Dude in New York

The rise and fall of the artist middle class

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 16:26:14 -0400

Something exciting has been brewing within the music industry since the rise of streaming and the fall of CD sales - a new creative class. The music industry is going the way of every major legacy business. That is, begrudgingly and reluctantly being changed by technology and progressive thinking. Record labels used to hold all the cards, buying creative rights from artists in exchange for a small fee and the promise of stardom. Most artists took the miserable deals because recording was expensive, marketing your music was expensive and distributing a record was expensive.

But thanks to the internet, artists have been granted access to the two things only record labels were able to provide during the “heyday” of the industry: marketing and distribution. And thanks to technological innovation in the home recording industry, recording a high-quality commercial product at home became a possibility. Once this became clear to the industry at large, a lot of my peers were screaming on and on about the death of the major record label and the rise of the “independent artist”. Marketing and selling directly to fans was supposed to TAKE OVER … all major music industries were supposed to dissolve. So the pundits said back in 2008. And yet here we are 8 years later and while the “independent” music industry has definitely expanded, the major labels still dominate a majority of the sales. So, why is that?

Well, in my opinion its because of the one thing that remains a constant in both the old school era of the music business and the present-day: the necessity of extremely hard work to make a living with music. And this is the very reason why the artist middle class will never make up a substantial part of the record business.

I too was super excited when Napster came out. Me and my musician friends started to realize that the internet granted us direct channels to promote to fans. People were listening to music on their iPods, so it seemed like the days of radio were numbered. But the ability to do it on your own didn’t make the effort any easier. In fact, it made it harder.

While you can create your own record with relatively inexpensive home-recording equipment, now you need to become a solid technician and music engineer in addition to the songwriter, musician and producer you already were. While distributing your own record using an online digital distribution service is relatively easy and inexpensive, you are now solely responsible for creating demand for that record if you want to sell even a single copy. And while the internet is an amazing channel for promoting your music to potential fans, you know have to assume the duties of a marketing manager, a digital ad buyer, a PR person, a copywriter and a record promoter. And you’ve got gigs to play, remember?

This is why even though the record deals haven’t gotten any better (in fact, they’re worse these days since the labels are still not as profitable as they used to be), great musicians still end up taking the miserable deal when its offered. They don’t to be the technician, and the marketing manager and the PR person. They just want to be the songwriter. The guitarist. The ROCKSTAR. And this is why the majority of the artists who could be making up the artist middle class that’s enabled by the web, most will leave their career in the hands of others and hope for the best. It’s just a bit easier and less time consuming to do it that way.

Now having thoroughly depressed you I will share one someone inspiring and uplifting thing that has come out of all this. The artist middle class is small, but it exists. I have personally seen artists who are so passionate about their craft and so stedfast in their desire to succeed that they do take on all of those extra roles. They run their band as an independent business. They outsource when they need to but do the majority of the work on their own. They record the record, they plan the live show, they do their own marketing, they do their own graphic design, they work countless hours and days to make it all happen. They are the embodiment of the modern-day music entrepreneur.

And when one of those hard-working artists actually succeeds … holy shit, it is an amazing thing to witness. Their success is that much sweeter, both in terms of personal achievement and financial gain. They own it all, so they make money on it all. And they know their blood, sweat and tears got them there … so they relish in it much like the Zuckerbergs and Musks do after a big fund-raising round or an exit.

But there aren’t as many of them as you’d think given the relatively-low barriers to market … and that’s because extremely hard work is always a key ingredient.

Resolve conflict for others, and you will rid yourself of conflict (or at least decrease it some)

