MIDEM(Net) Blog

It's Time To Get On The Same Page

It's now just over a month since we were in the Debussy Auditorium at Midemnet 2009, and a lot has happened:

• Spotify and Catchmedia have become the media darlings, each showing that you can bring innovation to market without litigation and hand-wringing.
• That said, Seeqpod and Songbeat have been sued by both EMI and Warner Music Group.
• Spiral Frog teeters on collapse.
• Jim Griffin's Choruss initiative is beginning to get buy-in from the majors.
• Total Music and Ruckus have ceased operations, major label initiatives that failed to get traction.
• The Pirate Bay trial goes on in Stockholm, with no clear winner in sight.

It's clear that the chaos isn't over, we need to get down to business.

As many have stated over the past months, there is an audience out there for music, there are revenues for the taking. We need to stop posturing, litigating and talking over each other. We need to stop leaving money on the table and maximize the opportunities.

We need to creative sustainable partnerships & deliver services that address fan behavior. If we can't do that, we've truly lost.

Bruce Houghton: Never Forget...

Never
Forget
The
Music

It's been said many times before. But like a great lyric worth hearing over and over again, its'  essential to remember that at the core of everything that we do is music. 

Music tech  builds better technologies.  Big labels "make" hits and profits. Small labels struggle for survival. Publishers collect from as many places as possible and mobile firms sell devices. 

None of this happens without great music.

Our businesses can't profit from connecting people to music
if the music isn't worth connecting with.

We forgot the music, but the fans never did.

Is that why it feels like they're ignoring us?

Compensation not Control: video of my presentation at MidemNet, January 17 2009

Here is the video and audio version of my presentation at MidemNet. I put a ton of work into this presentation and, well, honestly... I think it's one of the best I have ever done on this topic.  Hope you enjoy it - and please comment, below, and / or spread the word!  Thanks to the Midem conference team for providing the DVD with this video.

A reminder of the topics (in case you were there but need a jump-start): why the music industry needs to license the Internet just like it has licensed Radio (i.e. with a collective license), why criminalizing the users & fans will not work - and why those efforts should be re-directed to the creation of a new 'Music 2.0' ecosystem that actually produces growing revenues, where those new revenues will come from, and how the music flat rate - aka music like water - would work. See my MediaFuturist blog post for more details as well as the PDF of this presentation.

The Youtube version's here.  MP3 file download: Compensation not Control Futurist Gerd Leonhard MP3

Audio via Soundcloud, below  

Compensation not Control Futurist Gerd Leonhard at MidemNet 2009 by gleonhard

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• Time for action: the music industry needs the same CHANGE that Obama brings to America (MIDEM 09 thoughts from 'the Utopian') (mediafuturist.com)

MidemNet video: Nine Inch Nails case study, by Mike Masnick

Here, in exclusive video, is the presentation given to MidemNet January 17, where Techdirt/Studio 64's Mike Masnick explains how Nine Inch Nails' multi-platform, ultra-creative launch campaign was a prime example of "Serving your Fans". NIN frontman Trent Reznor notably left extracts of his new album for people to discover in concert venues; parts of an ARG (alternate reality game) puzzle fans had to work out. As Masnick puts it:

Embedded above is the 15 minute (trust me, it goes by quickly) presentation I did at MidemNet on January 17th in Cannes, France. It garnered an interesting reaction and a whole series of fascinating discussions over email, in person and over the phone since I presented it, and while I don't want to repeat what's in the video, I did want to discuss a few points raised by the presentation. The core of the presentation is the following simple "formula" that is the basis for making money in the music business (and, I'd argue, many other businesses) in the digital era:

Connect With Fans (CwF) + Reason To Buy (RtB) = The Business Model ($$$$)

Bruce Houghton: Random Thoughts On Midem & MidemNet 2009

In addition to expressing my gratitude to the Reed Midem team for making me feel welcome and hosting such a well run and informative event, here are a few random personal takeaways from Midemnet/Midem 2009.

• It really is all about the fan. I went into Midem thinking it was a good soundbite and left believing that it may be all we need to know to move the industry forward. Listen to the fan. Serve them. Offer them quality, convenience and choice. I don't know if they'll reward you if you do; but I guarantee that they'll punish you if you don't
• I heard comments that the music industry has finally moved from conflict to collaboration. There is truth in that, but collaboration implies a transaction and in Web 2.0 it can't always be about making money. Where we really need to be headed is communication - with each other (rights holders + startups, for example) and more importantly between artists and fans. 
• It's been said that we've gone from making analog dollars to digital dimes. While collecting all those dimes is important, so is connecting with fans on a level that can lead to collecting dollars again.  Mike Masnick of TechDirt's presentation on Trent Reznor's release strategy illustrated the point brilliantly. I've also written more about this on Hypebot ("From Analog Dollars To Digital Dimes").
• Some of us are in the entertainment business while others are in the music business. There is overlap and one is not "better" than the other.  But knowing where you and the person your talking to stands is important. Each has rather different goals and paths to reach them.
• I'm looking forward to Midem/MidemNet 2010.