Minding Acoustica's Business

[TheHound]

It would seems that DAWs are about to reach their zenith. Other than upgrades here and there I don't see what more anyone would want other than loops and effects and maybe some really good defaults for mixing and mastering that can analyze the music and create the "perfect" mix.

Is it possible for Acoustica to get into streaming by creating a platform much like Soundcloud? I have some ideas on how to monetize it so that it would be wildly lucrative for Acoustica and very fair for artists. As most of us know mechanical sales are dying every year as are downloads. Most sales are in steaming but the artist is not getting much per play.

Streaming is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

ASCAP and BMI are becoming obsolete.

Artists will put their music on sites that pay them the most per play.

Artists will direct fans to sites that that pay them the best.

I'd like to share the details with some people at Acoustica.

[Acoustica Eric]

We had mixcraftlive.com for a while, but it was more like a myspace thing for musicians.
You'd be surprised at what new features could be added in future editions of Mixcraft

[mixyguy2]

It would seems that DAWs are about to reach their zenith. Other than upgrades here and there I don't see what more anyone would want other than loops and effects and maybe some really good defaults for mixing and mastering that can analyze the music and create the "perfect" mix.

Is it possible for Acoustica to get into streaming by creating a platform much like Soundcloud? I have some ideas on how to monetize it so that it would be wildly lucrative for Acoustica and very fair for artists. As most of us know mechanical sales are dying every year as are downloads. Most sales are in steaming but the artist is not getting much per play.

Streaming is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

ASCAP and BMI are becoming obsolete.

Artists will put their music on sites that pay them the most per play.

Artists will direct fans to sites that that pay them the best.

I'd like to share the details with some people at Acoustica.

I'm sorry but none of what you said is true, other than artists will do what serves them best. Downloads and even CDs (even LPs!) are still going strong (this surprised me too). So are PROs.

As for software getting as good as it can, I've heard this claim for many years about many products; it's rarely true.

[TheHound]

It would seems that DAWs are about to reach their zenith. Other than upgrades here and there I don't see what more anyone would want other than loops and effects and maybe some really good defaults for mixing and mastering that can analyze the music and create the "perfect" mix.

Is it possible for Acoustica to get into streaming by creating a platform much like Soundcloud? I have some ideas on how to monetize it so that it would be wildly lucrative for Acoustica and very fair for artists. As most of us know mechanical sales are dying every year as are downloads. Most sales are in steaming but the artist is not getting much per play.

Streaming is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

ASCAP and BMI are becoming obsolete.

Artists will put their music on sites that pay them the most per play.

Artists will direct fans to sites that that pay them the best.

I'd like to share the details with some people at Acoustica.

I'm sorry but none of what you said is true, other than artists will do what serves them best. Downloads and even CDs (even LPs!) are still going strong (this surprised me too). So are PROs.

As for software getting as good as it can, I've heard this claim for many years about many products; it's rarely true.

As to DAW software going into something even more useful I'm sure there will be improvements and refinements that will cause most users to upgrade. There are features I would like to see and probably many many more I never thought about.

As to the music business. It is dying and revenues are in the toilet.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/busi ... cline.html



Streaming doesn't pay and pretty much most music sales are streaming. Add to that fact old music isn't going away, we have a glut of music and a lot of the older music is simple more appealing to even younger listeners.

I have a business model and platform in mind that can reward both artists and the streaming company while bypassing the PROs. BMI and ASCAP own the rights to every version of the Star Spangled banner. That's just wrong and they don't really stop theft e.g. Led Zeppelin and Kid Rock.

Would you put your music on a streaming site that pays you a up to 50% of the proceeds? Would you drive traffic to that site and to your music?

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion!

Greg

[mixyguy2]

As to the music business. It is dying and revenues are in the toilet.

From your link: "Revenue from music sales in the United States has hovered around $7 billion since 2010..."

I'd hardly call that dying or in the toilet. It's just shifted largely to streaming. It is sad. I pity kids today, frankly, when it comes to music for a wide variety of reasons.

Anyway, best of luck with your ideas!

[TheHound]

As to the music business. It is dying and revenues are in the toilet.

From your link: "Revenue from music sales in the United States has hovered around $7 billion since 2010..."

I'd hardly call that dying or in the toilet. It's just shifted largely to streaming. It is sad. I pity kids today, frankly, when it comes to music for a wide variety of reasons.

Anyway, best of luck with your ideas!

Compared to what they were in the 90's and given inflation they are in the toilet.



The kids coming up are getting screwed and it's mostly because of technology and the fact that not much new music is being played on terrestrial radio but then a lot of the new music is not very listenable and radio depends on listeners.

There are a lot of people still writing jazz, rock, blues, R&B, country, folk and pop but I haven't run across anything that knocks my socks off. I hear a lot of good technical playing but not much feel, creativity, or motive.