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 15:39:52 -0400

When I made a commitment to read only non fiction in 2013, (some self-help, some educational), one theme kept coming up in a lot of different books; this idea that if you want something, give it to others. If you want money, give (or more accurately, MAKE) others money, if you want love, give love, etc. I’m a firm believer that if multiple people from unrelated backgrounds agree on a common theme, that shit is probably true. For example, Kimberly Snyder, an established nutritionist, and Tim Ferris (you know him, right?) disagree on a large number of things when it comes to nutrition…almost everything. But they both talk about vegetables as the holy grail of food. Now, this one is pretty obvious of course, but Im sort of hungry right now and it still seems to serve as en example even though that insight is a pretty damn obvious one. Vegetables are definitely the holy grail of human food. What else you put in your body along with vegetables, that’s a more debatable topic. Anyway, this constant theme reminded me of a promise I made to “give others the gift of conflict resolution” in order to limit the amounts of bullshit conflict in my own work life. I made that promise a few years ago, but was reminded of it today when I resolved a little “future potential conflict” for someone and felt really good about it. (they will never even know I did it) After years of working in crazy, advertising agency environments where a lot of your co-workers are driven by tight deadlines which breed reactionary behavior and frequent finger-pointing, I told myself that if I worked just a little harder to resolve conflicts that came across my desk (regardless of why they happened, who was to blame and how this heroic deed would personally benefit me), I would be a happier and more productive dude. Here’s an example some people will be familiar with. You get a bullshit email from someone who is known for writing bullshit emails. You spend a little while steaming about how “typical” this particular bullshit email is (which doesn’t do that person any harm, but releases toxins into your body and shaves some time off of your lifespan, for real). Then, you write your typical response to the person as if to set a trap. You KNOW how they will respond. You even think to yourself, “I bet she/he is going to see this and immediately do X, Y and Z wrong … Then I will have to fix the mess, AGAIN”. What the ffffff?? You/I (because I catch myself doing this too) just played out a sequence in our heads that will diminish our health and free time (the only two things of value in this world) and at the same time, choose not to help (or hurt, for that matter) the perpetrator. Someone just fucked up, so we will punch ourselves in the face and throw a bunch of our own, personal wasted time at the matter just to spite them. Sure, that’ll show ‘em!! Instead, if you can anticipate the response from said perpetrator already, all you need to do is work just a LITTLE harder to anticipate NEEDS instead of future fuck ups, take it upon yourself to proactively fix the situation, and do it right then and there. Swallow the little bit of pointless pride, spend a little extra time and knock that shit out. Don’t worry about doing “someone else’s work”. Don’t worry about the so-called “credit” you’re missing out on by not making your extra efforts public. Don’t worry about how “unfair” it is that bullshit email guy gets to write bullshit emails all day and you have to fix his mistakes “all the time”. WHO CARES? The most important thing is that YOU AREN’T bullshit email guy/girl. If you suspect that you might be, it’s probably because you’re not following this advice yet. See how that works?

Why are Millennials and Gen-Xers so stressed out?

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 12:27:00 -0400

I recently read an article on PR Daily claiming that Millennials and Gen-Xers are the most stressed out generations ( http://bit.ly/1csTA3f ). The article makes a few suggestions as to why this is the case and it got me thinking about what I’ve observed amongst my friends and co-workers. Obviously money and job security top the list as major stress drivers, but that doesn’t seem to be anything new from previous generations in the Industrial Age. Is it the fact that traditional career paths and secure long-term positions are being outsourced and eliminated in today’s corporate workforce? Or perhaps it’s the fact that our parents have provided us with almost TOO much in an attempt to give us a “better life”, making us spoiled and soft - unable to cope with the harsh realities of the “real world”?

I personally think that what’s causing a this stress is ironically enough, the abundance of choice. I’ve experienced it first hand. Thanks to the Internet, we have seemingly limitless opportunity, information and low barriers to entry for virtually every type of business. But there are also tons of distractions as a result, making a lot of younger generations ADD their way through college and come out completely unprepared to land the first out-of-school gig that will establish their career experience.

There is a conflict between what we were told by our parents and teachers and what is actually happening in today’s work world. We’ve learned to trust them without question because they’re right about so many things. They’ve seen it all and come out the other side. They’re our parents. Out teachers. Infinite sources of wisdom! But what’s happening to the job market right now is something they know nothing about. Jobs are being eliminated and changed, employers are abandoning specialization in favor of job consolidation through diversified skillsets and certain functions are outsourced to a growing freelance labor pool.

We as the younger generations know deep down what we need to do to deal with this type of stress. We have the knowledge deep down, it’s inherent to the side of us that developed independent of our parents’ influence. The side that interfaces directly with the iPhone iOS. It is sometimes (most of the times) in conflict with the sound life planning advice of our parents and teachers, so we fight it. That conflict leads to stress.

Close your eyes and listen to the inner voice of our generation. The one that tells you to do things that feel natural and come easy (sometimes so natural and easy, you think it’s a waste of time to think about them!). Those are the things you need to focus on! The things you are passionate about, the long-shot business ideas, passion projects and side gigs. The parent-implanted voice might say “this is your young-person attitude creeping in, trying to sabotage your future!”

Shut up, old timey voice. You got us into this mess to begin with.

Things got progressively more interesting as the sun went down...

Tue, 24 May 2016 18:34:06 -0400

Things got progressively more interesting as the sun went down … Part Three

Part deux of my photography experiments in the birthplace of...

Thu, 05 May 2016 18:29:00 -0400

Part deux of my photography experiments in the birthplace of imperialism

After a few weeks in London, I decided to take advantage of some...

Mon, 02 May 2016 18:25:44 -0400

After a few weeks in London, I decided to take advantage of some very unusual weather and snap some shots. Manual settings, haphazardly navigated by a novice.

Old Post Re-Post: Using the Art of Positivity to Your Advantage

Sun, 10 Apr 2016 19:26:06 -0400

Found an old post I wrote in the summer of 2010…my writing style was way more natural and raw back then. I sound smarter and more enlightened here, but maybe that’s just retrospect messing with my head. Either way, real talk below…

As a kid (up until about 6-12 months ago), any statements having to do with relentless positivity sounded like cliche, self help bullshit that was not applicable in any way. How wrong was I? I forgot to apply the same logic that I apply to everything else I encounter in life as I learn, understand, process, digest and deduce an insight in my own terms.

