The Tail Is Wagging The Dog

For some years now, I've been following the various ways that people rationalize their music downloading habits. Someday I should compile a list of them. The newest philosophy of the Internet Warriors is that Albums should be viewed as just promotional tools to get people to attend an artist's live shows. Give the music away, and people will support the artist by attending the gigs, they say. While it may sound reasonable on the surface, there are a whole lot of problems with this idea.

The basic flaw is that artists generally don't make money performing these days, unless they happen to be the Rolling Stones, Madonna, etc. Yep, they are making bank, and the ticket prices reflect that. But back in the days, it was not at all uncommon for the record labels to advance acts money for tour support. That's because most tours lose money. Yes, you read that right. They lose money, or barely cover the expenses. Well then why do the musicians put themselves through the misery that touring can be? To promote THE RECORD! Why did the label advance them money to tour? To promote THE RECORD! But no one wants to buy the records anymore. If they could figure out how to bit torrent concert tickets, I suppose they'd do that as well.

What is lost in the shuffle is that at some point, promotion has to pay off. If a small indie band has to pay to play at a club, as is all too common these days, how is giving away their music for free on the intertubes going to help them? Maybe if everyone in attendance bought the CD, a T-Shirt, whatever, but that just doesn't happen.

I get offers all the time to do something to either promote the group, or promote the CDs, but it all ends up an endless cycle of promotion that might make money for somebody, but not for me. The last offer I had to tour Europe was such poor money that I would have lost money doing it. Ten years ago, I would have considered it, just to promote the CD. But today? No way.

Giving away music to promote a live show is not realistic for artists without the following and success of groups like Radiohead, or Nine Inch Nails. Who, I have to add, wouldn't have their fan base without the efforts of the major label industry. The new business models proposed by the proponents of free music just don't work.