office positions.

In contrast, the major record companies have traditionally relied on leadership that was never REALLY proven at all. In the old music industry, a "hit record" was secured through the avenues of traditional media and controlled distribution channels. So when traditional media gave way to new media and when new distribution channels opened up, fraudulent music experts were exposed.

Success of Miami Dolphins: One Example of NFL's Solid Business Model

The competitiveness of the Miami Dolphins football team is not a fluke. It is a direct result of Bill Parcells' proven leadership. On the other hand, the so-called proven track record of some of the music industry's greatest names is not the result of their leadership, but instead the benefit of a rigged playing field that virtually guaranteed hit records—so long as the general public only had real access to just a few artists already in the machine. And now that music listeners have real access to choice and variety, it should come as no surprise that many of the music industry's most celebrated leaders have nothing really to celebrate at all.

Don't Touch That Dial: Radio Ain't the Radio Anymore

By Amir Said

In case you haven't noticed, radio broadcasting is increasingly losing its influence over the general public's music listening (and buying) decisions. In his rather organic and illuminating study, author and Wired Magazine Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson notes that "in 1993, Americans spent an average of twenty-three hours and fifteen minutes per week tuned in to the radio;" and that by the spring of 2004, that figure "had dropped to nineteen hours and forty-five minutes" (a 15% decline), bringing traditional radio listenership to a "twenty-seven year low." To be certain, traditional radio listenership continues to spiral downward. In fact, if the current rate of decline simply holds up, 2009 will show an 8% decrease in traditional radio listenership. This means that since 1993, there will have been at least a 25% nosedive in traditional radio listenership—a rather precipitous drop, to say the least.

Where Have All the Traditional Radio Listeners Gone and Why

There are many reasons why radio listenership continues to decline at such a rapid pace. Radio behemoth Clear Channel and its one-size-fits-all radio centralization—what Anderson rightfully regards as Clear Channel's bland homogenization—has indeed played a role. And we can not overlook the fact that the increasing lack of artistry found in the music industry-pushed "hits" has also prodded some music listeners away from the radio. But these factors represent the under card. The main event—if you will—is choice and variety.

Remember when we "heard it on the radio?" Well, yeah, that was back when we really had no choice. Let's remember: Traditional radio represents the old “hit” music model of narrow choice and low variety; no choice or variety meant that you had to listen to the radio and whatever traditional media deemed as a hit. But the web age has truly brought more choice and variety through a myriad of more music listening options. With the expansion and popularity of the internet as well as the advent of the must-have iPod and other MP3 players, many traditional radio listeners peeled away from the radio and moved towards those options that, in effect, allowed them to be their own personal radio programmers.

So Who’s still listening to the radio?

Whether due to unchecked arrogance or denial, broadcast radio culture has failed to see the writing on the wall. Indeed, instead of opening up their programming and shifting to a more variety-based structure, radio stations (particularly in the urban market) are pairing down their playlists, essentially walling them off from the threat of any real variety. So entrenched is this culture that many of the same household radio personalities from 1993 are still on the radio in the same regional markets. This certainly begs the question, How can the very people who have been behind the wheel during the decline in radio listenership still be given the keys to drive broadcast radio towards new horizons? The answer, of course, is: They can't!

In fact, I would argue that many of these held-over radio personalities have been left in place just to cater to those music listeners who have yet to escape the traditional radio programming model. After all, if there is as much as 75% of the once-mighty radio listenership, one can understand why the grand old music industry is still supporting the old radio model. For the music industry—which is seemingly dedicated to bleeding manufactured formulas dry—is always the last to know when something new has emerged, and something old has died.

(1) Anderson, Chris, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, (New York: Hyperion, 2006), 35.

Prosumer Music Nation: When Consumers Suddenly Become Professional Musicians

By Amir Sa'id
(Originally published on BeatTips.com)

When electronics giant Best Buy recently announced the launch of their in-store "Club Beats" section -- a section specifically for DJ and music production-related products -- my first thought was: Sam Ash and Guitar Center may soon need to merge. My next thought was: This will inevitably further effect the quality of "professional" music.

Before I ever owned an EMPI (Electronic Music Production Instrument) of any sort, I already knew that the creative musical process was a daunting task mastered only by those who spent extended hours in music studies, and those who pledged the depths of their imagination and ingenuity in the service of making art. I also knew that even the most money-inspired music artists had standards of quality and professionalism. That was then.

