It used to be about fighting piracy.

Now it’s about getting attention.

That’s the story of today, media matters, the world has flip-flopped back to the way it used to be, but it’s even worse, because there are so many messages.

In other words, publicity counts. Going viral is a near-impossibility. If you’re depending on word of mouth, count on your audience being very small. Of course, some of the best stuff breaks organically, but to go big, you need a push.

Media sways the story.

The media coronated Kanye West and the media decided Hillary Clinton won the initial debate. In both cases, there’s a solid groundswell agreeing with these proclamations, but the sheer fact of their publicity becomes reinforcing. The media said Trump lost the first debate and he immediately became defensive, making excuses.

That’s the power of the press.

Today, if someone’s pirating your music, that’s a good thing. Especially since the lion’s share of revenue does not come from recordings. Your goal is to get people to listen, if at all. Releases come and go so fast, you know something’s available but you don’t even bother to check it out, there’s already something new.

Sure, the instant release is losing its special character, it’s not the revelation it once was. But instant availability is a treasure. We live in the era of instant gratification. To promote that which we cannot consume is to leave money on the table. If you can get someone’s attention, let them click, let them experience, let them listen!

Which is why exclusives are to the detriment of artists. There’s a movie on Apple Music and the press does a story and then the rest of the world forgets about it. If you’re bothering to sell, let people partake.

But the music business has become about the short money. If you pay me now, I’ll forget about tomorrow.

But we’re not selling Wimpy Burgers.

Remember the days of leaks?

Sure, security is so much better.

But the acts are so much smaller.

With the death of MTV came the loss of ubiquity. Nobody’s that big. Sure, they might sell out a stadium, but I’d argue there are more people who haven’t heard Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Coldplay’s new work than have.

There’s a business in preaching to the converted.

But the converted die. They lose interest, they literally die. He not busy making new fans is in danger of losing his career.

So, decide if you’re shoring up your fanbase or trolling for new customers.

If you’re shoring up your fanbase, release music with no hit potential that sounds like what you’ve already done, that’s fine.

But if you’re looking for new listeners, write a hit. Don’t put out music until you’ve got one. One successful track is better than a dozen album cuts…on an album. It’s hard to get people’s attention, you can only go to the well so many times. Mixing metaphors, if you’re coming to bat, hit it out of the park!

So, if you’re a star, you’re better off with an instant release. All your publicity will be coordinated, there will be buzz, excitement for at least a week, when your record hits number one (and then, in too many cases, falls right off the chart.)

If you’re not a star…

It doesn’t matter when your album comes out. Whether there’s advance publicity or not. It’s about a story, that spreads.

But the underlying material has to support the venture.

Forget about the cycle. Whether it be once every two years or even once a year. When you ramp up your publicity for a stiff album…you alienate people, it’s hard to get them back.

So, for your core fans, constantly put out new music under the radar. See if it gains traction. If so, work it into your live set. Make it a staple. So the attendees are not subjected to unwanted stuff and forced to take a bathroom break.

But if all eyes are upon you…

You’ve got to deliver. You’ve got to have music that people want to hear more than once. With the plethora of material the bar has been raised. If your inner circle isn’t doing cartwheels, expressing hosannas, go back to the drawing board. Furthermore, you know when you do great work, it’s part of being an artist. And so much great work comes from sheer inspiration. We live in a land where too many do it too slowly. And they over-process a lame song into a turd. We’re looking for energy, passion, that ethereal sound that makes us want to listen to something again and again and again.

And with so much stuff to listen to…

It’s a privilege to get someone to check your stuff out. You may be putting out an hour long album, but you’d be stunned to find out that only your hardest core of fans listens all the way through, because you’ve let them down, in an era of plentitude, only the strong survive.

Music is a marathon. Your goal is longevity. You start with the media story, but then it’s all in your own hands.

And radio helps.

But today the playlist rules.

You need to be in the Top Lists. The Spotify chart does not lie, and that’s the only one that means anything, because it evidences listenership, sales are a false metric. You might have gotten paid, but someone might have deleted the album after hearing it once.

It’s going to get ever tighter. People only have so much time. They’re in search of the new, but they’ll discard the work of their favorites just like that if it doesn’t measure up.

So, start with a song. Release it to fanfare.

Then see if the public gets on board.

P.S. I’m waiting for the instant movie release. It’ll be a monster. A comic book flick starring Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence that just shows up in the theatres on Friday. Imagine the buzz! The studios are too busy infiltrating Comic Con, laying the groundwork. If it’s all about the first weekend, why not truly make it an event!

P.P.S. The music business is far ahead of film and TV. You can get everything for one low price instantly. Which is why piracy is on the wane. Ten percent of the public will never pay, forget about them. The rest embrace convenience. And you should too, by making all your tunes available instantly on all services.

P.P.P.S. Only Luddites keep their songs off streaming services. Don’t put the money first! Most of Neil Young’s material is unavailable to stream, but the dirty little secret is it sells poorly anyway. Why not let newbies check it out? I heard “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” on Sirius today, I didn’t write about it because I couldn’t link to it on Spotify.

P.P.P.P.S. Read David Brooks’s “The Age Of Reaction”
He’s talking about politics, but his words apply to the music business. Things will only get better, we’ve endured fifteen years of chaos, but revenue is up and the tools of creation are in the hands of the proletariat and we cannot go back to what once was, we can only go forward.