The state of the music industry: incompetence in the industry

Grammy award nominee R&B singer Ciara was scheduled to perform at the Maloof money cup benefit concert on the 29^th of September 2012 at Kimberley monster mob in South Africa and could not finish her performance because of management and technical issues. This was not the first time an audience has not been told of such incidents. Last year (2011) Trey Songs was supposed to perform at a club in Johannesburg but could not make an appearance because of a conflict he had with the communication department at Canoc productions which is a very big entertainment company in South Africa. Where does this ill service delivery and communication error come from, many may ask that question but the answer will still remain transparent as South Africa’s music industry is in desperate need of help.(http://www.ciarafever.com/category/live-performance/)

(R&B singer and actress Ciara poses before a photo shoot.image source: songonlyrics.com)

PR and business in the music industry (http://www.mio.co.za/article/pr-2011-06-22)

As issues like piracy still haunts SA musicians the industry has become cluttered with corporate copyright and business in PR. Strategic business function is one of the fundamental sources of the guidelines of a successful public relations plan. With this being said PR in the SA music industry is placed under business and the two are classified as one (which is wrong). The PRP’s in control of the label/artist are publicists. The problem begins when we have managers and publicists who do not take the responsibility of creating and maintaining their client’s images. The Ciara incident is a perfect example of how an events/PR company can communicate false messages to the public without consulting with the artist’s agent or manager. It’s a mistake that has been done countless times in the music industry. A similar example is the relationship that publicist have with journalists in South Africa is very uncertain because an artist can win an award and still be shown in negative light on a newspaper later that week.

(a plain doll holding up a sign which is a metaphor for what Sa musicians feel about their managers.image source:mio.co.za

 Media coverage on South African musicians (http://www.journalism.co.za/index.php/news-and-insight/insight/166-media-freedom3/2027-sa-musicians-needled-by-broadcasters.html  

South Africa is primarily 18 years old in democracy and has seen talent pop up from all corners of the country. The sad thing is that media coverage on local artists is still lacking. Record labels in South Africa still can not apply methods to help promote their artists. The media sector also finds it more rewarding to advertise international artists more than they show local artists. It is a stage where the general public has to take a stand and purchase music from their favourite musicians so that they can help local artists gain respect and coverage they deserve by adding value to their lively hood.

Communication error Part 2: effects of music amongst the youth in society

Loss of hearing, change in behaviour and rebel’s could be just a few symptoms of adolescents but what would happen if music turned into a weapon which caused not  only positivistic behaviour but an uncontrollable force of violent behaviour and attitudes in the youth. One might ask them of how music can change a person but many might tell you that music might stimulate brain function and cause a person (especially a teenager) to react in a certain way. When a certain type of musician with a powerful brand image engages in doing drugs their fans might want to experiment with narcotics at a later stage as music is said to have long term effects on an individual.http://voxjuvenis.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/the-effects-of-negative-music-on-today%E2%80%99s-youth/

(a teenage boy smoking a cigarette, what could be the cause. image source: teens.drugabuse.com)

Music and behaviour (http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/~dgentile/106027_08.pdf)

When someone takes drugs they react, when a pop star gets arrested for drunk driving there could be a butterfly effect across the public which could cause reckless driving and drinking under the influence of alcohol. But we can not blame music for those incidences we can only look at the artist that took part in stimulating that kind of behaviour. In the modern world artists are now looking for ways to stand out in the public, so they opt for creating a different image amongst themselves so that they can stand out from the rest. There is no question that an artist will grab the audience attention if he/she does something out of the norm. Artists create brand images which depict a certain lifestyle or mood for people to identify them in an instant. The context is taken to far when the youth try to apply those behavioural norms to their lifestyles (which sometimes ends up badly) in an effort to aim for superstardom.

(a depiction of how music can influence an emotion.image source: medicalobserver.com.au)

Miscommunication

The media sometimes misinterprets what celebrities mean when they do something. If a musician is seen doing drugs in the music video with half naked woman dancing around the room it does not relatively mean that with drugs and alcohol, comes with women. What the youth still don’t understand is that the media reports from their point of view and that what is being said does not mean it’s true because image building is still a big part of the picture in the music industry today.

Music across borders: communication in the industry

African music http://www2.mytruspot.com/ranking.php?mode=blog&message_id=1963&row_template=blogs.tpl

The African music scene has picked up pace over the years as artist from other continents are taking an interest in collaborating with African artists. Since Nigerian based dance artist D'Banj signed a record deal with Good music (Kanye wests recording label) a year ago there has been an increase in the probability of successful African artists. Tumi from Tumi and the volume is also an African artist who managed to break in the UK market by signing under Sony BMG. The internet has made it possible for artists to exchange music across vast borders in the world. events such as the world cup which happened in South Africa in 2010 has also given our international competitors a good perspective about travel to Africa. The PR that has been in effect in North Africa is amazing because artists are blowing up and breaking through as international artists.