There has always been high-end and low-end music audio and recording gear and equipment. But some time around 1995, mid-end gear began taking a stronger hold of all gear sales; subsequently creating a new music gear and equipment retail market commonly known as the "prosumer" market.

No other music sector has been impacted by the prosumer market explosion more than hip hop/rap music. Hip hop/rap music, made chiefly through the art of beatmaking, has long been achievable through audio recording tools of low ability. Thus, as technological advancements made it more possible and, I should add, much more practical for EMPI manufacturers to assemble products for the prosumer market, more consumer-musicians (hobbyists) aggressively pursued the ranks of professional musicians. This was cool, so long as the pursuit of the professional music career included a respect for and recognition of the demands of the artistic integrity-based creative musical process.

But the rapid development of the prosumer market has had unexpected consequences in hip hop/rap music. Although technological advancements have, in effect, handed over the music-making process (in this case, beatmaking) to virtually anyone, it has also not only diluted the creative musical process, it has blurred the line between consumer-musician and professional musician. Now, I'm all for more consumers being able to actively participate in the world of music-making. That being said, however, this occurrence should not come at the price of losing standards of quality that the hip hop/rap music and beatmaking traditions have long employed.

If we look at the case of Soulja Boy Tell "Em, perhaps the most well-known case of a consumer-musician in recent history to leap fast into the ranks of professional musicians, we can see a great deal. Less we forget, Soulja Boy's rise to stardom had more to do with a teenager's effective use of the social media websites, MySpace and YouTube, than it did with a respectable knowledge of and serious commitment to either the art of rapping or beatmaking. This is not a knock against Soulja Boy, or any other rapper/beatmaker of similar vocation. Instead, this is a reminder of how notions of "quality" hip hop/rap music can easily be misconstrued. When a one-time occurrence like a dance craze and social media phenomenon propels the commercial success of a record, in this case, Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," which was predicated upon a pedestrian-level hip hop/rap beat, there is the risk that far too many people will perceive such a record as some measurement of quality. When this happens, many consumer-musicians (many of which who are not too committed to the creative musical process in the first place) surmise that they, too, can capture lightning in the bottle. Inevitably, what happens next is an onslaught of similar beats, and similar "dance crazes." And with so many people duplicating the exact same sub-par, incredibly minimalistic (for all the wrong reasons) beats, the concept of a quality beat and/or a professional musician is dramatically compromised.

Regardless of region, age, race, or ethnicity, whenever there's a lack of commitment to the art of rapping and beatmaking, and a dilution of the concept of a quality beat and a professional musician, hip hop/rap music suffers; and hip hop culture becomes more trivial, while its power and appeal weakens. When this phase occurs in hip hop/rap music, the only solution is a reaffirmation of what constitutes an artistic integrity-based creative musical process. This brings me back to Soulja Boy.

What is most interesting and revealing about Soulja Boy's case is the fact that his recent reported musical association with Kanye West might be less of a reflection of marketing a new music project, and more of a reflection of his recognition of what constitutes higher quality in hip hop/rap music. In an interview with XXL Magazine (October), Soulja Boy said of Kanye West, "I work with a lot of artists but out of all of the artists I worked with I think that's the only artist that try to push my talent to the next level, like it wasn't easy working with him..." (XXLMag) And in an interview with KeepItTrill.com (November), Soulja Boy said, “Me as a producer, I think I’ve grown tremendously;” while further revealing that Kanye showed him "a lot of stuff." (KeepItTrill.com)

So even if Soulja Boy doesn't recognize that his future success depends upon his commitment to a more informed, more artistic integrity-based creative musical process, at least he's acknowledging that Kanye West, unlike him, is widely recognized for pushing music talents to the next level. Moreover, Soulja Boy seems to be reaffirming my point: That the consumer-musician's leap to the ranks of professional musicians is cool, so long as there's a recognition of the demands of an artistic integrity-based creative musical process.

