Okay... I'm back!

 Hello all.

After a couple months or weeks or whatever of radio silence I have graduated from college and been airlifted to the safe ground that is not having any exams or homework to worry about.

Fittingly enough, I did have an exam related stress dream last night, something that I ironically did not experience at all while I was actually in school. Much to learn about post-education life.

Anyhow, now I will post one or two blogs a week again. Yippee! First though, here are a number of different ideas I had but did not execute on during my study period.

1. Discontented Solitude
   
   There was a period of time towards the end of the semester wherein I expended energy on one of four activities: taking walks while talking to people in different cities or continents on the phone, working out, or studying. This came about due to the intense discontent that sprung up within me during the twilight period of my education, where the homework became more unbearable and the tests all the more impossible-seeming.
   
   The only solace I found beyond the general satisfaction that emerges from working out all the time, was in watching Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003). The movie helped me reframe the whole situation into something that at least felt beautiful. Lots of time to appreciate the beauty around you when you have not much else going on. I didn't even have to have an affair. 
   
   Anyhow... the school situation worked out fine and wasn't too hard once I took some deep breaths.
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
2. Flip Flops
   
   For many years I was vehemently anti-flip flop. In high school, I felt that the flop was a bridge too far into slobbishness. Everything has changed. It is a havaiana summer.
   
   
   

   
   
   If you guys read the menswear takedown that was going around on Twitter a couple weeks ago, you might recall this line: "The platonic menswear outfit is meant to look like it was picked off the floor in a hurry because you woke up late but still feel expensive," a fun pull quote and sort of the only thing I took away from piece since it is in alignment with my current beliefs. The flip flop, of course fits right at home in this rushed outfit scenario. When I leave the house with the flop on I am on vacation no matter what happens to me.
   
   They fit right into my current ethos which is that if I'm going somewhere that isn't formal, I will put on clothes, glance in the mirror to make sure I'm avoiding an "emperor's new groove" style situation, and then leave the house without changing. Slip into the flop and then dash. Living and dying by one's choices and all that.
   
   Anyhow I'm hoping that flip flops come back so strongly that I can wear them to the office, although that seems like a pipe dream.
   
   
3. New Slang Word that I Hate
   
   I hate the word "Yap," and I hate the community which surrounds the group of people that have sprung up on the various short form video platforms who are beloved for their abilities in the realm of talking at length about an exhaustive list of topics, most often humorously touching on vaping (lamer by the day) and ones consumptive habits. Many of these people are actually funny, but the fans are ridiculously insufferable.
   
   The comments resemble a performance of either chronically-online-I-can-so-relate or please-teach-me-your-ways-you're-so-awesome, which both fall flat because either A. being chronically online should probably not be something that any of us aspire towards or B. the rich guy on TikTok telling you he works in commercial real estate and underplaying his family wealth is not dropping any knowledge on you that is going to be meaningful.
   
   Go outside and have a conversation. Stop using "Bro," as a noun. Get a job. 
   
   I like Will Mahoney though.
   
   
4. Hiding Things on the Web
   
   Not too much to say here... I'm just intrigued by the prospects of putting information onto the internet without the intention of having it be viewed. As search engines continue to fall apart this feels more and more possible. I'm into the idea of doing some online archeology trying to uncover a lost website.
   
   

Finally, look at this cool poster I got.

Ok, bye. See you soon.

I've been thinking a lot about distribution

 Hi.

And now, my amateur perspective on things I've been reading about in the market.

Over spring break, I read "Sonic Boom: The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records," by Peter Carlin. The book documents Warner Bros. Records' (now Warner Records) rise from Frank Sinatra's failing label, Reprise, to a market behemoth which at one time owned a plurality of market share worldwide. 

One of the key decisions which created this level of success was the creation of the WEA global distribution network by then EVP of Warner's music operations Joe Smith. Through this network, the guys in Burbank could easily print and distribute records to radio DJs and fans in key areas globally, allowing them to meet demand in real time.

Of course, the radio is magnitudes less important now than it was then, and digital DSPs are the name of the game, but I don't think controlling or having direct lines to distribution is any less important now than it was then, at least as far as making a hit is concerned.

I consider distribution to be defined as simply the means by which people are exposed to music, which today, means YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, Fortnite, etc. 

In my last post, I was thinking specifically about video games as a distribution platform with a growing significance towards sales, and I've only continued to get more bullish on this concept as a whole. Fortnite actually offers the ability to purchase tracks for use in-game, a remarkable shift away from our current model wherein every track play yields fractions of a cent. I'm curious whether this will mark any type of shift towards people paying for their music again. James Blake's semi-viral rant regarding how people think music is free now comes to mind.* 

* The counterpoint is that subscriber model streaming services continue to see subscriber growth (Spotify +17% YoY in 2023), and show no sign of slowing down. Music streaming actually going away seems pretty impossible at this point in time.

On a different note, more than 50% of the artists earning 10k+ a month on Spotify are from non-English speaking countries. This is a significant chunk of the market that is (decreasingly) underemphasized among major label groups' signing efforts.

The patch for this hole, it seems, has been an emphasis on distribution deals and in-house distribution channels. SME acquiring distributor The Orchard was one example of a highly successful move into the market of artists who are successful but not seeking a label contract, not ready for one, or not requiring the promotional services that they provide. On a less international front, these deal structures can also get labels ahead on developing relationships with artists who they predict will blow up, with the benefit of less financial commitment. Either way, with WMG now considering acquisition of Believe, who have a growing stake in the African and Asian distro markets, it seems like the globe is the current frontier.

Of course, this follows logically from the globalization of the star-making process. When a track blows up on TikTok, it is likely being fueled by fans from not just one portion of the world. With access to stronger global distribution and promotion networks, labels could hypothetically shop their smaller acts around the world to find untapped listeners, or better serve known listeners in these areas. Creating super-fans and what not. 

