Do We Need Publishers? Convince Me. for Questionland Seattle

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Do We Need Publishers? Convince Me.

So I, and a growing number of consumers and artists, are of starting to come around to the idea of receiving artistic and entertainment content directly from the creators with the only potential middle man being aggregators, compilation websites, or software hubs. Think iTunes for music or Steam for video gaming.

But what do the professionals think? Do you need publishers promoting you and taking a piece of the pie any longer? Does more control over your own creations trump the support you're given from middle men?

Arsenic7 asked in Music Panel over 2 years ago | Report

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Jake London

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I think the answer really is that it depends. Some artists are people who really have their act together in every way. The new digital tools do seem to make it theoretically possible for these kind of people to really DIY just about everything.

And at the start, a lot of folks may have no choice but to try and DIY the whole thing.

But if things start going well at all, it become increasingly difficult to do this. It's also hard to be an expert in everything. And it's also sometimes easier for a third party to pitch your music to other people. They can say things about you for the good that seem to have more credibility than if they came from you directly. They may also have contacts you don't have, etc.

Also, when a third party agrees to take on your music, it can send the message that at least one person or group other than the musician him or herself thought the music had enough value that it was worth getting behind. It's kind of like a testimonial.

So I don't know if musicians still need "Publishers." Indeed, names and work responsibilities definitely seem to be changing in the 21st century music industry.

But whatever names get used, most musicians still need the help of a skilled team. I don't think that's going to change.

Jake London answered in Music Panel over 2 years ago | Report

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Nicolas Heliotis

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I pretty much totally agree with everything Jake said here. As a label guy, I end up thinking / talking about this a lot...so I'll add a few things.

For me what it comes down to (largely) is division of labor, specialization, and time management. If an artist is really able to do it all themselves AND wants to do all that work then no, I guess they don't need anyone.

I would hope, however, that we are better at these things (working records to press / retail - physical as well as digital / servicing to licensing contacts / etc) than most artists are. What they do well is make records, play shows. What we do well is all this other crap.

Division of labor...specialization...

Now, assuming a band is at the point where they are a profitable entity -- my guess is that they themselves just aren't going to have the time to DIY. Also, to be totally frank -- we do a bunch of boring stuff that artists just probably don't want to do. Is it worth it for the artist to split up the "pie" a little to not have to deal with all this shit? Really, it is up to the artist -- but if I was an artist I would want to focus my time on creating art and let other people deal with writing press releases (see above).

Time management...

Last thing -- I think perhaps a bit too much is made of digital distribution etc sometimes. iTunes certainly has changed things, but it isn't like it is a totally egalitarian sales platform. Just as with physical retail more established artists (and artists with better networks backing them - I am thinking mainly of labels here but not exclusively) get better placement at iTunes and thus have a leg up when it comes to sales.

My point here is, I guess, that the people that have money to gain and lose and muscle (so to speak) are going to find ways to make digital innovations work for them and to make sure the playing field is kept distinctly not level as best they can. I think the idea of the internet as some sort of great equalizer is a bit naive. Maybe?

Nicolas Heliotis answered in Music Panel over 2 years ago | Report

2 comments by Jake London and Nicolas Heliotis…

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Completely agree with all of this. The internet creates new opportunities, but it does not eliminate all the inequalities of the past. In fact, it may make some of them worse and create new ones.

The end game is still getting people's attention. An internet presence can help with that. But if it isn't part of a coordinated plan, it can also just end up being a billboard in outer space.

People like the folks at Hardly Art have spent a lot of time thinking about and experimenting with strategies for developing and executing the above referenced coordinated plan.

More artists put energy into this stuff today than they did 15 years ago. And I think this is good for everyone. Some artists really have a gift for understanding this stuff. But a lot of other artists don't.

And in either case, it's still nice to have good help, if you can find it.

But one nice thing about the current state of things is that if you can't find help right away, there are a lot more tools you can use yourself to keep moving the ball down the field.

Indeed, I think that in the 21st century music industry, most of the really skilled helpers won't even deal with an artist if they haven't showed at least some ability to DIY some stuff first.

The margins are just too thin to risk much time, energy, or money on something that doesn't have at least a bit of a track record. If you've helped yourself, it also shows people at places like indy labels that you understand how things work a little bit, and you'll probably have more to contribute to the project than just your music (as well as a better understanding of the jobs they do).

Jake London commented over 2 years ago | Report