In summary, Best Buy's recent muscle-move into the prosumer music audio and recording market will inevitably put the EMPIs of beatmaking into the hands of more consumers than ever before. This, in turn, will increase the number of consumer-musicians who aspire to join the ranks of professional musicians. So what does this mean for the metrics of quality in hip hop/rap music in the future? Well, on one hand this means that there will be further dilution of the concepts of a quality beat and a professional musician. On the other, this could mean something beautiful. You see, there is one important "X factor" that must be considered here. Unlike typical music audio and recording stores, Best Buy receives a heavy load of kid (tween) foot-traffic. And thus, the earlier a consumer dives into the art of beatmaking and the creative musical process -- without any interference from those who are less committed to the art and craft -- the more likely it will be that the consumer will be able to really study and learn the art of beatmaking and the broader hip hop/rap music tradition. Should this happen, and I believe it will, the overall quality of hip hop/rap music will soar.

Johnnie Taylor - "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone"

One thing that has been lost in music is the intimate lounge and small room performances that used to take place. This live performance of Johnnie Taylor from the exceptional 'Wattstax' documentary, provides a glimpse into what exactly made soul music so alluring.
-Sa'id

Serius Jones - 'Life As Serius'

There are many different ways to essentially do the same damn thing. In hip hop/rap music, marketing and promotional tools are often duplicated without any sense of character or individualism. When rappers began doing their own "movies," it was immediately clear to me that the norm was going to be some half-assed cliched look at life in "the streets." And though I have seen a couple of decent "do it yourself" street videos, for the most part, I have yet to be impressed... That is, until now.

In Life As Serius, rapper Serius Jones and directors Winfield Ezell, Jr. and Dave Wilson bring us a "do it yourself" film that delivers a distinctly honest and glaring look at the life of a black male trying to make it in seemingly opposing worlds. The movie scorns the exhausted "king of the hustle and streets" approach, and instead focuses on offering a fair and well-rounded glimpse at Serius Jones' story of family, school, crime, and friendship. The tone and flow of Life As Serius is just as much "matter-of-fact" as it is subtle. Nothing appears overstated or contrived. Moreover, the message, which clearly underscores the balance of this impressive work, is that in order for one to truly make it in the music industry (or indeed life in general) they must embrace they're own unique nature and then proceed accordingly with perseverance. If Serius Jones sticks to this formula, he will undoubtedly see many measures of success.

-Amir "Sa'id" Said

Serius Jones presents Life is Serius[The Movie] from IrunsNY on Vimeo.

RIAA "Bloodbath" Clears Way For Permissive Sampling

Due to steadily declining CD sales and a weakened economy, music industry revenue plummeted from $14.5 billion to $8.5 billion, between 1999 and 2008. In that time, changes and staff reductions at the RIAA, the music industry's largest trade group in America, have been ongoing. But the recent round of job cuts at the RIAA, which are expected to come down as early as next Tuesday, are being called a "bloodbath" by an insider source at hypebot.com. In addition to some positions being limited by attrition, layoffs are expected to claim anywhere between 31 to 90 of the company's 104 employees, or at least no less than 30% of RIAA's entire workforce, according to CNET News.

Recent woes at the RIAA are just the latest example of the cost the music industry is having to pay for years of bad policy. Wild West style mergers and acquisitions has left just four major labels (Universal, Sony, BMG, and Warner) that dominate recorded music. After industry consolidation, the "Big 4" wasted no time in limiting and centralizing their product. C- and B-list artists, who through their creativity and individuality had long maintained decent and core fan bases, increasingly found themselves without a label home. Moreover, the labels shifted from an album-based product model to a singles-based product model; in the process, they ushered in a wave of new "copycat" artists and an era of low-quality music. Furthermore, using their nearsighted, greed-based zeal for any revenue even remotely associated with recorded music, the Big 4, (through there strong-arm representative, the RIAA), went after Napster.

Though the RIAA won their court battle against Napster, effectively shutting down the giant internet file sharing company, they effectively lost the sales war...in a big way! Because of their absolute ignorance of the actual flow of technology and the power of the world's most unstoppable vanguard that is the internet, the Big 4 not only shot themselves in the foot, they managed to hit both ankles, a knee, and a pinky toe boot. Soon after the Napster victory (loss), once again, in their nearsighted gluttoness, the RIAA announced plans to sue as many as 30,000 individuals for file sharing infractions. Apparently, the greedy blokes didn't realize what this would all mean: the advent of new and better music file sharing services; the creation of a culture that feels "entitled" to free music; and absolute litigation hell.

