Artistic Control
I was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the Sunday "New York Times", when I stumbled upon an article about Aretha Franklin in the "Arts & Leisure" section.
When Aretha had her incredible run, back in the sixties, we didn’t think she’d still be the Queen of Soul in the twenty first century. Hell, we couldn’t even contemplate the twenty first century. But it appears her raw talent, combined with the efforts of Jerry Wexler and great studio players, established such a base of quality that she’s coasted right by pretenders to the throne, and still rules today.
But that was back when record companies and artists were on the same team. Before executives wrested control from the artists. Before artists were akin to slaves on the plantation.
Sure, before the Beatles record company misfeasance was rampant. And financial shenanigans have never stopped. But, for a while there, the label’s role was to shepherd your record, your creative vision, to market. As opposed to being a hurdle, a block, an intermediary in the journey.
By time we hit the seventies, acts just delivered their records. They recorded them wherever they wanted to, with no unwanted input. And labels had an obligation to release them. End result? Riches for everyone.
But we haven’t had that environment for fifteen years, at least.
Now, if you take their money, you’ve sold your soul. You must do what the label wants. Or else it won’t even release your record.
Guaranteed release. That used to be de rigueur. Now it’s rare. Hollywood is teeming with acts who’ve made records, gone through hundreds of thousands of dollars, and their music has never seen the light of day. Some of these people are restricted from releasing music in any form. They’re tied up.
You see the label’s goal is to sell product. They’ve become no different from Procter & Gamble. They’ve assessed the marketplace, and are knowledgeable in what can be easily sold. And that’s what they want, what can be easily sold. But what the public hungers for, and becomes addicted to, is a unique vision. Something that thrills them. The major label system has done its best to eliminate the chance of this happening.
If you don’t make music that can get on the radio, if you’re not good-looking, if you’re not chatty, able to promote yourself, the major has no interest.
I’d love to tell you that Aretha Franklin has hit a ton of high points since her Atlantic days. But this would be untrue. She’s had hits, but her music with Arista has been forgettable. Kind of like those albums Santana did with singers of the moment. The records run up the chart, the acts appear on awards shows, and when the curtain finally goes down, all is forgotten.
Santana became a superstar because he had a unique sound, fueled by passion. The ditties on Top Forty that succeeded recently were throw-offs, like so much of what is pandered by record companies today.
But those days are through.
Aretha’s had it with Clive. She’s made her own record.
Will Aretha Franklin’s self-written and produced album burn up the charts? Will it be a keeper? I don’t know. But one thing I do know, it will be her personal vision, it will be honest.
Amidst all this distribution hysteria, the music has been left behind. No one’s been talking about what these newly-independent acts are going to record.
Do you think a traditional record label would have allowed the Eagles to put out twenty tracks on two CDs for $11.88? No way! But now the band doesn’t have to answer to anybody but itself, and its fans.
Radiohead wants to release vinyl and CDs in a giant box? What’s to stop them?
But more important than the number of tracks, or the configuration, is what is contained therein. For too long, businessmen with no musical skill have told artists what to record. And their track record stinks. They’ve destroyed the recorded music sphere, and movies are now perceived to be more vital than music. It might be said that the seventies were a golden era of film, but music ruled that decade, as it did the sixties. Because the artists were in charge!
Art is about inspiration. Does the artist know commercialism? Does the artists always get it right? No! But only someone taking chances, following his own vision, has a possibility of creating something that truly resonates with the public.
Now, with the old gatekeepers out of the picture, artists can record their visions and let the public decide what’s good. There’s no middleman, forcing them to adhere to precepts they don’t believe in.
This is very important. We’re removing a whole layer of management, a filter that scrubbed the landscape clean of vital sounds.
In the seventies, all the acts sounded different. Everyone was following his own muse. For the last fifteen years, we’ve gotten cookie-cutter sounds. And the public has moved on.
I, for one, am eager to hear what the artists now have to say. I’m sure a lot of it will be shit. But, finally, we can have another "Dark Side Of The Moon", or "Stairway To Heaven". Compositions with no place in today’s major label system. Furthermore, we no longer depend on the traditional television and terrestrial radio gatekeepers. It’s direct from act to fan. The old players hate it, but the public loves it.
