More on Sharing the Artistic Process

Amanda Palmer has tossed out another interesting blog post.

i am shameless, and fearless, when it comes to money and art.

i can’t help it: i come from a street performance background....

if you think i’m going to pass up a chance to put my hat back down in front of the collected audience on my virtual sidewalk and ask them to give their hard-earned money directly to me instead of to roadrunner records, warner music group, ticketmaster, and everyone else out there who’s been shamelessly raping both fan and artist for years, you’re crazy. "Why I am not afraid to take your money," Amanda Palmer blog, 9/29/09.

I've written about Palmer a lot. I particularly like to reference her as someone who is raising issues about the artist and her community. Here's my most recent blog post about the subject: "The Artist and Her Fans." You can also click on the "Amanda Palmer" tag to see other posts where I have used her as an example.

Zoe Keating, another musician using the Internet to increase her visibility, is also contributing to the discussion.

What is great about Twitter is that, like I said in the interview, it allows me to be myself to as many people as possible. Me and my music are the same thing and I've always had this stubborn, egotistical belief that if I just had a chance to get the real me across....people would be interested. The belief that what I'm doing is worthwhile, even if no one hears it, has sustained me through a lot of rejections and hard times. ...

Because there aren't very many mouths to feed, I don't feel any pressure to continually be selling more, more, more. I have never done an ounce of official marketing or publicity. I make enough to pay the mortgage, the bills, go out to dinner and a movie every now and then, go on vacation and save money for the future. I'm not rich, my car is old, but I have enough to live well and not be continually worried about money. That's really all I want. I want to exist and keep making more music. I'm in this for the long haul. Slow and steady is fine by me. "Deep thoughts on my music career," Zoe's Incredibly Interesting Blog, 9/27/09.

Keating has talked how Twitter has increased sales for her.

Keating says that the long-term effects of this rapid ascent in the Twitter-verse are yet to be determined, she did see an immediate jump in business. "Around the time that I went on the [Twitter] Suggested User list, my CD ['One Cello x 16: Natoma'] went to No. 1 on the iTunes classical chart, and it's stayed in the top 20 ever since," she says. "I've also gotten a lot more sales from my Web site, and I get lots of fan mail that says, 'I found out about you from Twitter.'" "TWEET CHILD O' MINE," Billboard.biz, 5/30/09.

And I have also cited Imogen Heap using the Internet to connect with fans. "Fan Interaction the Imogen Heap Way." Here's additional info from her about the process.

"We live in this instant world. It feels wrong to not play anything and keep it all secret," Heap states between sips of water at Toronto's Intercontinental Hotel. "I wanted to share the process in the same way I would with a friend who drops in at the end of a work day; I'd want to play them what I'd been up to." ...

"That turned out to be brilliant for me to look back on and feel my process," remembers Heap, "otherwise one day to the next just feels like you haven't done anything, so it's great to look back at blog No. 1 and see the state of my studio and then see blog 19 when it's finished. The Twitter thing was just my way of filling in the gaps." "Imogen Heap Twitters her way to world dominance," MSN Canada, 9/8/09.

With so many people now attempting to sell themselves and their music via Twitter, I'm not sure there will be enough money to go around. But I do like exploring how all these communication tools might be changing our perception of what it means to be an artist and to create. Here's a relevant quote from an author who interviewed thirty "visual artists, comedians, animators, documentary filmmakers, musicians, writers, and others who’ve pioneered new ways to build a creative career online (and off.)"

[Q] New media is a constantly evolving landscape from trends to platforms, do you expect a few standards to come out of this or are artists forced to constantly change their game plan? And is it important for them to?

[Answer from Kirsner] I think there are some things that are constants, like making people feel like they’re part of your process, involved, and are in some way supporting what you’re doing. But I do agree that there’s a constantly-evolving landscape out there. MySpace was once much more powerful than it is today. E-mail newsletters were once more effective than they are today. And you always have new things, whether it’s Twitter or live video Webcasting from mobile phones with services like Qik, that can be effective ways of communicating with your fan base. "Interview with Scott Kirsner on Fans, Friends & Followers," CineVegas Blog, 3/31/09.