(D'Banj wins big at the mtv awards. image source: en.wikipedia.org)

Collaborations http://www.konfidence.org/

American/senegalesse singer and songwriter Akon has made sure that Konvict music (his music recording label) caters for African artists by demolishing stereotypes such as a music industry that is no longer focused on a racial, economic and social sphere. The Konfidence campaign "pronounced with a k" was established to help poverty affected children in Africa as a result of good collaboration between artists in the world. The PR and communication implications of having collaborating artist through out the world is also made possible by an increase in African tourism marketing and advertising. since the world cup we have seen countless amounts of artist travel to Africa for concerts social upliftment and good will. The corporate identity that has been created around the African scene is at its peak through out the years.

(Senegal born, American raised artist "Akon" addressing children at the Konfidence project.image source: http://www.konfidence.org/ )

Moving forward: branding african music

Coca-Cola has been in the process of creating a revolution when it comes to promoting African artists. open happiness was a campaign started to help create a unique sound that no one has ever heard. the campaign has made it their number one priority to bring different artist together from different genre's of music to participate in a benefit song that will mark the sound of Coca-Cola. African artists are expected to join the frenzy and contribute to their sound to bring about a completely new way of breaking musical boundaries. Somalian born artist K'naan is also featured in the company's future plans. 

Musicians and events

Beyonce at the sports awards (http://www.citypress.co.za/Entertainment/News/Beyonce-Mbalula-backtracks-20120624)

There has been much debate about beyonce performing at the South African sports awards earlier this year. The American R&B singer and actress was said to be paid close to 11 million rand as a fee for performing at the annual ceremony at the South African sports awards in Johannesburg South Africa. much can not be said as the minister of sports and recreation has denied such a statement. The singer was rumoured to have been promised a significant amount of money to perform at the banquet. No one really knows about what the PR company in charge of the event sent to the media but the communication implications of this mix up has left the South African music (and PR) industry in negative light not only about the event but also about the communications and PR perspective in the country. 

(Beyonce Knowles as she poses for an issue for cosmopolitan magazine image source: cosmopolitan.com)

South African musicians and the industry http://www.kasitimes.co.za/tag/musicians/

Proper recording labels in South Africa lack effective PR and communication skills as many talented musicians in South Africa are not given the opportunity to perform at luxurious events like the sports awards. The main problem in this is the fact that they do not possess the proper coverage that they solely deserve as artists. The industry lacks creativity as bands like the parlotones are only likely to get booked at a few venues inside their own country. Its also saddening that they do not get recognised when it comes to performing at events like the SA sports awards ceremony. Having to even mention an international artist and paying over millions for one to perform at an event hosted by the government should spike a debate around the state of the music industry in South Africa. The music industry can not be held responsible but further improvement is needed to promote our local artists in South Africa to grow the PR and music industry that we have in our country. Unions should be formed to help establish talent and to also maintain and grow that talent.

(One of South Africa's most successful rock bands "the parlotones" image source: themuseinmusic.com)

  

Communication error Part 1: has music lost its meaning?

(http://www.harberherald.com/opinion/2011/02/21/music-has-lost-its-meaning/)

In the age of highly packaged artists by recording labels the music industry has seen change over the decades. Artists like Michael Jackson, Sade, Whitney Houston and many more have in the past been expressing themselves in the most emotional way they could by making music that kept people talking and made politicians think about key matters that affect the world. Musicians in the past connected with their audience in a special way that broke down racial segregation, economic stereotypes and political incentives. The music was a key priority in the entertainment industry and was made in such a way that artists could get on stage and perform with props or highly flashing an expensive visual effects.

(image source:transparentproductions.org- the compact disc revolution)

The 21^st Century artist (http://blog.mi.edu/post/21st-Century-Changes-in-the-Music-Industry-What-they-mean-for-Independent-Artists.aspx)

The 21^st Century artist is a concept which states the fundamental state of mind of a modern day musician. This concept describes how musicians have changed due to the interconnectedness of the world in relation to global telecommunications. This type of musician had to think about their ever increasing worldwide fan base. Musicians had to start expanding their music to cross over boundaries and to reach a specific goal. in the past music could only reach the world wide market through 2 mediums ( TV and radio) which made it difficult for people in unequal countries to access the music in time. But today music is everywhere you go thus making it a challenge to compete for the spot light.

