Sometimes Music Reflects Society, Now It Must Also Urgently Lead Again! (Addendum)
(“Socially Driven Music For Dummies” Addendum Notes)
See Part 1 of “Socially Driven Music For Dummies” summary here.
Talking Points (for Hanna Kahlert and Stephen Love’s 2-Part Essays Webinar and Podcast Discussions)…insight about the history and what’s to come for the worldwide music industry:
In this conversation, participants explore solutions for the future music industry based upon the foundational 2-part essays “Music — It’s About Purpose, Stupid!” and “Music: What is it Good For?”
Hypebot said: “The music industry needs to focus on the meaning behind music, tying the art back to purpose. That’s the central thesis behind this thought-provoking piece by Stephen Love, former EVP of ATV Music, and Hanna Kahlert of MIDiA Research. The pair believe that music for a purpose (interacting with impassioned activist communities for good) can have a major reciprocal impact between artists, fans and supportive businesses at a time when companies are coming to understand that consumers want social purpose in turn for product loyalty.”
For a deep dive, here are the links to the essays:
Introduction:
Part 1 delves into the challenges in the music industry, the concept of and the potential impact of purpose-driven music on fan engagement.
The Part 1 title, “Music — It’s About Purpose, Stupid!,” borrows from the famous James Carville quote and includes insights from Love’s time with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, as well as some cutting-edge points drawn from MIDiA’s latest reports and data.
Part 2, titled “Music: What is it Good For?” focuses on revaluing meaning and purpose in music in the face of generative AI. The hosts discuss concerns about AI eliminating the creative process and the varying perspectives on its role as a tool for creativity. They explore the threats and opportunities posed by generative AI, including challenges related to copyright, ownership, and the potential for positive applications.
The discussion emphasizes the importance of purpose in music creation, extended into AI-generated music, distinguishing professional from amateur creations, and the human element in music creation and curation. The authors address copyright challenges, royalty structures, introducing the Human Artistry Campaign and exploring future transformations and opportunities, including AI in lyric translation and collaborations between established and emerging artists.
The exposé continues with a reflection on the evolving music landscape, the unfolding inflection point, the industry quest to monetize niches and superfans and the need to prioritize human values in the age of AI. The conversation encourages listeners to engage in the ongoing exploration of AI’s impact on music and culture.
Discussion Part 1:
- Introduction to Socially Driven Music and its mission to connect music artists and songwriters with social causes, business brands and politics. The introduction provides a brief overview of Socially Driven Music and its purpose (Ikigai, a Japaneses term for one’s purpose), which is to bring together artists and songwriters with social causes and politics about which they share a passion. The aim is to create a platform that enables musicians to make a positive impact on the world and inspire their fans to take action on important issues. Interaction between artists, songwriters, fans and brands with social causes are the priority — and an alchemy for a highly engaged superfan environment.
- The power of music to inspire and bring about change in society. This section emphasizes the unique power of music and its ability to inspire, motivate, and connect people on a deep emotional level (which includes neurological increases of dopamine, seratonin, endorphins). While musicians who are technicians are to be appreciated, those who convey raw visceral emotion are to be respected and revered. This explores the ways in which music has been used throughout history as a tool for social change and how it continues to be effective in inspiring people to take action on important issues. We contend that music has a unique ability to bring civility into social discourse. Our Spotify playlist lends plentiful examples of socially poignant songs and we invite additions through our survey.
- Examples of successful socially driven music campaigns and their impact. This section highlights some of the most successful socially driven music campaigns in recent years and the impact they have had on society. The discussion covers campaigns such as Live Aid, We Are the World, and the Black Lives Matter movement, and how they have used music to raise awareness and inspire change. Mark Knopfler’s recent “Guitar Heroes” collaboration in support of children with cancer, while an example of a highly commendable effort, illustrates the need for a continual campaign lest it falls short. Socially Driven Music parlays this ambition.
- The role of some social media and technology in mobilizing fans and spreading awareness. This section talks through the role of social media and technology in connecting artists with their fans and spreading awareness about important, actionable social issues. The discussion explores the ways in which specific social media platforms have enabled musicians to engage with their fans directly and create a sense of community/niches around social causes rather than algorithms.
- This section emphasizes the importance of authenticity and genuine commitment to a cause for artists to be effective advocates for social change. The discussion explores the ways in which artists can use their platforms to raise awareness about important issues and the importance of being genuine and authentic in their messaging.
- The potential pitfalls of using social issues for marketing purposes without genuine commitment to the cause. The discussion investigates the ways in which some brands and artists have been criticized for co-opting social causes for marketing purposes and the importance of being sincere and transparent in social activism. The use of social issues for marketing purposes without genuine concern for the cause can be seen as “woke-washing” or “performative activism,” and can lead to backlash from consumers and fans.
- Part 1 Conclusion: Socially driven music has the power to bring about real change, and with support of the subject cause(s), the artists, fans and brands can make a tangible difference. It’s about consistent, persistent engagement, not one-off events, however well-intentioned. This is the untapped solution to the emerging superfan ventures.
Discussion Part 2:
- The challenges and opportunities for socially driven music in a rapidly changing political and cultural landscape. The discussion covers issues such as censorship, cancel culture, opinion echo chambers, and the changing expectations of fans and audiences.
- The potential for socially driven music to create positive social change and deconstruction of opinionated silos of mis/disinformation.
