Commitment Versus Consumerism

One such group that has felt the first nip of the wringer, Vertical Horizon, delivered Everything You Want to the 2001 music scene.  During their meteoric rise to fame and stardom, the band earned a number one song and certified platinum album, which sold two million units.  Front man Matt Scannell spoke of what commitment was to him when he was growing up: “We were proud to wear our favorite band’s t-shirt or emblem.  When I discovered a band, I would take the time to research the back catalog of albums and listen to them.  Today, we find a sort of ‘microwave mentality.’  Instead of two minutes to popcorn, it’s six weeks to superstar.”

Scannell accurately describes what pop culture and modern business have spun into the new wave of consumerism.  Younger audiences today are discouraged from dedicating themselves to that which requires great attention or hard work.  Looking at the change in music since the 1970s, epic-spinning super groups such as Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Yes raise the question, could today’s younger listeners marshal the commitment to explore and absorb themselves in longer and more complex music?  Must consumer-friendly entertainment be an instant-hit assembled package, American Idol style?  Star-Searching shows (and Reality TV) shamefully provide an accurate study of current US culture’s values, according to Scannell.

Vertical Horizon’s problems started after completing two years of touring to support their hugely successful 2001 album.  When it came time to begin recording a follow-up, the record company had already experienced two regime changes.  Although the label was once a comfortable home for these musicians, it had turned into an unfriendly and micromanaging entity.  In the studio, the band was under constant pressure to deliver the kind of “money-track” hit demanded by the company.  The group’s first single from GO (their current record), “I’m Still Here,” was a corporate consensus-made hit.  Ironically enough, the lyrics express great distaste for this committee record-making approach.  Having artistic decisions made by those who are very far removed from the art parallels the quandary faced by so many school districts in which, educational decisions are made by those who have no real contact with the true end users—the students.  Shortsightedly, record companies look to the art only for their own profit.

Rising Stars, Falling Stocks

Having once shared the same record label as Scannell’s band, Bruce Hornsby remarked that in his almost-two decade tenure with RCA Records, he had seen 10 company presidents come and go.  Frequently, with each regime change comes new demands on the artist, or a complete abandonment.  In a conversation after one of his appearances in New York, Hornsby echoed Scannell’s comments about the music industry (almost word-for-word) when he said, “The music industry, as we know it today is finished.  It’s over.”  Both musicians were referring to the industry’s lack of profitability. 

Bruce Hornsby

Sony Music's Columbia Records recently discarded singer Nellie McKay over a conflict about the length of her record—a clear example of corporate interference in the creative process.  In an effort to strike back, at a November concert, the singer publicly disclosed the direct email address of a label executive and encouraged fans to write, demanding the full album be released, the McKay way.  She spoke of how unfair it was, that the record labels—the corporations—are “raping the world.”  According to the performer, a recent executive shake-up at Columbia is to blame for the clash.  Through the years, established artists (including Neil Young) have had numerous works rejected by record companies that were deemed not commercial enough.

Doug Derryberry (producer of Vertical Horizon’s Running On Ice and guitarist for Hornsby’s band) remarked that, “Companies forsake everything to make a buck.  To see this happen in the music business is tragic.  We see large companies (Home Depot, Lowe’s, and IKEA) sell billions in inferior products because they’re cheap—to maximize return.  They don’t care about quality; they just want cheap.  Where there’s art involved, it makes musicians squeamish.  Everything is forsaken for the bottom line.”  Essentially, Derryberry went on to discuss, the record label is an over glorified bank.  The corporation makes “loans,” to finance the recording and promotion of an artist; however, the interest rate is incredible (think recoupable debt).  One consumer even stated that musicians find themselves in an age when record companies are becoming obsolete; all that is needed is an excellent website and publicist.