Hype
If you say something long enough, do people believe it?
In other words, do tireless self-promoters succeed?
Once upon a time I believed in Clive Davis. When he got fired from CBS and wrote his autobiography, when he started Arista Records. I thought Arista was the new Asylum, that albums could be bought on label name alone. So I purchased Patti Smith’s "Horses". But did I need to believe in Barry Manilow? I’ll admit, Barry had talent, but how to explain Milli Vanilli and Kenny G?
But Clive says we should call him the Ears of the industry. Even though the untrumpeted Chris Blackwell has a far better track record. Even David Geffen himself, album for album, with Asylum and Geffen Records, put out a higher level of quality, with artists that have lasted. Geffen released Guns N’ Roses. Clive put out Whitney Houston? GNR can tour without the whole band and still play stadiums. Whitney?
But the reason I’m covering all this is an article in yesterday’s "Los Angeles Times" about BC Jean. Wherein Randy Lewis sucks Clive’s dick and repeats the record executive’s hype about the artist literally verbatim. Is this what a news source is supposed to do?
I could make this L.A. "Times" specific. Excoriating the dwindling left coast supposed newspaper of record. But even more fascinating is the role of hype in today’s marketplace. Does it work?
We all want to know what’s happening.
But we all want to slow down and look at the car accident on the other side of the freeway. But once we’re done, we barely give it another thought, unless it’s especially gruesome.
Kind of like what’s hyped by the old wave machine today. The story is ever more dramatic and even less meaningful.
The musical story is not BC Jean, but the Dave Matthews Band. Which tours tirelessly to in excess of 10,000 devotees per gig year after year. And behind them there’s a plethora of bands most of the public is unfamiliar with, from Phish to the National to even the Hold Steady, who have audiences, real fans who support them in good style for a long time. And if you want to talk new acts, how about Mumford & Sons?
In other words, even if hype works, does it pay?
It appears not.
I’m not saying you can’t make money telling everybody your message. I’m just saying that’s not where the real money is. Because most people don’t care. Top Forty radio is not the NFL, but hockey or maybe even lacrosse. Hell, even those sports have diehard fans. Top Forty radio in most cases is a phase young people go though and outgrow. If Clive were so fucking special, he’d create a band of musicians who lasted, who created a groundswell as a result of their incredible live performances, not by releasing an overmanaged single written with the usual suspects.
If BC Jean were as talented as Clive says she is, why did she have to cowrite with the Matrix?
Clive doesn’t want to play in the new world because it takes too much time. And he’s not sure how much time he has left. But even more so, his connections are all in the old world. Like a Smith Corona salesman, Clive is busy peddling typewriters to the few, out of the way outposts that don’t yet have computers, who haven’t heard of the Internet, who certainly don’t have high speed connections.
Once upon a time, the papers determined what was the news. But now we know there are many more stories than fit between their ever-shrinking covers. And that given options, people will go elsewhere.
We’re bombarded with marketing messages all day long. What the old wavers don’t realize is we’re immune to them. Detroit kept telling us how great its iron was, but we bought Japanese, because the quality was there. Look at Hyundai… Pieces of shit upon first importation, paragons of cheap quality today.
If you want to make it in today’s marketplace you must focus on quality. Promotion will get you momentary notice, but only quality sustains. Sure, it might be harder than ever to get your message out, to truly gain traction. But when someone finds something good today, they tell everybody they know. That’s how you build an act, that’s how you build a brand. Not by calling the usual media suspects and spewing shit about how your vapid new artist is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