Well, after five years, the RIAA has been forced to deal with the reality of the culture and climate of free music that they indeed mostly created. Here, it's important to note that the RIAA could have gone into business with Napster. Heck, they could have bought Napster. But to them, the upstart company did not respect their right to rip off artists, centralize product, and stem quality of popular music. How dare Napster!

What does this all mean for sampling?

It's clear that labels are, and have been for a while, running out of money. Through in a rotten economy, and they're no longer in trouble: they're in crisis! Here, it's important to point out that there are only so many cuts that the industry can make before their business model completely collapses. Will there be more mergers? Sure, of course. In this environment, merges are the last line of survival before bankruptcy. However, there is a tremendous amount of difference between mergers and acquisitions that are based on a company's plan to expand and mergers and acquisitions that are based on a company's desperate attempt to survive.

A careful reading of the RIAA's recent woes reveals that they haven't the money, resources, and/or man power to continue to fight any of their terror-style litigation battles. And I've long maintained the inevitably of the end of the "non-law" regarding sampling. I've written before that the music industry's attitude towards sampling and sample clearance would become increasingly laxed, eventually leading to most forms of sampling being considered "fair use" or something in the like, where some forms of sampling are legally permissive without the need of permission and/or clearance. The RIAA bloodbath is just more evidence of the inevitable.

-Amir Said

Virgin and TRL: Ain't So Mega Anymore...

All Virgin Megastores located in the U.S. are set to be closed by the summer. For real, who didn't see this coming? Honestly, who DID NOT see this coming? I remember several years back I made a quick dash to the Virgin Mega Store in Times Square. Then it was new... Right across the street on the corner was TRL (Total Request Live), MTV's kiddy-bop-pop machine T.V. show. The management of Virgin Mega Store at Times Square couldn't have been more encouraged by the presumable synergy that TRL provided. Here they were, two over-sized media spawns; one a certified television brainwash show, the other a heavy-handed retailer with ties to a woefully mismanaged record label. Both poised to induce an already ultra-consumed public into buying, buying, buying... music... and music-like products... or any widget they saw fit to peddle.

First, TRL fell. Well, actually, they hadn't fallen as much as they had dragged slowly down the cliff of a giant mountain. Carson Daly wouldn't last for ever. He was an excellent ring leader, but the people at MTV new the future was in the tween to teen crowd. Thus, Carson Daly's days were numbered from the first time he took the mic. Fast forward, and all the teens and tweens were gone. And all the advertisers were missing, too. Were did they go? Yep, that's right folks, the party moved right on over to the internet. O.K., to be fare, as the tweens became teens and the teens became adults, the daily "fluff" and "hype" potion began to wear off. And most of the once hardcore TRL-ers boogied outta Times Square, presumably to places like Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube.

Next, Virgin Megastore went down. But were they ever really up? In New York, rent kills...seriously. Nobody escapes that fact, real estate is New York City's oil. And so, if you're going to develop any real estate with the word "mega" in it, it damn well better be a high-rise with plenty of office spaces to rent out. And if it's anywhere near Times Square, it might be a good idea to throw in a couple of luxury condos...just sayin'. So the first time I ever walked into the Virgin Megastore at Times Square, (en route to buy, well, I forget), I noticed that the place was stocked with CDs, DVDs, music accessories, and random apparel. What I didn't see, however, was any office spaces or luxury condos, or even affordable apartments. That's when I knew: Virgin Megastore was not going to last very long. (Yo, Mark Ecko, if you're reading this, I think you're dope, I fully respect everything that you've done...But dig this: holding down a lease on 42nd Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue? Shiiiiddd. Even the The Lion King couldn't sustain that lease.) But I digress... Sure, Virgin Megastore was doomed either way. Again, rent kills in New York, so you better own and flip, or generate money and skip. But fact is, nobody wants to schlep over to a warehouse in the busy section of a fast town. Moreover, the real beauty of a music store is how it briings music lovers of common taste into to close proximity of each other. Hmmm... Hey, wait, you can do that online...

