By José Gandue @spinning zone
In memory of Teto Ocampo. May he rest in peace.
I confess, I was one of those who thought that with typing, The music market was going to be more democratic, it was going to play more in favor of musicians, and independence was going to be, at least for a significant part of the artists, more profitable, more generous. I swore that, with songs on digital platforms and the ability to be heard anywhere in the world, there was a greater chance of expanding opportunities for the most interesting independent bands to find their space and their audience, and to receive what they expected from their work. The naive character writing to you today I thought that independence in the recording and distribution of the works would create a friendlier environment and open more doors. And, being even more naive, I thought the public would understand this spirit and listen en masse to the tunes of their local representatives, regardless of the unsettling onslaught of the big corporate advertising machines. Oh, foolish me!
The music market, from the very beginning, from the time when it was part of the buffoonery for kings, or fulfilled the entertainment desires of courtiers, It has been a cruel, unequal and unfair business, where the musician is the weakest link in the food chain. This was supposed to change with various historical events: the arrival of radio, the amplification of instruments for large audience events, the opening of theaters and popular spaces, the publication of vinyl, cassette, compact disc, mp3, Spotify and similar, etc. We are not in medieval times, that much is clear. The wretched viscount no longer comes to throw coins that must be received graciously in exchange for a few ballads, nor do we have the emperor who, if he loses interest in the concert and yawns in the middle of the performance, disqualifies the musician and censors him forever in his territory. But, I insist, Those who receive the least from a multi-million dollar industry are those who make the greatest effort to ensure the survival of music., that is, its creators.
Everything I'm telling you sounds (I know) like a truism, but it still needs to be said. If an independent musician decides to make and upload a song to digital platforms, And, speculating, recording, mixing, and mastering it cost him $500., To get your money back, you must register with Spotify. over one hundred and fifty thousand views (That is, without deducting the commissions of their aggregators, the discount for payments in Paypal, and the advertising costs they have invested in to publicize their production). A related fact: Spotify Technology SA informed its shareholders in June 2022 that its revenue would total $100 billion annually over the next decade. And now, in addition, the distributors (or aggregators) responsible for uploading the material to the platforms (artists can't upload their recordings directly) are deciding, for convenience's sake, to eliminate clients who don't have more than 1,000 monthly plays. They don't want to waste time with them. They absolutely don't want to use their infrastructure to help, even a little, to promote their talent. Nobody said this was going to be easy, not by a long shot., But between the miserable pay and the mistreatment by these companies, the frustration never stops.
But don't think that, If they are "lucky" enough to be chosen by a multinational record label or a highly representative local label, they have everything on their side. Very few are not condemned to predatory contracts where they surrender their name, their heart, their stomach, and even their bodily waste excreted during the term of the agreement., in exchange for a bit of media attention, unstable popularity, and the mirage of potential red carpets. Shakira, Jay-Z, Dua Lipa, and a few others are a minority, one in a million (or a billion). And you know that many of the biggest names in show business don't exactly make the best music. This isn't a merit-based business. That, I repeat, has been known for centuries. Those who thought social media was going to save us should stick to playing on TikTok. believing that one day they will miraculously be sung on every continent, no matter what language they sing in.
I say all this, which many of you already know, because, In my constant naiveté, I now believe that the solution lies in unionization, in the union of musicians from each locality, each country, each continent. In these types of associations, there is the possibility of lobbying to pressure the State, private companies, and the general public, so that the business also belongs to those who make the raw material, that is, the music itself. Musicians need to be more of a pressure group and less of a pawn for the industry.
This is just an introduction to the culture war. In the coming weeks We will return to interviews and conversations with Latin American personalities who propose new paths worthy of being examined. And perhaps copied or adapted to the needs of each local scene. But individualism when it comes to getting your share of this pie doesn't work, forget it. There are big sharks in this sea, and you, as individuals, are just small, colorful fish aspiring to glory or (at least) to survival. The vast majority of you, therefore, will not have Nemo's luck, I assure you.