Artist Empowerment

Two night ago, I saw a sassy grandma with a deep, rich voice feel herself up on stage at the Hollywood Bowl.

Very strange, indeed…

At the age of 70, Etta James still has it.  When she sings in her lower register, she has a resonance that I have never heard in a woman’s voice.

Her voice literally engulfed the space of the entire 16,000 capacity open-air venue, which is no easy feat.  Even when she spoke between songs, you could feel the boomy bass in your bones.

Her X-rated antics were another noteworthy aspect of her performance.  A friend of mine had warned me that she was sassy and sensual but seeing a 70 year-old feel herself up on stage was definitely a first, something that one cannot prepare for.

What made it even more bizzare was the fact that her two sons were performing on stage with her!

An incredible talent like Etta James can get away with a lot on stage, even at the age of 70 when half of her audience is terrified, red-faced and unsure whether to laugh, cry or cover their eyes!

We all know how much time kids spend playing video games, but what amazes me most is the growing percentage of adults who spend their time battling Paranoid Androids.

And I’m not just referring to adults in their 30’s and 40’s, I’m talking about adults in their 50’s, 60’s and older!

One of the biggest reasons why video games are so popular is because they are interactive, meaning, players can affect the outcome. Add the collaborative nature of gaming to the interactivity and you can see why people have no problem dishing out $60 for a video game.

Music and movies, on the other hand, aren’t interactive in the same way. They are linear, one-way experiences; they are pre-determined journeys that take us from a beginning to an end.

So, as artists in the music industry, what can we learn from the popularity of video games?

Though you might not want your fans deciding whether you should go into a chorus or a third verse after your bridge, there are plenty of ways to incorporate the idea of fan interactivity into how your fans experience your band.

• Let your fans vote on the set list for your next show
• Let them determine the design of their next T-shirt
• Let them determine which song you will release next

We can learn a lot from paying attention to other industries that are booming (Gaming) in addition to industries that are failing (Major Label system.)

Feel free to comment with other ideas of how we can incorporate interactivity into how fans experience our band!

Last winter when I was a Teacher’s Assistant for the UCLA course “The Music Industry: Where is it Headed?” the head of XM Satellite Radio spoke to our class.

At the time, he talked about the possibility of a merger between XM and Sirius, but it was clear that there would be many hurdles to the union of the companies.

The main objection was the fact that the resulting company would have a monopoly on the satellite radio market since XM and Sirius are the only two companies in that market.

Those in favor of the merger argue that satellite radio is just one among many audio entertainment choices (iPod, traditional radio, etc.) and that the resulting merger wouldn’t be a monopoly because it is really competing against all forms of audio entertainment.

A few days ago, the LA Times ran an article stating that it is likely that the merger is going to happen.

As a consumer, I am very excited about the merger because I will have more channels and access to talent that I wouldn’t have access to had they not merged. Plus, I won’t have to pay more given that the companies agreed to a price freeze that will lock the current prices in for several years.

Satellite radio is a great avenue of exposure for unsigned artists. One of my songs, “Goodbye Beautiful Day” was on rotation on XM Radio’s XMU station. Hopefully the merger will give unsigned artists even more opportunities for exposure.