Thus, though it may look like the Virgin Megastore chain and TRL are victims of the "Economic Tragedy of '08," the reality is that both media spawns are victims of a shifting culture. A culture whose participants, it would appear, are bent on being able to choose their form of brainwashing and bandwagon jumping. (Just kiddin'. No, I'm not... For real, just kiddin'... Well, O.K., for some people, no, I'm not...) And "choice" is exactly what the Virgin Megastore chain and TRL did not provide. Both just centralized their product offerings, (even though the centralization in music is kind of an oxymoron). Neither provided anything particularly "new" and/or engaging. I once traveled to two separate Virgin Megastores looking for two specific Led Zeppelin albums. Of course neither store had them. But I was told by sales associates that they could "order it for me, and they'd call me when it arrived." (I ordered the albums myself from Amazon.com and received them 48 hours later.) TRL increasingly became more and more paranoid that their tweens were growing up, (um, that's because they were), and as a result, the show became more and more predictable: guests began to mimic the style of other guests; hosts begin to mimic the style of other hosts; and crowds just struggled to keep up with the giant cardboard "applause" signs.

So now these two media spawns will be no more. Virgin Megastore is dead, and I hope the idea of a "mega music store" has died along with it. (Well, iTunes lives, but at least it's not a brick and mortar eyesore.) TRL, on the other hand, isn't really "dead" dead. Remember MTV's Club MTV or The Grind? Yeah, those were just early prototypes for TRL--MTV hadn't yet figured out the whole "maximize profit by controlling the audience thing." No, MTV could "retool" and spin TRL out as something new, if they wanted to. But I doubt that will happen, I don't think MTV is that foolish, after all, they did get out of the video business and into the television/movie making business rather quickly.

For details of the Virgin Megastore U.S. closings, see report in The Wrap.

-Amir Said

Sa'id's "Magnificent 21": Music

My Magnificent 21 refers to the 21 recording artists that have had the most influence over my musical direction. They are, (in no specific order):

Curtis Mayfield
Aretha Franklin
Bob Marley
Sam Cooke
Gamble & Huff
Led Zeppelin
DJ Premier
The Beat (aka The English Beat)
John Coltrane
Marley Marl
Kool G. Rap
The O'Jays
Stevie Wonder
Quincy Jones
Nas
The Intruders
Michael Jackson (ca. 1979-1983 ONLY)
Teena Marie
The Police
Rakim
Howlin' Wolf

-Amir Said

Sting: Better Group or Solo?

Before Sting became a one-man mega star (in the 80s), he was the front-man and bassist for the group, The Police.

The Police where an English outfit who specialized in an uptempo rock-reggae that seemed to shun the ska sound of its time. Originally a punk inspired band, The Police moved towards the new wave sound, before settling on a minimalist rock-reggae hybrid that was decidedly pop. The collective musicianship of The Police was authentic and serious. Drummer Stuart Copeland was a student of the "reggae style". He also seemed devoted to having a worldly sound, which meant he had to drum on a rather large kit. I remember the first time I saw his set in a video, I couldn't believe how many mini-toms and percussion pieces it contained. Guitarist Andy Summers was a seasoned and accomplished sessions player before he joined The Police. In fact, before he joined The Police, (replacing The Police's original guitarist, Henry Padovani), he nearly became a late member of The Rolling Stones. Sting, a former school teacher who was dedicated to the blues-rock tunes that he'd heard in clubs as a high schooler, began as a guitarist, before eventually switching over to bass.

The Police ran a table of successful albums between 1978 and 1983. In 1984, the trio unofficially split up. However, the "unofficial" tag was removed a year later, when Sting released his first notable solo effort, The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Shortly thereafter, Sting's solo career went somewhat viral.

Sting was a great solo artist, but his work with the group, The Police, was much more interesting and engaging, and dare I say, meaningful.
Therefore, to the question of Sting: Better Group or Solo? I'd have to go with Group!

Side note:
Imagine what would have happened to The Police if MTV was around in 1979... I wonder how their music would have changed. Would it have changed for the better or worse? Would Sting have left for a solo career? Would he have left even sooner?

-Amir Said

For Fans of The Specials

Been doing some heavy research these last several months... readying the 5th edition of my book, BeatTips Manual, has me reading EVERYTHING remotely related to the themes I touch upon. Well, I recently came across this site dedicated to the British 2 Tone/Ska band, The Specials. Actually, not true, I came across this site months ago, but I "re-discovered" it recently. Funny thing is, I didn't even notice the first time around that the site contained interesting soundbites with the original members.
Check it out: http://www.thespecials.com/

-Amir Said