Also in this issue:

Re-Thinking The Majors

Last night I played a gig for three people in Highland Park, CA. Inevitably on the way home I asked myself “Why do I do this?” Rehearsals, band fees, equipment upkeep, travel costs. Why?

I am not alone among my colleagues to ask the above question. The rewards in the record business are dwindling fast. Two bands I know got signed to major label deals only to be dropped or put in limbo a year later. The concept of a hit song outside of “I Have a Crush on Obama” seems to be dead.

So I ask again: “Why do I do this?”

To complicate matters I caught a radio show last week where I was described as an “extraordinary artist.” Extraordinary? Which is it? Vincent Van Gogh or John Henry?

I suspect a little of both.

Music is starting to be seen as an accessory to things going on and less an event in and of itself. Big bands still pack’em in but, eventually the Aretha Franklins and even the Dave Mathews of the world will stop touring. What then?

Will live music be a thing of the past? I sure hope not.

I believe there is a solution however. And that solution lies with a group many people think have a lot to do with causing music’s alleged untimely demise. The savior to be? The Major labels.

Yes, the “evil” ones are the only chance for this business.

How? The Majors have to invest less in the next “big thing” and put smaller amounts of money in the hands of many bands and artists like myself, John Romano.

With $50-$100,000 a well organized band could do the following two things at 10% of what the Majors currently pay:

• A. Fully equip their project studios. My band and many bands like me record in a kind of underground environment where we self produce quality tracks and use up and coming LA producers for a fraction of what the Majors pay the hit makers of days past.
• B. Rent a comfortable touring vehicle and get on the road. I can think of twenty bands that would be big in Topeka if they could just afford to get there.

The Majors of course would make sure the product was mastered properly and in stores digital and otherwise. If a band starts making some noise then and only then EMI or Warner Bros. could drop some heavy doe to make the crowds flow. Obviously, there are caveats that need to be addressed like the role of Booking Agents, radio promotion, and tour marketing in the process.

The band and the label would share all revenue in the end of course. T-shirts, etc. are all on the table in the above scenario. Merchandise is as much a part of the deal as the music is, especially nowadays.

Conventional wisdom states that a band must get on the road self funded and make their “bones” before a Major takes notice.

I believe the opposite now is true, the Major’s need to get funds into the hands of talented and responsible (okay semi-responsible) bands and get it there fast! Get them going and see where it leads.

Too many musicians and bands are forsaking the road because the potential for a return on investment of any kind seems to be dwindling yearly. Of course many people still do it, especially young bands. However, headlining Giants Stadium is no longer a real outcome for any new band.

The Majors need to adjust and follow the new realities, and maybe, over time a band will gather enough steam to play in East Rutherford. I know this much, the American Idol star factory is not filling Arenas, something has to change.

For me, tonight, I’ll be playing a club in Hollywood that I know will be packed as it always is on Friday nights. So I will be Vincent Van Gogh tonight. Tomorrow back to the rail yards and the hinterlands of MySpace and iTunes.

John Romano is a musician and entrepreneur who lives in Los Angeles. He is president of Avant Garde A Clue, Inc. He is also a political correspondent for BBC London Radio. www.johnnyrome.com.

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