Some people are pointing to interactivity as a way to evolve the art itself, not just as a way for artists to talk to fans.

Media used to be made at what could be described as the “front end” of the process. I produce a song or book and release it to the market where it is consumed and talked about.

A product leads to a conversation…

But now that my cost of experimentation is zilch—and networks enable me to be in constant communication with people who share my interests—the diagram can just as easily be flipped and start at the “back end.” I can talk about and share my ideas with you, and once we have a collective vision of the “thing,” I can produce it (to then have you consume it).

A conversation leads to a product…

Furthermore, if the thing I produce (or we produce) is dispensable (like songs or stories), you might consume more of it and the process can stop being linear altogether… "From product to process," The Storybird blog, 5/28/09.

Looking for more discussion about how the artistic process might be changing, I found this from Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert. It doesn't directly address fan input, but it brings up the idea that the creator may put forth a starting point which can then be refined over time.

If you are planning to create some business or other form of entertainment, you will need quality at some point to succeed. But what is more important than quality in the beginning is some intangible element that makes your project inherently interesting before anyone has even sampled it. That initial audience will give you the luxury of time to create quality. "Quality Follows Popularity," Scott Adams Blog, 2/13/2009.

He's essentially reversing the artistic process. Rather than coming up with a wonderful creation first, he's saying, "Come up with an idea, build an audience around it, get their input, and THEN make it better."

As I find more discussions about interactivity and the artistic process, I will add them here or do additional blog entries. I'll close with an excerpt from an interesting article exploring the history of Western art and its relationship to money.

In Arts & Consciousness we have always taught our students that art is intrinsically valuable. We haven’t emphasized the commercial aspects of art, but have instead focused on art’s connection to self-affirmation, health, cultural identity and spiritual truth. We have proceeded from the assertion that if these things are adequately achieved, then money will be received by the artist as a natural and inevitable result of having created new value in the world....

When the recovery from the current crisis occurs, it seems possible that the world will re-discover the value of art as an essential part of culture – not as a coveted object but as living and breathing part of everyday life. "Post-Modernism, Economic Collapse and the Search for Value in Art." Arts and Consciousness, 2/4/09.

If this becomes the case, we may end up not valuing the art as an object or even as an experience, but for its contribution or effectiveness.

And here's a good resource. This paper was published in 2001 to foster a discussion of Silicon Valley as a creative community, but it covers creative communities throughout history. Some of the same concepts can be applied to creativity and the online community.

Suzanne Lainson
@slainson on Twitter

Fan Interaction the Imogen Heap Way

Another slight detour from the "selling stuff" series. But I wanted to highlight Imogen Heap, who I have mentioned before. Lately she has been getting a slew of publicity (undoubtedly tied to the fact that she has a new album coming out on August 25) for her online activities encouraging and sustaining fan involvement. Here's a very good overview.

Although she maintains creative control of her album, she sells through Sony in the UK and RCA in the US.

"I go through huge swathes of doubt about myself and the record," Heap says. "I don't have a boyfriend to say, 'People love what you do, carry on‚' so the Twitter gang have sort of become my surrogate boyfriend."

They also mean that her labels have none of the traditional anxiety about reconnecting her with her fan base, despite the long gap between records.

"It's been a while," says Aaron Borns, New York-based senior VP of marketing for RCA Music Group. "But she's been so diligent about communicating with her fans, it doesn't feel like she's been away." "Imogen Heap: On the Fast Track," Billboard, 6/20/09

But although Heap's story is being billed as another example of the new music business, as music commentator Bob Lefsetz points out, "... suddenly, you’re no longer a musician, but a personality. ... Just about everything Imogen has done here has nothing to do with music."

The "new music business model" stories have a lot to do with marketing, branding, and relationships. The stories we are getting now are pitched to tech blogs, creating a hook that may encourage those who haven't heard the artists to check them out. It's an interesting variation on what has long been a part of music marketing, the music PR machine.

