Always a shock, never a surprise

One of the musicians I work with was in town this week, doing press and set up work for a forthcoming album. I get a phone call on Thursday. Turns out said musician has been telling friends of mine about moving on to a new label after this album, and how "bad" he feels about leaving us. Hmmm.

Not really the news I wanted to kick off another day in the office, but there you have it. I'm not ashamed to say that I got quite upset, and yes, shed some tears. I think it was the way I got the news that was particularly galling, and it was pretty humiliating to be told by a friend about an artist on your own label. (Luckily it was my best friend, and he told me because he didn't want me to hear it from anyone else.)
Now, you may be thinking but you've been doing this for 20 years now Allison, why does this sort of behaviour still come as a shock? Surely, things like this happen all the time to independent labels.....

And you'd be quite right. Yes it does happen all the time, and no, I shouldn't be upset. But I am. In this particular case, it's not so much the fact of the matter (artist leaving) as the... well, the dishonesty of the situation that galls me. Said musician is on album three of a three album deal and is absolutely free to walk. And yes, I was aware of the interest from the Other Label. In fact, I was the first one to be approached by the Other Label, in one of those surreal moments that the independent music business is rife with.

Other Label : Hi, I'm from A Label That's Bigger Than Yours.

Me : Nice to meet you.

Other Label : We really love your artist and think he's perfect for our label.

Me : splutter.....

You know... like some girl walking up to you at a bar and saying "Your boyfriend is really great. Can I fuck him?" One can't quite believe one's ears. But, hey, at least the Other Label was honest about it. I have to give them that. They could have done it The Other Way, which would have been approaching the artist in a cloak-and-dagger fashion behind our backs. So fair play. Or rather, unfair play, but in as fair a way as possible. I think.

I even told The Artist about it, immediately. The Other Label approached me and is interested in you. I could tell his head was turned.

So yeah, it wasn't a surprise to hear that he was packing his bags. It was just a massive bummer that he couldn't do me the courtesy of telling me while looking me in the eye. I think it was particularly spineless to tell friends of mine (and taking into account these are not music business friends, these are Real People, and people I introduced The Artist to. Real People who took him into their worlds and made him a friend) and tell them how "bad" he feels about it all. It's just bullshit isn't it? Bullshit and human nature.

Days like this are the days when I really do question whether the hard work and heartache are worth it. I get hurt because I put too much of myself into it. I own things. I care about how to do things, and about getting the right results. So I do take it really personally, when someone lets me down. And no, after all these years I still haven't learned how to keep people at arms length, and protect myself. I wish I could be more pragmatic. Other people at the label tell me to consider that The Artist honoured his agreement with us, gave us the three albums, worked them all to the best of his abilities, co-operated and was grateful for our work along the way. Yes, well... all very true. And indeed this is much more than many artists I have worked with have done. It's just... well, it's such a bummer to be rewarded for doing well by losing out. Finding something no one really cares about, nurturing it and watching it grow, and then, sitting by while the poachers cart it off.

And like I say, I would have just like to have been told to my face. I guess that is just too much to ask.

Comments

[David Kovach]

So you wrote this in 2006... how has that artist faired at The Other Label since?

And for me this line of thinking:

"Other people at the label tell me to consider that The Artist honoured his agreement with us, gave us the three albums, worked them all to the best of his abilities, co-operated and was grateful for our work along the way"

1. is exactly why majors are majors and indies are indies... isn't it?

2. is the obvious advantage to not being one of the big 4... as in you don't have to just be this pragmatic bean-counting boneheaded music machine...

boneheaded is this --> EMI's rapid advances of reinventing the music industry in 2008 will be what other corporations figured out like 5-10 years ago... centralized global functions around infrastructure bs to cut costs... is that like fun in a music way? NO. But, private equity no matter how Hands spins it... is purely about return on investment. Nothing else. And sitting down 100 managers in a room, showing a glitzy Powerpoint is about money in the hands of some of the biggest artists (read: profitable) aka in the managers hands (oh bad phun) and thusly raising EMI's credit rating. Any private equity firm anywhere --- that is all they do. Turn around businesses or failed models to make it turn a buck as in profit to the investors. Wow, its so really music and heart and artist love... I laugh in applause, cause they will just be fucking the football for another few years and be even further disconnected! Amen.

You and your heart are the separator and the greatest largest divide between why the big 4 will consolidate further, and ultimately stress itself to the point of implosion... without you we are all are fucked... and if this is the case I will start asking all my attractive lady friends that are married or have MYS status: "in a relationship" to well uh, I am too much of a gentlemen to say... but the same thing that label did to you in your conversation with them...

because without the remaining "yous" there is no heart and love in this industry...

If you have people in your office that think its all about the lights and paying salaries they are like staring at the wheel of the car and we are talking about the whole car... I wish them well, it is a weak bit of traditional linear thinking, that really gets them no further except covering next months bills, and the next months and the next months - yet the finish line is moving, and opportunities are presenting themselves to be seized...

Is EMI really going to pile profits back into new artists? NO COME ON... They are shackled to being so bloody big... Their big moves are whether or not their fucking IT guys will be sitting in Romania vs. scattered around the various regional EMI offices around the country...

Artists, well, many are not always the sharpest business tools in the shed frankly... which is sad, cause all they are in for when they think the grass is greener somewhere else is a rude awakening at some point... like waking up and going how the fuck did I end up back as a barista, again??? fuck... I believe every artist could be as shrewed as an Arcade Fire as 1 point of reference...

And the big deal here is that this isn't like baseball's major and minor leagues - soccer must have the same structure I would guess :-)... Ok, if it's about Bentley's and big tour busses and "advanced" indebtedness... then every fucking artist asked would go to a major... but, in 2008, not all would, and not all as you truly must realize, would do that kinda of crap to you... like as in you a person, not you the label...

Here is quote for ya:

The idealism of Love is the new realism of business. By building Respect and inspiring Love, business can move the world."

If I say who I am quoting it kinda ruins it, it wasn't Hitler (obviously) or inspired by socialistic ideas...

You are the heart and love in an industry that going forward -- will require it -- BUT, DON'T TELL EMI, let's just watch them vomit all over themselves for the next 12-18 months... You are like a secret weapon...

all the best -

DK