(image source:guardian.co.uk- Elivis presley, one of the greatest rockstar of all time) 

Hollywood (http://suite101.com/article/hollywoods-negative-impact-on-society-a300145)

Each and every musician wants time for themselves to break in the spotlight and begin their highlight reel of success but because its easy becoming a star these days in Hollywood recording labels are advertising their artists just so they can stay a step ahead of the rest. Gimmicks are made and music ends up not being of good quality. The new wave artists of this generation have no clear understanding of super stardom success and rely on PR to sell copies. This is a controversial conversation that is yet to be discussed further more...

Corporate identity: Uncle Russ makes his way to SA

Russell Simmons (http://www.biography.com/people/russell-simmons-307186)

Corporate identity is vital in hip-hop and in the music industry. Born in Queens New York USA, Russell Simmons has managed to be one of the biggest moguls in the entertainment industry. Starting in his early 20’s Russell made sure that he put his foot print on all the upcoming musicians of his time ranging from Run DMC, the Beastie boys and LL cool j. But that did not stop him from expanding his brand. Russell Simmons was a revolutionist who saw an opportunity in the violent type of music called hip-hop “at that time”. Wanting to establish his mark as a respectable brand in the industry he and his friend Rick Rubin founded Def Jam recordings which would be in the forefront of the urban culture cult of the 90’s.

(Russell Simmons wearing his clothing line -phat farm- image source: starscolor.com)

Russell Simmons as a force of success (http://www.inc.com/articles/201109/russell-simmons-interview.html)

As an entrepreneur in this age of music and entertainment, organisations have to consistently renew themselves as an attempt to stay relevant. Taking corporate identity to the next level Russell Simmons aka Uncle Rush has made sure to be a step ahead of his competition by building a communications firm and clothing label called Phat farm, investing in Reebok, Run athletic, magazine publications and many more. CI has played a very big part of his career because he created platforms of business which revolve around him making him a visionary, idealist, philanthropist and role model to the youth who grew up like him.

(Russell Simmons in central park meditating. image source:wellandgoodnyc.com)

 

Russell Simmons trip to SA (http://www.stopblooddiamonds.org/russell-simmons.asp)

Uncle Rush is engaging on an expedition in South Africa and Botswana that will see him strengthen the development of the diamond trade industry to help educate and equip African’s with skills to maintain growth in their economic situation. Simmons will also be giving aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity of a lifetime at the small ceremony hosted by Destiny magazine where he will say a few words of inspiration to the fortunate few that make it to the gala event. This event will be taking place on September at the Sandton Hilton hotel and will also feature a performance by Tumi and the volume.       

Biggest trends in music

The information highway and digital PR (http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1900054,00.html)

This term is highly controversial because in music the growth of the web (web 2.0) has resulted in a more accessible industry. The internet has made it possible for people to get exposure in the simplest and cheapest way possible. Youtube has made it possible for artists to showcase their talent globally without having to pay companies a fortune. Pr is being used to handle an artist’s image and brand today because today record labels are not seen as big liabilities to have in the music industry. Artists would rather get their music out by using internet infrastructure such as, facebook, I tunes, twitter and many more. Because of the internets structure, artists can become their own record labels and grow their fan base before they can actually settle down for an agreement.

(image source:funkifiedentertainment.wordpress.com- the i POD revolutionized music)

Music downloads age (http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1900054,00.html)

As the world becomes smaller it globalizes. More and more people find it easier to download their music then to actually purchase it. The I-tunes installation application has made music broader by making it a mechanism of free choice. This could also work as a disadvantage to artists who intend on selling millions of copies. Nowadays people are not constraint to buying a full album when they could download a song they like for absolutely next to nothing. Because CD sales are not dependable anymore, artists have to rely on music concerts and gigs to survive. The download trend in music has sparked another trend which sees artists travel around the world performing. Lets also not forget that the internet made it possible for that artist to reach his/hers maximum fan base potential, by performing into cyber space.

(image source: liljaxe.com- what new york might look like in the future of tv)

The future of TV (http://www.cnbc.com/id/47102632/)

The digital age started with the radio which was said to be theatre for the mind and crossed over to audiovisual communication in the form of television which would spark the telecommunications revolution forever. The concept of the future of TV solely means that in the next years to come every source of digital communication or internet structure is going to be converted in your TV. This might see the dawn of a new age in the music industry as Youtube has plans of unleashing 100 channels in the next 5 years (or even less). But this debate will widely be regarded as the biggest shift in the industry not only in music but also in PR.