"Glory Is Fleeting, But Obscurity Is Forever"

I've recently been turned on to the Lefsetz Letter, an obsessively updated blog devoted to goings on in the music industry.  Bob Lefsetz is an industry veteran - the Lefsetz Letter started as a print column 25 years ago - and for an old timer he seems to have a refreshingly progressive view: subscription services are the future, artists need to quit whining about lost revenue and embrace creative alternatives, etc.

"Obscurity Is Your Friend" is his latest column - though, with the man's prolific way with a keyboard there are liable to be 5 or 6 more by the time I finish typing this - and one of his most visionary, I think.  I strongly encourage anyone interested in media consumption to read the whole thing, but in summary his position is that the traditional hitmaking machinery is malfunctioning in the internet era; with hundreds or even thousands of blogs potentially covering you, more publicity just means a sped up period of scrutiny under which you are evaluated and then either lionized or discarded.  There is no room for artist development at that level of exposure.  You'd better be ready for prime time because if you come with a half assed, unfinished product there is no time for second chances.  Your product will be chewed up and spit out before you have time to finish your cup of coffee, let alone book another studio.


Lefsetz proposes, instead, that obscurity is actually a welcome incubating tool for musicians.  Build up your audience slowly, one fan strata at a time (hardcore music geeks are not only the first people likely to be exposed to your music, but they also tend to be the most forgiving of your flaws).  Once you've woodshed enough to have a presentable product, then you make your push for mass acceptance.  As Lefsetz reiterates, "you only get one chance to make a first impression".

This speaks volumes to a pet theory I've had gestating in my own cranium for awhile now, which is that so-called "cult" artistry is the future of media consumption.  "Cult" seems to be used more to describe movies than artists - those being the kind that develop small but fervent fan bases that stick with you forever, rather than the traditional blockbuster model of trying to appeal to everyone but being forgotten a week later - but the theory behind it is just as sound for any type of creative showcase.

In a blog-driven era, there is an unprecedented push for authenticity as well as unearthing diamonds in the rough.  This can be used to the artist's advantage if he or she recognizes the new rules and plays by them accordingly, but it's no secret why Hollywood and the record industry has had a bitch of a time trying to bend the current zeitgeist to the historical model.

The music industry actually has it a lot worse off than Hollywood, because no indie mumblecore director is likely to have Avatar-level CGI at his disposal anytime soon.  With music, however, professional production equipment is coming at a cheaper and cheaper price every year.  Home studios abound, where once only the likes of Mick Jagger or Jimmy Page could afford them.  That's why the recorded product has almost come to be regarded as an afterthought by major labels looking for another top 40 hit.  A bedroom pop singer has the equipment at her disposal to knock off a Lady Gaga soundalike tune, but they can't afford the lavish stage productions of her live show.  You take your advantages where you can get them.


But in spite of what some pundits proclaim, there is no reason to believe live music will save the industry.  You have to have recorded product to draw people out to the shows to begin with.  If you're a long established band like Nine Inch Nails or the Eagles, you can afford to bank off your road gigs and treat recorded product as an afterthought, but if you're an up and comer you need music people can stream to check you out first.  And they'll be checking out a lot of shit, so you need something that makes you unique.  Something that keeps the same people coming back again and again and talking you up to their friends in the meantime.

In a lot of ways that sounds extremely similar to how the major labels market their top 40 artists.  The main difference is that you will not have those labels putting your name out there and forcing your material down the public's throat.  If you do, prepare to be chewed up and spit out before tomorrow's breakfast.  Cult: it's about smaller but more fervent audiences.  Consolidate your interests instead of spreading them out in an attempt to appeal to everyone, appealing to no one in the process.  Anything outside the music itself that adds to the mystique can only help.  Start a blog, fill it with writing as good as anything you put on record.  Page hits and MP3 sales are remarkably similar in both marketing and the difficulty of achieving either.