On the entrenched power of telecom companies and their blatant attempts to obstruct any innovation that they cannot exploit financially, Fake Steve Jobs saidbest:
Honestly, this is why Google wants the FCC to free up the wireless spectrum and let customers put any phone on any network. Well, okay, that’s not really why Google wants that. But anyway. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Cell phone carriers suck. They’re orifices. They’re yet another example of an industry that thrives only by exploiting customers and treating them like shit. Lock-in, two-year contracts, screwing you on every little feature. Damn. Someday, I hope not too long from now, we are going to look back on this era of wireless telecom in horror, not believing we ever had to put up with such bullshit.
In a similar vein, but with respect to the music industry instead, Bob Lefsetz saidbest:
It’s like we’re living in a third world country, ruled by iron-fisted fascists, whose way of dealing with public unrest is through force and violence. Yup, a college student getting sued for file-trading faces violent upheaval in his life. But the copyright bullies don’t care. But those copyright bullies won’t continue to rule. How do I know? Because they’ve been cutting off their nose to spite their face.
I realized some number of years ago that our entire economic and political structure is predicated on protecting the status quo. Sure, the rich and powerful (republicans) talk a good game, droning on and on about the free market, competition, etc., but look beneath the surface: their power derives from an entrenched and incredibly powerful ‘big business’ constituency and their policies do everything possible to keep both of them in power. We need to realize that our continued silence makes us complicit in this charade.
With that in mind, I thought of a simple but potentially game-changing idea, something that cannot be reconciled with the policies republicans continue to advocate. It’s fundamental, foundational, memorable, and uniquely all our own: Profit from progress, not the past.
Progress by its very definition means“to move, go, or proceed forward; to advance; to improve; to become better or more complete.” That is what it means to be a progressive. Conserve by its very definition means to “save for later use; to protect an environment.” Let’s be clear here, the only thing conservatives wish to protect is their own power: just take a look at what they do and who they help with their power.
Republicans have masterfully manipulated America into permitting, but not supporting, their platform. America is begging for a change, but we must do more than just say “we’re not republicans.” We must articulate a much more promising future, a way out of the darkness of the past seven years of fear and outright failure.
A focus on progress suggests a true marketplace of ideas, where each and everyone of us has an equal opportunity to create and participate. We must continue to actively advocate for this world, it is perfect counterpoint to the George W. Bush era, and a much needed breath of fresh air in our national discourse.
I am not a musician. In spite of such a strong personal affinity to music, I lack even the most basic instincts among its instruments. Instead, I rely on my deep appreciation of it, one which admittedly borders on the obsessive at times, to bring me near to nirvana. To be sure, I am a helpless junkie, always looking for a new fix to tickle my ears and lift my head to the heavens…
I am fortunate to have met and become close friends with many extremely talented, and prolific, musicians in my life. We have, at various times, with various strategies, and with even more varying degrees of success, attempted to sell their wares on the open market. It was not an easy business to enter, let alone master, to say nothing of making a profit. Even with critical acclaim, the cost of doing business the old fashioned way (pressing vinyl, of course) was prohibitive.
Ultimately, we put those dreams on hold and went our separate ways. I was thrilled when Stewart Brown and I recently realized that we were living less than a mile apart in San Francisco, and finally reconnected after nearly ten years apart. We are older and wiser now, and while still foolish enough to dream that same dream, we are intent on finding new ways to fulfill it…
To be perfectly honest, I never stopped thinking of how best to market music, and these thoughts only intensified as this “second life” of the internet and its free and easy tools of creation came to be. Brown’s music is infectious (in a very good way) and made to be spread far and wide, and it has long been clear to me that the ease of “spread-ability” is the key to success. So we set out to eliminate anything that inhibits the free flow of music, starting first with the cost to acquire it, so that everyone can hear it instantaneously. That is why you can stream every song in its entirety within the page itself, and even download good quality 128 kbps mp3s (no DRM!!) for free.
I was adamant that we spend as little money as humanly possible (I think our greatest expense so far was buying the domain name). Brown wrote and recorded the music, I designed and built the website, and Kristin tied it all together with her words. If I may say so, it looks and sounds like a million bucks!! Check it out at FORKLIFT ENTERTAINMENT.
I want to point out and thank a few of the many people who helped make this happen…
To Hugh MacLoed and Fred Wilson, two guys who continually experiment and explore new ideas in real-time, right before our very eyes. Their passion and persuasion inspire me to no end. I had trouble finding a singularly illustrative quote from each one, but if you’re at all interested in reading more there’s a combined 71 posts tagged on my del.icio.us from Hugh and Fred.
To Bob Lefsetz, who sums it up best in a recent post entitled “The New Reality”, “You can’t reach them by asking them to buy first. Quite the contrary, it’s like catching a fish. You’ve got to drop quality bait and wait.” He continues, “You establish a beachhead. You try to get people to notice you. And the way you do this is not through endless cross-linking and widgets and all the tools of the helpless, hapless wannabes, but quality music. It’s the only way you can get recognized.” That’s the blueprint right there.
And lastly, to my beautiful wife Abby, who has lived through my countless great ideas and nonexistent execution, who nonetheless never once wavered in her support and always encouraged me to go for it. I could not have done it without you. I love you.
Wow, that was way more than I originally intended to write; still, I left so much out.
I think Brown’s music is poised to take off, and I believe our approach to doing business can help make it happen. I am so excited to see where this goes. I would love to hear what you think, so leave me a comment here or on FORKLIFT ENTERTAINMENT.
As always, more soon.
On the subject of the dominance of Apple’s iPod and iTunes strategy versus the decay of the music industry, Bob Lefsetz saidbest:
A 45 held two tracks. An LP forty minutes. A CD seventy minutes. An iPod? DAYS WORTH! So, the ART FORM was challenged. How long should an album BE? Should there even BE any albums? Stunningly, both labels and artists are still debating this, still clinging to the album format when consumers only care about ONE THING! That the music be GOOD! They want a LOT of good music, and NONE bad.
I would also add that they want it NOW, with new stuff released often and in endless supply. But most of all, whatever it is, they want it FREE.
btw, I’ll have some more thoughts to add on this very subject in the next day or two. It’s really big, and I couldn’t be more proud of it. I can’t wait to share it with you.