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Jimmy Iovine Knows Music and Tech. Here’s Why He’s Worried.

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Jan 1, 2020.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    Ben Sisario sat down with Jimmy Iovine to talk about the state of the music industry and technology and there’s quite a few interesting nuggets in there:


    If I were still at Interscope, here are the things I’d be worried about. I’d be worried that I don’t have a direct relationship with my consumer. The artists and the streaming platforms do.

    I’d be worried that an artist like Drake or Billie Eilish streams more than the entire decade of the 1980s, according to the information I’ve seen from labels and streaming services. I’d also be worried that the streaming services aren’t making enough money, because that can jackknife.

    And:


    If I were still running Interscope, I would be signing artists and encouraging them. Right now there are a lot of people running around saying, “What’s making noise on TikTok?”

    That’s fine. But I’m more encouraged by the people who are saying, “Whoa, this artist has something to say. I’m going to support them, because I believe that in the end they’re going to win, and that will make all of us win.”

     
  2. somethingwitty

    Trusted

    He makes a valid point about artists releasing terrible records but not seeing any repercussions because they’ve built these connections to their fans via social media.

    It’s almost like the image and lifestyle have become the art and the music is just an accompaniment.
     
  3. russvanderhoof

    pizza.~

    Right on the money pal.~
     
  4. LukeSpe94

    Kerplunk

    Sadly very true.
     
  5. ManchesterOrch8

    Motel. Money. Murder. Madness.

    Jimmy is one of my favorite people in the business, and him seeing the end of the 'label' is pretty astounding.

    Because it's true.

    The 1% artists do not need labels, and haven't for maybe the last 5 years. Once they realize that and decide to truly invest in their own infrastructures for their futures, there will be no reason to cut anyone else in on the profits.

    Him saying that bands can release underwhelming records and still be huge underlines this. Because you can't even argue that the label heads are 'gatekeepers' for what's good and what's not. Even if it's bad art it's good business.
     
  6. Always interesting to hear info like this from a huge industry insider. His focus on political statements was interesting, I know a lot of pop is pretty vapid (as it always has been) but that’s part of its purpose, doesn’t make it any less “music.” Also there are a lot of political music trends happening, Childish Gambinos “This is America” comes to mind, and a lot of up and coming artists like Fever 333 are very explicit with their message. Truly wild to think about where the industry is heading
     
    CConard likes this.
  7. KyleK

    Let's get these people moving faster! Supporter

    Completely agree on your points. Although I suspect the top 1% artists have always had the fan loyalty to get away with underwhelming records. Now maybe there's room to argue that the top artists of other generations were less likely to release underwhelming records than some of today's, but that might just be unjustified nostalgia.
     
  8. CConard

    conardist.com

    So many great points from Jimmy, and the play count is disturbing. SoundCloud needs to be disbanded and retooled IMHO. I wish there was a site for musicians who aren’t quite as established as Billie, but that is more of a buy-in so not every 12 year old uploads their dubstep projects to SoundCloud. Maybe even one where the age minimum is 18?
    Since I’m not signed, I release through an aggregator and while I’m happy my work is on Apple Music, it’s still really tough navigating the maze of today’s music scene. Everything is up in the air, and the time is right for someone to reinvent the consumption of music.
     
  9. CConard

    conardist.com

    Fever 333 is so exciting! A true exception to the rule, I was at one of their very first demonstrations and it was in a poorly lit bar. Then they just took off! It’s how they engage with their fans, have a cohesive message, and just kickass songs. They’re reinventing the wheel right now.
     
  10. Oh man I went to one of those in Denver. It was INSANE. I know they have crossed over and got too big now to ever see them in that small of a venue again, but I would drop everything to go a small packed show again.
     
    CConard likes this.
  11. CConard

    conardist.com

    Also want to note your mention of “political music trends”, which is fascinatingly bizarre. I expected protest records left and right when Trump took office, and now it seems like they’re almost a thing of the past. Political statements are great in music, and I’m not entirely sure why there has been such a steep drop off during the admin of the worst POTUS in history.
     
    dwpaulin likes this.
  12. CConard

    conardist.com

    I was at the one in Denver too! Was it the Moon Room at Summit? That show was nuts!
     
    dwpaulin likes this.
  13. CConard

    conardist.com

    Don’t use Tik Tok guys, it’s literally used by the Chinese for spying. They can see everything people do.
     
  14. I guess that’s fair. The punk music and other acts usually associated are not nearly what they used to be with other presidents that were of similar dislike (if you can even compare to Trump haha). But I guess what I was trying to say is Jimmy was talking as if it didn’t exist at all, which is not the case. Maybe I took him at face value too much and it was an over generalization. Because you are right, the people who are doing protest music were obviously going to be doing protest music with this administration (Anti-flag, against me!, Fever 333, etc...) and other communities are not as widespread as you think they would be with the 3+ straight years of horror it has been. Especially punk and hip hop are definitely lacking, but still existent.

    Also yeah the Moon Room show!! Jason legit went outside in to downtown with the “can’t keep us under your thumb” refrain is one of my top concert moments of all time
     
    CConard likes this.
  15. CConard

    conardist.com

    Did he really? I was in the front row, I remember him taking the cord out but I didn’t see where he went. It was so dark! Still, one of the best shows and those guys truly care about their fans. Stevis is one of the greatest dudes around, just a class act. But anyways, back to politics in music. I think American Idiot was so big because it was so well written, and it was perfectly executed. I think Green Day is just past that.
    As for Against Me! obviously Laura has been writing lyrics that are more inwardly focused on her personal struggles, and her new project The Devouring Mothers isn’t political at all(btw check them out if you haven’t because they have some of the best ditties Laura has ever written, and a terrific live show). I wonder if those “political” bands feel like Trump is not even worth addressing, because he would spin it as “they love me” somehow. Bush was hardly an ideal POTUS, but he’s not evil like Trump, and it might just be better to ignore the orange stain until he’s out of office.
    I still think there is very much a place for protest songs though, and I’m happy Eminem trashed Trump in his cypher, and of course Childish Gambino’s “This is America” is a terrific call to action.
     
    dwpaulin likes this.
  16. Those are really great points, and I agree with your thoughts on why we may not be seeing protest music as much. I know a couple of current event podcasts and news satire places that have stopped posting as much about Trump just because it’s so saturated and truth is stranger than anything they could make up (in the satire realm). Wonder if there is a similar thought in music of “is it even going to make an impact?” As for the Devouring Morhers I loved that solo record and how much she got to flex some different song writing. Was really bummed I missed them at the Marquis!
     
    CConard likes this.
  17. CConard

    conardist.com

    Sorry for the SUPER late reply. The show at Marquis was nuts, I’m really tall and the stage is only like waist high, got bruised all over the place! Lol kept falling onto the stage.
    Fantastic album for sure.