A quote on a co-workers desk got my thought process started. It said “life is 10% what happens, and 90% how you react to it”. At first, this was something I wanted to brush off as a cliche quotation that is made specifically for people to put up in their desks, to cover up that gray office-issued furniture and act as a vehicle for false hope.

Wrong.This was a “25 year-old manchild” thought.

I started thinking into this and realized that this was like a secret to life or some shit. One event occurs, and the way you react to it changes everything surrounding that event. Not only does it change the way you feel about it, it changes the way people surrounding the event feel about it AND how they feel about you!

An injustice in the work place is a perfect example. Everyone wants to go into bitch mode immediately. Bitch mode is contagious (not to mention unattractive and downright damaging to your professional reputation). But CHOOSE to put it into positive terms and immediately you’ve made the situation better for yourself and everyone else around you.

Bottom line is that the 10/90 quote made me arrive at the realization that positive attitude is impenetrable. If you make the choice to react positively to the events of your life, whether bad or good, you cannot be moved. Nothing can throw you. Also, you will completely avoid the pitfall of perpetual negativity towards one thing or another (for example, if you keep dwelling on how much you dislike your roommate, he/she will seem worse and worse with each action even if the actions remain consistent).

So, take it or leave it but I propose that next time you come to a challenging life juncture (or anything that will spark a reaction), pause that reaction. Derive the outcomes of a positive and negative reaction first and see where each choice will take you. Then decide how you will react (not a science of course as some reactions are harder to control than others). The positive spin will always be the most favorable.

Then as you surround yourself with this new-found positivity protective bubble, a feeling of confidence and enlightenment will come over you (if only on a small scale) and that may just make you feel a little more grown up (and ready to take on whatever may come).

Karma is real. Use it to your advantage.

matthewaperrone: DJ Tongs. Beloved Bar, 2/9/13. back to the...

Mon, 07 Dec 2015 23:04:35 -0500

matthewaperrone:

DJ Tongs.
Beloved Bar, 2/9/13.

back to the DJ thing

Never Stop Making Things!!

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 12:31:18 -0400

People Who Don’t Make Things Say:

Why are you wasting time doing that?

You’re too old to still be doing that.

Other people aren’t doing that.

You’ll never get far doing that.

Doing that won’t make you money.

Who’s going to appreciate, listen to, watch, experience that?

People Who Make Things Say:

You made that?

That’s awesome.

Hell yeah, how did you make that?

You want to make something together?

Check out what I made.

You’ll only get better making more stuff.

I bet that was fun to make.

Holy shit, you’re amazing!!

etc.

Don’t listen to people who don’t make things. Only listen to people who make things or at least appreciate other people who make things. #realtalk

Dub step things I like...Part 2

Tue, 12 May 2015 16:02:00 -0400

Here’s how time works in New York … I post this on Feb 29 saying “part 2 coming next week” … then post Part 2 on May 12th, 2 and a half months later. Yeah, New York Minute for real.

Shit is so chill right here.

Get HYPEEE!!

It’s about to go down…for real.

Yea yea Skrillex remix … digital romance slash ear rape.

My jam My jam My jam My jam My jam My jam My jam (2 step to this)

Epic melancholy shit I like…

Part 3 sometime in the New York future.

Amazing stuff Heineken (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 11 Apr 2015 09:44:21 -0400

Amazing stuff Heineken (Taken with instagram)

Playlists gettin made for tonight… (Taken with Instagram at 320...

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:17:29 -0400

Playlists gettin made for tonight… (Taken with Instagram at 320 7th Avenue)

Spotted in the back pages of @thefader with @milimarcetic or...

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:43:13 -0500

Spotted in the back pages of @thefader with @milimarcetic or @justmili and @kaviohri … Shouts out to @andycohn @faderfam (at Music Dealers NYC)

You’re a goddamn crazy person if you live in Brooklyn and...

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 22:31:47 -0400

You’re a goddamn crazy person if you live in Brooklyn and don’t show up to my Hood Jams event this Thursday. For real.

Deserves a regram @bobbyhundreds (Taken with Instagram)

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:58:16 -0400

Deserves a regram @bobbyhundreds (Taken with Instagram)

The fruits of my Saturday afternoon … been meaning to...

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 20:03:00 -0400

The fruits of my Saturday afternoon … been meaning to finish this edit for over a year! Turned out great, and I love the song. Shouts out to my buddy Ronny for being such a good sport about the flood lights I was sticking in his face whilst filming this!

My assistant video editor for the evening, Mr. Creek (Taken with...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:02:43 -0400

My assistant video editor for the evening, Mr. Creek (Taken with Instagram at 320 7th Avenue)

Thug dreams personified!!! (Taken with Instagram at Sandbox...

Sat, 19 May 2012 14:45:35 -0400

Thug dreams personified!!! (Taken with Instagram at Sandbox Studio)

#studio build … Gettin close! (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 18 May 2012 22:59:20 -0400

#studio build … Gettin close! (Taken with instagram)

So much #truth (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:53:37 -0400

So much #truth (Taken with instagram)