Record companies and movie studios like products. Real, tangible, physical products you can buy, place in a bag, and carry home. This keeps the issue of distribution and ownership nice and straightforward – those who are holding the product in exchange for money hold a licence to use it, within predefined boundaries. Accountants, lawyers, and those fresh out of an economics degree can cope with this model with no problem at all.
But what if the customer doesn’t necessarily want or need a physical, touchy-feely product in a box? What if, for example, they can download the album or film or book or whatever, and this fits in with their highly digital lifestyle?
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Ten years ago, when I left home, I realised that I could earn a surprisingly decent living by playing records in a pub. Certainly on the face of it, the “work” involved is ideal: you spend Friday and Saturday night in the place you would have been anyway, surrounded by your friends, playing your favourite records, drinking for free and getting paid for it. This is where my career began in earnest, as it paid for me to eventually leave the backwater of the Thames-valley provincial town and move to London.
It didn’t take long to realise that, in reality, there’s a little more to it than just playing the records you like. The pub DJ is there for one purpose and one purpose alone: to sell more alcohol. The role of the club DJ is a little more complex: they are more like some kind of attraction, but the DJ in the pub beforehand does well to know his place. He’s basically an extension of the bar staff, and that’s how he earns his keep.
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Ever wondered how a particular band came by their name? Here’s a lengthy list of explanations.
One I particularly like reads: “Michael Jackson—From the subtle combination of his family name, Jackson, plus the christian name given to him by his parents at the time of his birth, Michael”. Silly sods.
I’ve joined a band. Not a difficult process really: turn up to a rehearsal room and make daft noises. It’ll be nice to be making noise with other people—music (as with many things in life) is so much better when you do it with other people.
I’ve just discovered an album by Geneva amongst my music collection. These guys are great—and I can honestly say that this is the first time I’ve discovered a new band by randomly selecting a CD from the shelf. Maybe I should try and listen to them soon after I buy them.