And Finally "BLOG #7" From "My Space" "What's Wrong With The Music Business"!!!!!!

Friday, September 28, 2007 What Is Wrong With The Music Business Current mood: aggravated The question asked was, did Bob Montgomery (Record Producer) ever make a bad album? My answer was "I don't think so", but why???? Please note that I've singled out Bob because I recently pulled out a copy of Vern Gosdin's "Chiesled In Stone" and it brought back thoughts of what a great record this is. Great Songs, Great Singing Great Production. Now don't get me wrong, there are dozens of great albums that fall in this catagory, but back to why....... Growing up as a studio brat I got the chance to see how records were made from the 70's on up and here is my take. A record label signs a recording artist, based on talent, not just looks(hats / tats / rings), they in turn paired the artist up with a producer, a staff producer or an independent. The producer would the find the songs. Through publishers and independent and staff A & R People. Bear in mind that there were not even close to the numbers of so-called writers and publishers as of 15 years ago, before the "country boom". Anyway the producer would then book a band, engineer and studio for the album project. The band would be chosen based on the artists style of music not just the flavor of the month guys. They would choose a drummer and bass player that had the same feel or pocket, because lets face it, if the bottom end of a track isn't solid then how can anything that follows feel right. The producer would overdub vocals, backgroud vocals, strings and other misc instruments to complete the album, then get it mastered, turn it in to the label, pick the singles and tell the promotion department to get it played on the radio. Those that failed to do this might lose ther jobs. Cased closed... Look at all the "standards" we have to listen to because of this process. Now it seems like the producer hasn't any power. The promotion guys are picking the single and aproving the mixes. I have seen a record remixed because the song contained the word "hillbilly" as an ad lib, in the outro and the promotion department felt some stations wouldn't play it unless it was removed. Is that the real problem?? We've got 20 somethings, who don't know who Haggard, Cash & Nelson are, picking the material. They are picking the safest, least offensive, bland, copy of the the last big thing, that they think they can get played on the radio. These are also the same people the think Mutt Lange's career started with Shania Twain. Is this the problem?? We've record labels signing artists based on looks and the "Tuned Demo" that they heard. You can go see half the artists signed to the majors live that can't pull it off on stage. The labels are no longer interested in building careers, but only singles, one offs, copies..... Nothing original...... Is this the problem???? We've got ITUNES and digital downloading. Before we had this, you could take a Garth Brooks cut to the bank. A cut on a major equaled certain monies. Now the same cut on a major means nothing unless you have a single. With CD sales declining and downloading only the songs you want, only the "single" songwriters get paid. I this the problem?? More later

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Comment by George Cumbee on November 25, 2007 at 7:50pm: I know....I was just making a gag about my history with Bob. He is great and was to us....Just telling a story....Thanks

Comment by Mark Capps on November 25, 2007 at 7:03pm: Whoa!!! "We were an 8pc(with horns) Chicago/BS&T style group. But we were not tight or really good and we had mediocre songs...." My point... I really meant albums that git released.............

Comment by George Cumbee on November 24, 2007 at 6:15pm: I agree with you Mark except on one thing. BM did make a not so great album once......mine....or that is my group. 1970 recorded at Woodland A, Lee Hazen eng. We were an 8pc(with horns) Chicago/BS&T style group. But we were not tight or really good and we had mediocre songs. But he and Bobby Goldboro did the best they could. They did get us a CBS deal. One single, flopped. LP never released. But it sure wasn't his fault. He did see some magic in us that no one else did. I would not trade the experience for anything. And doing that recording at Woodland was what made me want to be an engineer. I was only 20 then...I quit playing about a year later and started recording and working in TV.

Comment by Glenn Spinner on November 21, 2007 at 11:18pm: Lots of issues that have already been discussed here already. Labels don't develop artists anymore. We live in a now society as to waiting for something to develop long term. We want it now and it's hurt the business. We do records with 3 or 4 singles and a lot of the time the rest of the songs are filler. We as a community need to make better records first and foremost. The records need to be complete bodies of work not singles and everything else. The labels need to develop artists even if the first album tanks. You have to give them time to gain a following. Imagine if certain bands weren't around after their first record, we wouldn't have Zeppelin 2, 3 and 4, Billy Joel's The Stanger, U2's The Joshua Tree, etc....Granted, Zep was probably a bad take since their first album did well but Joel's first album tanked and U2's first record didn't do much to speak of.

I also think their is a loss of musicianship as well. When was the last time we heard a new guitarist that blew our minds? Or a drummer that had the chops like Neil Peart had? What about pop music that had live horns like Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire? Grunge made it easy for kids to play three chords and thrash on a guitar but the meticulouness of learning to play along to great riffs and songs isn't there anymore. I have noticed young kids are going back and listening to old rock because they are yearning for music that effects their souls.

The business has always been a giant circle and at some point it will hopefully turn around again and for the better but at the same time it takes the good things that we have today. The accesibility of music is such an amazing thing that we can download a song in an instant and be playing as opposed to getting in the car and going to a store to hopefully find it. I could go on but I think I'm done for now.

Comment by Gym Eaton on October 30, 2007 at 5:11pm: An A&R friend of mine told me a few years back that she could only get developed artists with a following signed. It amazes me that the music business is afraid to take on raw talent and mold it into greatness anymore. Once this kind of thinking stops, we'll have another music revolution...imo until then, Britney's new album dropped today!! :)

Comment by Salvo on October 27, 2007 at 12:13pm: Might want to check out article on Rick Rubin taking over Columbia. Speaks to what you are talking about.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/magazine/02rubin.t.html

When the article came out in the magazine it was headlined :
"Can Rick Rubin save the Music Business?"

Comment by Bret Teegarden on October 27, 2007 at 10:30am: Mark,

I wish some record company folks would come on here and read your perspective. Not that they are bad and need a lecture, but because it helps us ALL to know where everybody is coming from....