"It will be interesting to see if people do go and buy the record in this age when people don’t buy records,” she says. “I think if anyone does have a chance, it is probably me. Because people feel attached to it, we’re related. It would be quite rude to download it for free after they’ve watched me putting all this work in.” "Imogen Heap: all hail the online queen," Telegraph, 7/31/09

Here are a couple of other stories which came out at the same time. Again, I assume the fact that we are getting a lot of Heap stories is related to the upcoming album release.

Imogen Heap Changing the Way Music Is Made, Musings for a Darkened Room, 7/21/09

Musicians watch and learn from @imogenheap, TechJuicer, 7/21/09

Suzanne Lainson
@slainson on Twitter

UPDATE, 8/14/09

I noticed that not online does Heap have her own Twitter account, @imogenheap, but there is also a separate one for PR, @heapwire, which reinforces the main point of this blog entry.

The Demands of Social Media

Each time we change our music marketing tools, what we expect from artists also changes.

For example, the music video age ushered in a generation of highly attractive performers. Good looks became at least as, and often more important than, singing and playing ability.

Now that social media and fan relationships have begun to define the new music business model, online communication skills are being added to the mix.

"It really comes down to a new 'survival of the fittest' paradigm. Only a small percentage of artists have that rare combination of musical chops, stage presence, likeable qualities, marketing smarts, communication and social skills, discipline, drive, passion, etc.

Sure, there are ways to lighten the workload, involve your fans, and pay people to do design work and other technical tasks. But the most effective artists are hands-on with many aspects of their promotion. It's something they accept and embrace and make the time for." "Gatekeepers & Music Promotion Overload: The Good News,"Bob Baker's Indie Music Promotion Blog, 4/28/09.

What I don't think has been fully sorted out yet is the extent to which social media is a must-do versus a nice-to-do. Presumably all things being equal, the more interactive artist will have the advantage. For example, there's Jill Sobule. She has been widely cited as someone who funded her most recent album entirely from fan contributions. She credits personal interaction as a plus.

"I’m really accessible. I get an email from a fan, I email them back. I’m still at the point in my career where it’s possible to do that. It’s not like some generic site where people invest in a band they don’t know. It was something personal for these people. They knew they were contributing to a real person who was going to put the money to good use." "Reinventing the music business: Fan donations pay for new Jill Sobule album,"Chicago Tribune, 3/18/09.

Another artist who works social media hard and well is Amanda Palmer (known both for her work as a solo artist and The Dresden Dolls). But she says there is a downside in terms of creativity.

"I'm spending a lot of time connecting with fans... and I don't feel as much of an artist as much as a promoter of Amanda Palmer. All of this instant connection has taken the place of making art. An idea that might have translated into a song before might now go into my blog instead." "D.I.Y. & the Death of the Rock Star...," Digital Music News, 3/29/09.

(Read more about her social media activities here: "Amanda Palmer don’t need no stinkin’ label," Online Fandom, 4/5/09)

Both Sobule and Palmer have had label deals, so their online activity isn't so much about generating fame in the first place as it is about maintaining a presence in an increasingly fan-focused world.

In terms of unknown artists, there have been multiple stories about artists who launched themselves via MySpace. But many of the stories have been more hype than reality. If you dig deep enough, you find that there was already a label, a manager, and/or a publicist engineering the "grassroots" campaign.

However, I recently ran across someone who I know truly has done it herself, so I asked her about her online fan and social media activities. She's a Colorado artist who goes by Danielle Ate the Sandwich. She has no team of handlers, or even a band for that matter. Just herself. But she also has over 10,000 YouTube subscribers and her videos have been viewed more than one million times.

1. How much time do you spend connecting to fans online?

I check MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube quite often and make sure I have a feel for what's going on and what people are liking and wanting more of. I'd say it's about an hour or two every day.

2. Do you try to respond to everyone, or just a few?

I used to try to respond to everyone, but it became a little ridiculous. And I found that if I stopped corresponding, some people would become upset with me. Nowadays I try to hit back a few, especially those who say interesting things, are funny, or pour their hearts out in ways that generic compliments don't.