Hopefully this was at least a little bit interesting since it's the only thing I've been thinking about lately. Maybe once I start working again I'll realize that I'm completely off. Who knows!

Bye.

P.S.

Here are three great blogs belonging to three of my friends: OpStar, Divine Dagger, Yespeas 

Enjoy.

Can video games compete in the music DSP market?

Hello!

A couple weeks ago, my friend Josh sent me a link to an article on LinkedIn about "The Fortnite Effect," or more broadly, the boost received by music when it is featured in a game which sees as many daily players as Fortnite does. 

This isn't a new phenomenon— we can look to covid's Fortnite concert series which most notably featured a specially crafted digital Travis Scott performance.  However, the recent market shake-up that was UMG pulling all of their music from TikTok seems like an indication that new channels may become increasingly prevalent as labels look to maximize their profits per stream and build "super fans," through new methods of engagement building. 

Needless to say that there has been a high bar set. It's reported that TikTok users who are music fans are 19% more likely to pay for a music service than their music loving non-TT having counterparts. It has also served as a major career igniter (or re-igniter at times) for a number of artists who were already label recognized talent. Think Omar Apollo's TT powered Evergreen popularity spike, or Pinegrove's Need 2 and associated dance trend.

This begs the question of whether a video game could generate the same level of fan building and noise making for artists. We've seen this in a few cases where a song featured in a soundtrack sees play as a result, think Fifa soundtracks or the aforementioned Fortnite appearances. I think in order for video games to replace TikTok completely there needs to be a level of accessibility that doesn't exist completely as of now. The music business in the current era is a game of volume which requires ease-of-access for the utmost success.

One step towards that is the Roblox game "Boombox," covered by Hits Daily Double here. This game offers distribution and pay-per-stream capabilities to labels looking to branch into the video game space. Notably, K-pop band Twice recently collaborated with this Roblox game on a specialized "experience," that went on to be the most visited Roblox space of all time. Quite the cosign on this new idea, with the important caveat that K-pop stans are notorious for doing whatever it takes to keep their faves on the top of the charts.

If these custom "experiences," can demonstrate longevity, then this will obviously become an industry trend, especially given how much Roblox is targeted at young fans who are a key demographic when building long term success.

The real distinction then, will be whether these video game experiences remain a marketing/promotional tool for huge artists with deep pockets, or become a tool for fans and smaller artists as well. TikTok's combination of all three of these groups is the magical formula which we have yet to see replicated at the same scale and success level. Beyond that, there's also the question of whether other age demographics can be hooked in at a high rate. For my money, this appears to be getting easier and easier as the digital world becomes increasingly prevalent in our lives.

There's a lot of things that need to be discussed on top of this I think, like the weaknesses of TikTok's platform and how they can be capitalized on by competitors, and the question of when the pendulum will swing from our current highly online moment towards a stance more grounded in the real world. 

If you have any thoughts don't hesitate to hit me up.

Bye!

Sunglasses

Hello. 

Every Wednesday I wear the same outfit to class, since it starts at 8 AM and I don't have the capacity to cook up something fresh at 7 in the morning. This outfit involves, most pivotally, my Warner Records hoodie (on top right now Hi Zach Bryan Teddy Swims Benson Boone 😊) and sunglasses. 

For many years, I was opposed to this combination... I felt that it didn't align with whatever I had going on... Well now it does. #belikebieber. When I'm walking around with this potent double stack on body I just can't help but smirk at everyone I pass on the streets. Sorry losers but today we are putting on airs.

Commercial I like

Some cool stuff and some less cool stuff

 Hello.

The other day I went to a gallery opening and saw a show that I did not like.

I really liked this song I heard the other day.

Today I decided it might be time to ball out...

Stuff I've been enjoying and stuff I've been annoyed about

Things I've been enjoying

• Bad coffee: I had a terrible cappuccino a couple weeks ago at a local coffee shop, and it was sort of speaking to me. I think it's nice when things aren't perfect all the time. Sometimes you have to drink a bad coffee in the rain.
• My new Gucci sunglasses from The Real Real: Wearing my sunnies around the bay makes me able to stomach it just a little more easily, since I can pretend I'm going to the WeHo Urth Caffe to link with Vince and E #entourage.
• The new season of Curb: Season 11 was sort of hit or miss for me, owing especially to the presences of Irma and Maria-Sofia, but I think we're back. Now that they're not rubbing obnoxious characters with seemingly no redemptive qualities in our faces, I can laugh at Larry's misfortunes and exploits again... "I think you need to get that dog a pronoun." 
• New Vampire Weekend singles: Capricorn and Gen X cops remind me a lot more of Modern Vampires era VW than FotB, which for many is a positive. I think Ezra grew a lot as a songwriter during the previous album cycle though, and my first impression is that he's found a way to write songs that are more classically Vampire Weekend while still pushing the sound and aesthetic of the band forward. In so many words I think Only God Was Above Us will be the sonic bridge between MVotC and FoTB. I also love it when Ezra sings about time and aging: "Too old for dying young, too young to live alone," is a great lyric. 

         Things I've been annoyed about

• @databutmakeitfashion on IG: Props to the person that runs that account for their dedication to the data science craft, but trend analysis that doesn't touch on cultural context is empty, and only fuels overconsumption and trend chasing. I do follow still though so who is laughing I guess.
• Rain: I usually love rain, but it's been putting a damper on my desire to run outside and also wear my sunglasses. Let's get a handle on that.

I guess that's it. I was expecting to be annoyed about more stuff but I'm happy to report a short list anyhow.

Okay, bye.