[TheHound]

We had mixcraftlive.com for a while, but it was more like a myspace thing for musicians.
You'd be surprised at what new features could be added in future editions of Mixcraft

I would think that a music only site divided loosely into genres with an old style radio feel would fly. If it had an embeddable player the site could grow almost exponentially. Artists would like it, listeners would like it and advertisers would like it because they would pay per impression.

[Rolling Estonian]

There are a lot of people still writing jazz, rock, blues, R&B, country, folk and pop but I haven't run across anything that knocks my socks off. I hear a lot of good technical playing but not much feel, creativity, or motive.

Not meaning to offend but you've got to get out more, or start checking other sources of music. There's a TON of great, talented, original and active bands out there, you've just got to find them. Don't know where you live but I'm in the DC area and the music scene is one of the most vibrant in the country, particularly for up and coming bands.

M

[TheHound]

There are a lot of people still writing jazz, rock, blues, R&B, country, folk and pop but I haven't run across anything that knocks my socks off. I hear a lot of good technical playing but not much feel, creativity, or motive.

Not meaning to offend but you've got to get out more, or start checking other sources of music. There's a TON of great, talented, original and active bands out there, you've just got to find them. Don't know where you live but I'm in the DC area and the music scene is one of the most vibrant in the country, particularly for up and coming bands.

M

I hear stuff on my cable TV music channel that I like but not in the car on terrestrial radio. I find some impressive stuff every now and then on Soundcloud from undiscovered artists.

If you have some links to something good post a link. I would like to hear something new and different.

My wife watches the Voice and shows like that. I hear great vocal chops but it is rare that anyone performs newer songs and the while the wow effect is there most of it seems sterile to me. People don't dance much in clubs anymore and audiences simply don't seem very enthusiastic.

This article says it all for me.http://www.mandatory.com/culture/106282 ... -than-ever

My brother is big time into the Wild Flowers and Dawes and they are worth listening to but the ain't the Eagles or Tom Petty by a long shot.

We use to play at a place next to a club that played electronica EDM and on break were went in there. It was like a morgue. I'm need MDMA too if I had to listen to that "Music". While I can appreciate dub step compositionally it gets old really fast. Maybe I'm getting old?

[mixyguy2]

Nah you're just getting a clue about the tragic state of music today. Technology and the music "business model" (dear god how I hate that hideously pretentious and overused phrase, but it fits) have seen to that.

Here's IMO a good article about it - dated and yet so relevant: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-mel ... 77836.html

[dpaterson]

This has HUGE discussion potential THIS thread!!!

Don't get ME started on the quality of music today!!! LOL!!!

Oddly enough: before I read this thread I found the below and tonight figured it was relevant here. The chap makes an interesting point during the lecture. Something to the effect that because it's much easier now to get music out into the world (without having to rely on getting signed and having access to $$$$$$$$$) things are more competitive for quality and music with feeling and originality (as opposed to be being purely commercially driven) (well something like that anyway i.e. that was my interpretation). Don't laugh at me i.e. I'd never hear of the chap until I saw this. Glad I watched it though. Found it inspiring. He sure does seem to know what he's talking about. Put another way: after watching this there's hope (for me anyway)!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVCdrYbUVW8

He has some more stuff around which I intend to watch soon.

Regards,

Dale.

[starise]

I would be tempted to say everything has been tried. That is probably not accurate but it feels that way to me.

The main thing about online exposure is people need to see it to buy it. If your music is buried down 500 pages no one will know it's there no matter how good it is. People use search engines to find things now and those engine don't accurately show all of the music. The big names pay for the front searches. It's tough to get noticed online,

I released an acoustic album. It was mixed well and sounded ok for what it was. It had exposure on Amazon, but here's the thing, the week I released it I did a search for my genre and I couldn't find it. You would literally need to search through 50 pages of similar music to bring it up. Essentially buried in the pile. This is the difference between being promoted by a large company like Sony and a small operation posting music to sell independently.

I have seen local bands do well who play out regularly, and that's how you do it. Play out and sell your albums at the show. You'll probably do better that way unless you have some unknown schtick. Playing naked?

[dpaterson]

Hey hey.

You make good points starise. I suppose another consequence of it being so "easy" to get music out there is that there is so MUCH of it (good and bad) that your own stuff (good or bad) just gets lost in the noise (no pun intended). So from that point of view it's probably back to square one i.e. without backing from the likes of, as you say, Sony for example: how much MORE difficult is it nowadays to stand out in the crowd (or even get noticed)???

I guess it's what one defines as success though (obviously). For me: I've got no aspirations of being the next "whoever" (those days are LONG gone for me). Success to me means getting all of my Dio covers down pat and gigging for the sheer pleasure of it (and to say "yip: I finally got it right"). I suppose a few "likes" here and there on YouTube wouldn't hurt either (no: nothing there yet so don't anybody go humoring me!!! LOL!!!). But that's just me (and, well, maybe this time around I've set the bar too low) (or, as many would argue, maybe for once I'm being realistic).

