Kanye vs. Trent
Who looks cooler? Kanye West who essentially begged people to buy his album, constantly boasting about his talent and prowess in every medium known to man and then throwing a hissy-fit when he believed he wasn’t treated properly by music god MTV, or Trent Reznor who railed that his record company was run by greedy bastards overcharging the public and that his audience should just steal his music in a performance so far away that I’m sure Ms. South Carolina can’t find the location on a map.
How many times were you e-mailed that clip of the guy being tasered? You know, the performance art doofus asking John Kerry an endless question. If you’re a music fan, probably not as many times as you were e-mailed quotes and clips from Reznor’s rant.
Kanye West may have sold a bunch of albums, but if history is our guide, he’s only as big as his last hit. Rappers tend not to kill on the road (well, at least not in ticket sales), and just like in the old days, Top Forty doesn’t create lasting fans. Sure, Top Forty is the icing on the cake if you happen to cross over, but now almost nobody can cross over. If the Eagles’ new album contains a track as good as "Hotel California" IT will not get airplay on Top Forty radio. Because Top Forty radio is a ghetto, comprised of the youth, and not all youth, just those who are susceptible to the inane commercials featured on the stations. When done right, radio is a club. If you want to be a member of the Top Forty club, you’re probably thrilled when the mailman delivers a AAA invite to join ITS club. All the cool, all the hooks, have been drained from conventional media in an effort to harvest the most eyeballs. But that paradigm is dead. We live in an era of individuality. How else to explain the Facebook and MySpace pages, the endless YouTube concoctions. The youth have identities. They don’t want to be lumped together and labeled. They want to be treated as honest, thinking individuals, respected for their power. And they’ve got power.
A clip like the Reznor video wouldn’t exist if most acts had their way. NO CAMERAS! NO VIDEOS! Why? You’re pissed people love you so much that they want a recording, to show to others? You’re not a magician, fearful of your tricks being revealed, you’re a MUSICIAN, and the more people who want to join your club, the better. And, if you’re good, and say interesting things, people will be drawn to you.
50 Cent’s record was hampered by his personality. Just like Kanye’s was boosted by a fawning press thrilled that they could promote someone not dangerous. What has this got to do with the listening experience? NOTHING! This is a game concocted by desperate labels mired in the twentieth century to assault the populace with their wares, to browbeat them into buying product. Seems to have worked for Kanye’s first week. But how about his twentieth week? And, if labels want a piece of that road revenue, was this good for career longevity?
I’m not going to say the old system has no impact. As evidence, we’ve got the 957,000 albums Kanye moved this week. But I’m more interested in the new system. Where the AUDIENCE picks the stars. And hypes them based on criteria that the performer may not even be aware of. Do you think Mr. Reznor was ranting for the cameras? This was no press conference, this was a GIG! Watching, amidst the crowd response, is a more powerful experience than what happened at the Palms ten days ago. And if you total up the number of people who’ve seen the various clips, who’ve read about what Trent said, it doesn’t compare to the number of exposures Kanye got. But so many of those impacted by the Kanye hype had no interest in the man and his music. So many were turned off. So many want to see him fail. Whereas those passing the Trent speech fervently on the Web are long-time fans, or newly-minted fans struck by his honesty.
His record company did try to rip off fans in Australia. He spoke out and now its employees hate him. But he’s got power too. He’s going directly TO THE SAME TARGET AUDIENCE! Who’s gonna win? An artist with a fifteen year career or the same people who brought you P2P lawsuits? Trent’s enhancing his credibility, he’s increasing the longevity of his career, by being what an artist should be, a beacon of truth.
This is a gargantuan story on the Net. Made by those who care, not the mainstream media or paid street teamers. It pays lasting dividends. Trent may not have sold as many records as Kanye, but where it counts, on the road, HE’S the king.