- This section examines the role of brands and corporations in supporting socially driven music campaigns and partnering with artists to promote their causes. The discussion investigates ways in which brands and corporations can use their resources to support important social causes and the importance of transparent and authentic partnerships between artists and brands. There is extensive empirical evidence that consumers are more apt to purchase from brands with a social purpose.
- This section addresses the state of post-pandemic live music events and how the continued experimentation with complementary virtual events can impact online activism. The discussion looks at the ways in which artists have adapted to the new marketing potential of adding virtual concerts and how they have used integrated online platforms to drive social change.
- The importance of intersectionality and recognizing the interconnectedness of social issues in creating meaningful change. The discussion illustrates the ways in which social issues are interconnected and how addressing one issue can have a ripple effect on other related issues.
- This section suggests the need and potential for branded socially driven music becoming a mainstream movement, in conjunction with NGO’s, politicians, lobbyists and others. The discussion delves into the ways in which socially driven music can influence mainstream culture and shift societal norms towards the goal of equal social justice and opportunities globally.
-Part 2 Conclusion: In short, the prospect for socially driven music becoming a mainstream movement and shifting cultural norms is immense. By recognizing the power of music to inspire and bring about change, and by working together to create authentic campaigns and partnerships, we posit that we can make a positive impact on society and shape the future of the music industry.
Further Analysis of the Transition in the Music Industry:
1. Ideas for extending and creating new revenue streams for artists and writers, as streaming continues to mature in a finite, saturated universe of users.
2. Continued evolution of music genres, styles and international markets.
3. Will blockchain finally sort the admin quagmire? How?
4. How will technology next influence the way music is created, distributed, and consumed?
5. What are the implications and futures of streaming services (paltry royalties for many and glut of worthless sound being uploaded to DSP’s daily) for many for artists and the music industry as a whole?
6. How has social media impacted the way we engage with music and interact with artists? What needs to change to engage superfans?
7. How can the music industry adapt to changing consumer expectations and preferences for sustainability and ethical practices?
8. Fans will not only invest in music royalties (similar to securities) but, through a mechanism of apps like Jukebox and SongVest, donate a portion of the revenue to their causes. All the more effective if the song(s) reflect an issue to help solve.
9. Is Private Equity detracting from new creativity and consuming available revenue in a finite streaming universe which may be near saturation?
10. Hanna: “For an industry built on the value of creativity expressed through art forms, the devaluation of creativity should be concerning. Entertainment works as an industry because art has cultural value. However, today’s industry is almost entirely focused on the tech side of delivery, data, and corporate-level profit derived from bulk views via subscription rather than individual successes. By trying so hard to cut through the noise to reach and monetize potential fans, it has lost sight of what goes into making anything actually worth it to do so.”
11. In its typical lemmings fashion, the music business is now glomming onto the notion of creating and marketing to superfans and niches and “scenes.” But the problem is that they still ignore the underlying issue that there will be no lucrative category of superfans without music for a purpose. Common purpose is what drives connections. For example, artist superfan and subscription ventures like James Blake’s (which includes access to unreleased material) could have enormous influence if some of its unreleased songs were completed related to social causes. This is another opportunity overlooked and untapped by the flailing music industry. Let’s be reminded that, historically, innovation has come from independent artists and labels, not the majors.
12. Although there are many creative productions and some truly excellent vocalists, most current music lack memorable melody and thought-provoking lyrics, and will never become coverable evergreens; i.e., copyrights. We must lead by example and urge emerging and established artists and songwriters to create visceral music of diverse genres and for varied demographics that moves listeners to action and that will be shared for generations. In this process, we will also re-engage the disenfranchised, large group of older music fans and advocate against misguided ageism.
13. As we seek new ideas and answers to a fully functional music industry for all, we have considered how factual, non-partisan politics can influence music laws and regulations and the success or lack thereof of social causes and NGO’s. We have assembled a large and growing constituency of politicians and influencers to collaborate with music creators, fans and supportive brands in civil dialogues about any and all of their interests.
Join us. Democracy is a big issue in 2024 and one we can influence together! (The correct local and national choices will influence the rest.)
ONE:
TWO:
THREE:
Identify your Senators and Congressional Representatives with this link and website tool, below, and let us know in the above survey for what purpose you’d like to collaborate with them. Socially Driven Music’s mandate is to facilitate a potent music-fan-cause-brand-political influencer consortium for positive social impact.
Raise your hand in the survey if you are an artist who might want to volunteer at a voting polling station or actually volunteer to help a campaign with calling voters (and meet some new fans).
PS: Although this piece is focused on how music can influence American politics and the fraught issues it impacts, this same template can be applied worldwide. Talk to us!
And here is the epitome example of what we aspire to create:
Paul Simon wrote the masterpiece “American Tune” in 1973 and it applies 51 years later even more to today’s troubled times. This is one of the best examples of the socially poignant music that we contend is so important to create again today, and a brilliant example of a copyright that will live on forever.
The first link is Rhiannon Giddens with Paul at the Grammy Salute evening for him. The second link is Paul’s original.
The song will bring the listener to tears as it describes a societal hopelessness and yet compels the listener to fight through the despair. It perfectly summarizes the emotion powering Socially Driven Music and I hope helps convey what this written summary is trying to articulate.
https://youtu.be/67pyIglP79U?si=ICl2pDKJgTMwcXTT&t=85
#Democracy, #Election2024, #MAGA, #MusicIndustry, #MusicBusiness, #Music, #SocialImpact, #SocialGood, #Biden, #Trump, #Vote2024, #ActBlue, #Veterans, #JohnLennon, #YokoOno
