With the dominance of Apple in the music marketplace, it’s proving more and more difficult for other companies to make their mark and get their slice of the action. But this hasn’t stopped plenty from doing just that. The latest is Blackberry, with their new service BBM Music. To get their take on the marketplace, and what this new service means, we caught up with Jake Stone from Bluejuice, Hamish Rosser from The Vines and Didier Cohen.
Hamish Rosser from The Vines:
As a musician, how important is it to stay up to date on the changing technologies that are impacting on the way we consume our music?
I’m old enough to remember when CDs took the place of vinyl and have been at the coalface during the current transition from physical to digital delivery of music formats. I also remember the short-lived ring tone market. As a musician you need to stay abreast of changing technology. There is discussion within the business as to whether albums will remain the most common format to release music in the coming years. Already some artists are challenging this.
How do you feel these changes have directly impacted you as a musician / The Vines as a whole?
Once upon a time successful musicians earned large sums of money from the sale of records. These days the model for bands has shifted from the sale of recorded music to generating income through live performance combined with the licensing of music to film, TV and advertisements. As a result of these changes the record labels no longer have enormous budgets for recording and marketing. Some labels are seeking to fill the gap with the dreaded 360 deal.
With so many opportunities for artists to expose themselves to an audience, has the marketplace become more flooded, more competitive, more difficult or simply filled with more opportunities for “success” (and in turn variety for punters)?
I like the way this question is phrased. “so many opportunities for artists to expose themselves to an audience”.
I don’t believe that more acts have been created as a result of the explosion of new media. It does however favour those artists that embrace as many methods to expose themselves (so to speak) to their audience as possible. The Arctic Monkeys are a brilliant band that released the fastest selling UK album of all time.
Their music and live shows are brilliant but they reached a large portion of their audience via myspace. which then forced radio and record labels to take notice. This forced the old media of radio and TV to follow suit and they subsequently began to broadcast Arctic Monkeys content. I would like to think that access to new media has allowed discerning punters to seek out the best bands and as a result the cream will rise to the top. At the end of the day though if you can’t back it up with a great live show then all the digital hype counts for nought.
Moving forward, what do you think needs to change (if anything) to keep the music industry moving forward in the digital frontier?
Piracy is a real problem for the artists and labels. To combat this the music industry needs to offer high quality audio formats at a reasonable price and make it really simple for the music fan to purchase. mp3 is an inferior audio format and is the modern day equivalent of a cheap audio cassette.
What do you feel most differentiates the Blackberry BBM Music service from something like iTunes?
There have been many conversations about a subscription service for music and now Blackberry BBM Music have created such a model and brought all the major labels on board. What differentiates BBM from iTunes is the ability to share music on the go. For music lovers this is a great way to discover new music from your friends and acquaintences and for artists its a great way to introduce new people to your music without anyone having to commit to buy the songs.
What do you reckon is your most listened to track on your media player?
I have a playlist of classic 60s tunes that always gets the party started. James Brown, Little Richard, Beatles, Stones, Wanda Jackson, Chuck Berry. Stuff like that.
Jake from Bluejuice:
It’s crucial for everyone working in music to stay ahead of changing trends. Without a focus on emerging tech, we can’t connect with a young audience, find a brand new sound, or stay inspired while writing. New music consumption technology is a basic function of our work.
From considering how to release our music to sharing others collections, new tech is all about exposing new bands, and making access to your favorite bands much easier.
Cloud based and local are network functions like BBM are the new face of music transfer, and that is all about sharing. That’s the difference, that is is subscription-based.
Didier Cohen:
How important is it to stay up to date on the changing technologies that are impacting on the way we consume our music?
It is so important to stay up to date with the changing technologies as musicians. Every day there are new platforms for you to get your music out to the world. Record sales are down and we live in a different age of music. So to be successful you need to be on top of every way to get your music out there.
How do you feel these changes have directly impacted you?
For me, it has helped tremendously. Unlike ten years ago where the only way to get your music out there was a record deal, now we live in the “Do it yourself” generation. In an instant you can get your music on the internet and everyone can listen to it. I think it’s amazing for musicians trying to make it.
With so many opportunities for artists to expose themselves to an audience, has the marketplace become more flooded, more competitive, more difficult or simply filled with more opportunities for “success” (and in turn variety for punters)?
Music has always been competitive, it really doesn’t matter. At the end of the day a true and great artist will always come through and be successful.
Moving forward, what do you think needs to change (if anything) to keep the music industry moving forward in the digital frontier?
Oh, I’m pretty on top of the digital frontier so just keep self promoting, work hard, and create music.
What do you feel most differentiates the Blackberry BBM Music service from something like iTunes?
The biggest difference to me is the person to person sharing. Knowing what my friends are listening to via their playlists is the best way of discovering new music. Im much more likely to check out an artist that my good mates recommend rather than a giant store owned by Apple.
What do you reckon is your most listened to track on your media player?
At the moment, it has to be When The War Is Over by Cold Chisel. I went to go check out Jimmy and the guys last week and I cant stop listening to that classic.
This article was not a paid advertisement for Blackberry, though they’re more than welcome to send us a free phone. You know, whatever, we’re pretty cheap.
