Howdjadoo...J. Tillman

This Economy Stuff is So Touch and Go...

An economic free-fall knows no boundaries. Eventually, everything is affected in some way or another, including our ability to access music. One of the latest casualties is Touch and Go Records, an influential independent label that has been responsible for bringing us the sweet sounds of artists as diverse as the Butthole Surfers, Jesus Lizard, Calexico, TV on the Radio, Pinback, Slint, and Silkworm.

Touch and Go Records has announced that it will be downsizing its operations over the coming months, and in doing so, severing its ties with a number of smaller independent labels such as Thrill Jockey, All Tomorrow's Parties, Merge, Drag City, and Kill Rock Stars. These labels, among others, will undoubtedly take a bit of a hit by this shift in Touch and Go's priorities, which will see the company relinquish its role as their manufacturer and distributor and instead focus on maintaining its own catalogue sales.

Here is an excerpt from a press-release issued by head Touch and Goer, Corey Rusk;

"Many of you may not be aware, but for nearly two decades, Touch and Go has provided manufacturing and distribution services for a select yet diverse group of other important independent record labels. Titles from these other labels populate the shelves of our warehouse alongside the titles on our own two labels, Touch and Go Records and Quarterstick Records.

"Unfortunately, as much as we love all of these labels, the current state of the economy has reached the point where we can no longer afford to continue this lesser-known yet important part of Touch and Go's operations."

"Touch and Go will be returning to its roots and focusing solely on being an independent record label. We'll be busy for a few months working closely with the departing labels and scaling our company to an appropriate smaller size after their departure. It is the end of a grand chapter in Touch and Go's history, but we also know that good things can come from new beginnings."

The announcement brings attention to the plight of the independent music community which has always struggled to succeed in an industry dominated by major labels; economic downfall notwithstanding. Indie labels already operate with significantly smaller budgets than those of the majors (despite nurturing the careers of some of the biggest artists of our day including Nirvana and Green Day), so we already know that this fragile economy doesn't do much to help their situation. More worrisome is the loss of industry resources (like the manufacturing/distributing operations provided by companies like Touch and Go Records) that make it even harder for smaller labels to continue releasing great music. Many of the 20 or so labels with longstanding working relationships with Touch and Go will now have to find other companies to manufacture (not so hard to do) and adequately distribute (a lot harder/costlier to do) their albums.

Luckily, what the independent music industry may lack in financial stability it more than makes up for in resourcefulness. Deeply rooted in a "trial and error" existence, indie labels and artists have traditionally exhibited both the ability and willingness to experiment and adapt to shifts in industry trends, moreso than the arrog...sorry...steadfast majors.

Far from killing the independent radio star, what the failing economy will likely do is serve as another nail in the coffin of the CD. As mainstream as downloading already is, the state of the economy will likely push even more people to sell/buy their music on the internet. With virtually zero manufacturing costs and endless potential for proliferation, digital mp3 files are far and above a greater (not to mention greener) alternative for indie labels. Money once tied up in these endeavors could then be redirected towards the promotion of the artists in order to create and maintain a profile among music fans.

Thoughts? Comments?

Howdjadoo...Andrew Bird

A feature of this blog I plan to maintain is a kind of brief introductory primer on some artists that have found their way into my ear and set up shop. I decided to call the feature "Howdjadoo..." after an old Woody Guthrie tune for kids about shaking hands and getting to know people. I'll include links to the artists' official sites so you can find out more about them at your own leisure.

The first artist I wanted to feature is one of the most compelling artists I've ever seen or heard; Chicago-based Andrew Bird. I can remember the first time I ever heard him, I was instantly head-over-heels. Thanks, Chip.

Bird started out with swing-revivalists the Squirrel Nut Zippers, but soon left the band to focus on his own music. Employing a violin, guitar, looping pedal/sampler, bittersweet voice, and a whistle that is all too worthy of his namesake, Bird's songs bristle with texture while defying classification; in any given song you can pick out elements of folk, blues, country, jazz, classical, and yes, even rock. The man has an uncanny sense of dynamics in his songwriting, creating songs which tend to build with complexity into densely orchestrated numbers that are as mysterious as they are tender. His concerts will leave you flabbergasted. Yes, flabbergasted.

Andrew Bird has a new album, Noble Beast, out now. My favourite album of his has always been Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs from 2005. Find it and enjoy.

Here's Andrew Bird performing the song "Section 8 City"...


Andrew Bird - From the Basement from QandnotU on Vimeo.

Roll Over Bruce Springsteen, Tell Eddie Vedder the News...

As if having a near monopoly on concert ticket sales wasn't enough, Ticketmaster has devised a new dastardly way to gouge the wallets of concertgoers everywhere.