3. How has it helped you in terms of selling CDs and/or finding places to play?

The majority of my CD sales have come from my videos on YouTube and being featured on blogs or written about on message boards. I haven't had too many offers to play at specific venues from my online popularity, but I have gotten an idea where I have fans and where they would come to see me. It helps me plan where to tour next and what kind of crowds to expect.

4. Did you have a plan when you started uploading videos to YouTube, or did it just evolve?

It did just evolve. I think it's impossible for me to be serious, so I did tiny silly things in the first few videos and then eventually turned them into 1-2 minute skits with costumes and songs and ridiculousness. Now, it's hard for me to not to have something at the beginning of my videos. But I do feel that some songs need a video all their own. When I want people to JUST LISTEN and not laugh and look, I try to only play the song. Also, some days I just don't feel like spending hours planning out a skit to do!

Some days I wish I was discovered in a coffeeshop or a county fair, like the old days, but I am so thankful I was discovered at all! And the Internet has been so good to me! It's a great medium for a person like me. I tend to be very anti-social and would prefer to be in my apartment all alone than talking and networking in a club. The Internet allows me to be a personality and be personable, but still remain somewhat anonymous and escape from people and the attention when I need to.

I was playing a show in NYC and this man shouted after one of my songs that I was the leader of the revolution of music. I could do it all from my apartment and book a show without a manager and without a team of professionals. Talent was what got me this far and he seemed to be postive that this was how it was going to be for musicians from now on.

I was a little rattled from a fan shouting a 2-3 minute speech on how I was the revolution. Then I played my next song thinking, "Hey, leader of the revolution might not be such a bad gig."

Welcome to the revolution.

Suzanne Lainson

AN UPDATE 5/17/2009

The comments function on this blog doesn't allow easy editing, so I am going to add my updates this way.

On Friday night (5/15/09), as Amanda Palmer was sitting at home, she invited everyone who was doing the same to join the "Losers of Friday Night On Their Computers" club.

Then she drew a logo and started selling T-shirts on the spot. On Sunday afternoon (5/17/09), she posted this on Twitter:

holy fuck! we've sold over 200 #LOFNOTC shirts. this shit is nuts! http://bit.ly/lofnotcshirt

And then, as orders started approaching 300 shirts, she wrote:

you're all paying my fucking rent!!! i love life.

Now, that's the way to do realtime market research.

If you want to follow the thread, go here:

Twitter search for #lofnotc

If you just want to read Palmer's comments on the topic, go here:

Amanda Palmer (amandapalmer) on Twitter

UPDATE NUMBER TWO 5/22/2009

One week after her LOFNOTC, Palmer posted her story of it:

Amanda Palmer's blog

UPDATE NUMBER THREE 6/23/09

Here's how the LOFNOTC story continued to play out.

How an Indie Musician can make $19,000 in 10 hours using Twitter

Encouraging Fan Involvement through Remixing

In my last blog entry, I mentioned one way to use music as a community builder is via fan creativity. A big proponent of this approach is Terry McBride, CEO of the management firm/record label Nettwerk (Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, Dido, Stereophonics, Sara McLachlan, Sum 41, Jars of Clay).

We found out that the T-shirts that the fans designed -- even if the artists didn't like them -- the people who went to shows liked them more than the ones that the artists designed. "Nettwerk CEO Terry McBride Puts Fans in Charge of Bands," MediaShift, 12/11/08

That realization led Nettwerk to give the fans even more control.

In 2005, we took it a step further by releasing Barenaked Ladies songs in stems [pieces of the music tracks]. …That was more of a remix. Now I'm more about the mix; to hell with the remix! We have an artist named K-OS, and we released all of the stems two weeks ago, and the fans have not heard the album. … they are actually mixing the album. So we will release physically and digitally the artist version and the fan version. And when we go to radio, we will service the artist version and fan version. So we are taking it the rest of the way.

Nettwerk hasn’t been the only entity to do this. In 2006, Duncan Sheik, who had been on Atlantic but then dropped, released the two-disc While Limousine album.