I have to admit that every time I have a conversation around this topic (and I have such conversations a LOT of late) I do find myself wondering if it's just me and age (you know: maybe just romanticising the '80s and being stuck there) or if music generally is just not as good as it used to be (not technically or artistically or otherwise). You know (well: dunno how old YOU are of course): when you're young you just go into a shop and buy something. Now you buy something and have a discussion for an hour about the price today and the quality and what they used to be "back then". Possible problem: my parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts used to say the same things "back then"!!! LOL!!! I mean to say: even successful artists have been saying for many years that music isn't today what it used to be. My personal observation after much discussion and contemplation and for what it's worth: it's just not and it's getting worse and frankly I think it's starting to apply to other things as well e.g. movies. I'm no ardent movie fan at all (and actually find watching movies a total waste of time and for the most part an insult to my intelligence) but (on the occasions when I'm subjected to having to watch a movie most times under duress) I'm seeing an increasing number of legendary actors and actresses "starring" in the weakest of movies ever (are things THAT bad or THAT good that they just have to take what comes their way nowadays just to put food on the table???). I digress (sorry). One of the consequences of all of this technology that we now have at our fingertips is the ease of which one can create (dare I say) "music". With something like SampleTank one is able to create "music" (with those darn loops) that sounds as good as anything that's playing on the radio right now and this in a few minutes with a few keystrokes!!! Is that music??? Is that art??? Not in my book anyway. And I'm sorry but when did DJ's become known as musicians??? Anyways. I'd better quit now with this (I can feel the blood pressure starting to rise!!! LOL!!!).

I suppose it's old hat now but I did come across a site (I suppose there are many similar) called reverbnation.com. Any good??? Seems like a good concept. Not sure if it works though or if it's just another way that somebody has figured out to fleece musicians (if you subscribe to the service)??? I've no experience with the site i.e. just "perused" is all.

But whatever your "(music) poison" and whoever you (all) are: I wish you the best and hope that you achieve your musical goals. If there's anything I can do to aid and assist: I'm happy to do so.

Regards,

Dale.

[starise]

@dpatterson

I could tell you're getting older because you're analyzing it I'm 56 so I've been around a bit probably older than you. Us older dudes we sit and talk and think it through. When I was 20 something I didn't think about it as much I just went and did it . That could be either good or bad. Sometimes what we don't know might take some of the wind out of our sails. In our ignorance we just plowed through and often made it happen. This applies to anything. If we fail we learn a lesson. If we succeed we learn a lesson.

When I hear of friends getting married I'm thinking "oh boy" but congratulating them. If someone goes into the military it's an honor, but don't look too far down the hall. If someone wants to go into music full time it gets complicated. My advice would be to find out if you have talent first. If you don't have talent, don't attempt it. Others around you will let you know soon enough. If you lived a sheltered life where everyone around you always did nothing but compliment you you're in for a rude awakening. I say (you) as in anyone not you personally dpatterson. Some people are bad but no one will tell them until it's too late. I worked with a few aspiring musicians. One of them couldn't sing a lick but wanted to be a heart throb. The mentality amongst the millenials seems to be putting the cart before the horse. " I want to be famous and wealthy making music" " How can I do do that?" Most aren't born talented, they need to work at it. I'm a realist I've been playing multiple instruments for as long as I can remember and I consider myself kinda meh in talent. I went into my album launch with my eyes wide open. I hoped maybe it would get some exposure but I knew deep down it probably wouldn't. Why? Because I didn't travel to support it. I didn't shop it to any larger labels. I wasn't playing my music out, so how could it go any other way? I'm content. I just wanted to do it. I still play gigs all the time. I have another way to make money. It's all I wanted to do really. I don't try to sell myself. I don't want to sell myself.

When we get old we begin to go into things more like this. I picked up another instrument (violin) almost three years ago. I also went into that with my eyes wide open. All of the cons were- You'll sound awful for a long time until you begin to get the hang of it. People who are pro on violin are mostly started by their parents at 6 years old. It takes probably a minimum of 5 years to get GOOD enough at for others to want to hear you play it, and that's only if you can practice from 1 to 4 hours a day. Classical violinists do the latter. I'm doing ok. I can play lots of music now. I have a long way to go. I'll never catch up to those young players who were serious. I'm happy with where I am.

So my point is, if you're serious about music as some kind of income learn the music well first. I would say your crazy for trying in this market without large corporate support unless you just want to release something for posterity like I did. Don't listen to me though. If you want to do it go and give it 110%. It's a good thing I found another profession. My Sunday morning gig they finally decided to pay me but it isn't much. If I depended on my music I would be living out of a bag in the woods.

Take any genre and it is saturated. Movie music was once a very narrow niche. Now every Tom, Dick and Harry has a set of sample libraries including me. Hip Hop? Man do you ever have an uphill climb. Country music? Might be a good idea to start getting play dates at any country bar that will have you. Yeah, I think if you really want to be notice the playing naked idea isn't so bad after all I wouldn't do it because it would have the opposite effect. I can see the men in the white coats coming now