The ticket impressarios are back in the news, their imminent merger with Live Nation notwithstanding, as concerned citizens take Ticketmaster to task over what they view as legalized scalping.

Essentially what's happening is that when you go to Ticketmaster's website to purchase tickets to a concert, play, or sporting event, you may be automatically redirected to TicketsNow, a subsidiary website of theirs where you can find tickets, albeit at a massively inflated price. This happened to me a few weeks ago when I tried to score a pair of Fleetwood Mac tickets for my parents. The event in question may have "sold out" within a couple of minutes on Ticketmaster's main site, yet lo and behold, TicketsNow (read: Ticketmaster, owner of TicketsNow) instantly has plenty of tickets up for grabs at two-to-five times the original face value.

Ticketmaster has the audacity to defend this by saying they are "protecting" the consumer.

Read on for more details...

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/01/02/ticketmaster-consumers.html

Two Canadian law firms have already filed a $500 million class-action lawsuit against Ticketmaster on behalf of Toronto-resident Henryk Krajewski, who was redirected to TicketsNow when he tried to get Smashing Pumpkins tickets late last year. According to Ontario law, it is illegal to sell tickets above face value. While the firms are contemplating the addition of Alberta and Manitoba to the lawsuit (both have similar anti-scalping legislation), British Columbians will be left in the lurch as no such laws governing scalping exist in the province. According to the Vancouver Sun, the issue of anti-scalping legislation is currently under review in B.C..

Krajewski's concerns were echoed by none other than Bruce "no-guacamole-dip-for-me, thankyou" Springsteen who issued a statement slamming Ticketmaster for applying this redirection of ticket sales to his own upcoming 2009 tour. Ticketmaster has since issued Springsteen an apology and offered refunds to people who had bought overpriced TicketsNow tickets to his shows. In other words, a blatant admission of guilt and acknowledgement of a breach of trust between the company, artists, and consumers.

One method to curtail the actions of Ticketmaster is to lobby provincial politicians. If enough people speak out against what is happening, steps can be taken in this province to develop anti-scalping legislation.

Another, more grassroots method is to simply refuse to buy tickets at these prices. A friend of mine lives by the philosophy that if a show costs more than $15, it's not worth going to. Most of the concerts being affected by this practice are the big arena shows anyway, which is no big loss. To have to spend half a paycheck only to watch the artist on a jumbo-tron and suffer through the sound quality of two tin-cans strung together is outrageous. If you must go, investigate whether or not you can purchase your tickets at local record shops where you are not going to be exposed to an endless list of service charges.

For shame, Ticketmaster...for shame.

The Poppermost Explained

"Where are we going, fellas?"

"To the top, Johnny!"

"And where's that?"

"To the toppermost of the poppermost, Johnny!"

In the early days of the Beatles, times could be surprisingly tough for the fabs. Constant rejection from labels, exhausting sets that lasted several hours in seedy venues, living in squalor in tiny shared rooms, brawls, pills, and alcohol all took their toll on the group. When the other three's spirits were running low, John Lennon would often rally the troops with this little call-and-answer routine, inspired by cheesy Hollywood musicals of the day. It served to remind them of why they did this, why it was so worth it to persevere. Had they succumbed to the pressures and struggles of those early days, we may not enjoy the wildly diverse range of the music we enjoy today, so deep was their influence (however direct or indirect). And I would still be thinking of a suitable title for this blog.

Arguably, adding another music blog to the online world is like adding one more grain of sand to a beach; an exercise in redundancy and futility. In my search through countless music blogs for inspiration, what I have noticed is a seemingly never-ending stream of sites that offer minimal explanation or reasoning, rather a string of disposable free downloads of albums and entire artist catalogues. Don't get me wrong, I think people should be able to enjoy music regardless of how much money they have at their disposal. However, in failing to give any reasons behind their posts, some bloggers undermine the artists' efforts. People have put some really hard work into creating the music you enjoy...isn't that worth taking it seriously?

What set the good blogs apart was an effort on the bloggers' behalf to explain what it is about the artist that they enjoy. This dialogue, whether you agree with them or not, represents a crucial aspect to our understanding and sharing of music. It is one thing to passively listen, it is another to become actively engaged in the experience.

What I hope to accomplish with this blog is an exercise in music-related writing, a personal contribution to this ongoing dialogue, sorting through the "poppermost" to find the "toppermost". Expect album, book, and concert reviews, news, photos, videos, and links to other informative sites. I also plan to contribute personal ruminations on various aspects of the music industry, things that affect how we experience both recorded and live music. I encourage and welcome comments and suggestions from anyone who happens upon this blog, as they can only help to make it better.

I hope you enjoy and I look forward to sharing what I can with any and all of you,

Kevin.