The "mine" disc is a conventional CD with the music mixed by engineer Kevin Killen. The "yours" disc is a DVD-ROM which contains computer audio files of individual elements of each song, the vocals, the strings, the guitars, etc., along with a link to free software which one can use to mix the CD anyway one likes. George Graham Reviews Duncan Sheik's "White Limousine" 2/06/06

The DVD portion of the release contains all of the individual tracks for each song as well as instructions for downloading a free demo version of Ableton Live, with which anyone can remix and experiment with the constituent parts of the songs. Additionally, advanced users can load the standard 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV versions of Sheik’s White Limousine tracks into a variety of other popular DAWs, including all versions of Pro Tools, Ableton Live 5, Apple Logic Pro and GarageBand, Cakewalk SONAR and many others. M-AUDIO-Duncan Sheik Solicits a Few (Thousand) Remixes

Not everyone has been impressed with this approach. Jason Feinberg, president and founder of On Target Media Group, an entertainment industry new media marketing and promotion company, pointed out that only a minority of fans got involved in these experiments.

When they first came online, a slew of artists adopted video remix contests, but soon found that their fans were not willing to put in the time and effort to create a usable finished product. "Five Tips for Musicians to Engage Their Fans Digitally,"MediaShift, 3/9/09

But instead of abandoning the concept as too much bother, more artists are jumping on board. Here are some recent examples.

K'naan is inviting fans to follow him on Twitter and then submit verses for a song via Twitter.
"People Like Me" Contest
More info here: "Things That Go Pop!" CNCNews, 4/1/09

Imogen Heap recorded the vocals for a song that was never finished. Rather than letting it go to waste, she has uploaded nine different vocal stems [tracks], invited fans to finish the song, upload their completed versions on the website, and donate some money to charity.
Imogen Heap - The Song That Never Was

Ben Folds released the album Way to Normal in 2008. But many of his fans thought it sounded awful.

… there have been requests for an alternate less compressed version of Way To Normal to be made available. … And so we have "Way To Normal: Stems and Seeds" - two disks. One disk is a remix, remaster, re-sequence of "Way To Normal" … The other is a disk of files, called stems, which will pop up in Garageband and allow you to mix the album yourselves. Just click on the file of the song you want to mix and you'll quickly understand how it works. If you'd like to turn the drums off or down, or if you want to use loops or turn that damn singer off and sing it yourself, its all possible. We've included extra loops with the song "You Don't Know Me" hoping someone could maybe come along and make a hit out of this fucking song. "Way To Normal: Stems and Seeds,"12/16/08

Railroad Earth has uploaded two songs to remix, plus software and instructions.
RRE-MIX AMEN CORNER

Radiohead made five stems (vocal, guitar, bass, drum and strings/effects) from one song available for purchase on iTunes. Then fans were invited to vote on the best remixed submissions.
Radiohead/ Remix/ Reckoner
More info here: "Radiohead fans can remix ‘Nude’ single," Los Angeles Times, 4/1/08

Kanye West bettered Radiohead by making a song available for free on his website, with six stems.
"LOVE LOCK DOWN STEMS," 9/25/08

Here are three variations on the remix concept:

Hoobastank has provided enough online tools to make a simple video that it requires no skill and takes less than a minute to create.
Hoobastank: My Turn

3OH!3 provides spoken sound clips so you can make prank phone calls.
3OH!3 Soundboard

People were invited to add clips to a documentary about remixing.
RiP: A Remix Manifesto

Here are four more sites with remix resources:

Music Ally: UGC fan music contests

Radiohead Remixing: Contest, Full Stems via iTunes and GarageBand

MixMatchMusic
More info here: "MixMatchMusic adds over 2500 Musical stems"

mixwidget.org

Whether or not remixing itself catches on with the average fan, what is significant is the move toward letting them play with the content. Now that the tools are there, it is unlikely we will return to the days when artists/producers made the content, and audiences passively consumed it. We may even see the day when the big name producer is considered dispensable. If fans are mixing their own songs, will they care if there are no famous producers to guide the projects?

Suzanne Lainson