Event @ The Slide

Last Tuesday night I arrived in Mill Valley at 2 am, North of San Francisco, eager to reunite with good friends and to speak and perform at my first ever panel discussion (!)the next day.
The event was hosted by the wonderful organization Women 2.0 and named "Music Makers & Technology Shakers" a way to open a discussion about where the music business is going. The venue "the Slide" is one of the "Speak easy" venues, that dates back to the prohibition age, where people had to sneak in these "secret" clubs to enjoy liquor while promising to be very quiet, and not call the police's attention. A really fun and swanky club on Mason Street.
The panel discussion included
» Angelina Moysov (Singer / Songerwriter, Persephones Bees)
» Lucia Iman (top-selling artist, SellaBand)
» Pim Betist (Founder and Creative Director, SellaBand)
» Celia Hirschman (Commentator, KCRW’s “On the Beat”)
» Cecily Mak (Senior Counsel, RealNetworks and Rhapsody)
» Jay Durgan (President, Raiden Holdings; Former Head of Bus. Dev. at Warner Music)

The moderator was Elise Nordling (Music Director and DJ, Indie Pop Rocks!)
and last but not least, it was hosted by Kristina Hakola.

It was a great honor and chance to speak about such a close and important topic, especially with an organization that I admire. It was also interesting hearing the different perspectives from sources very divergent to mine.

The discussion got more and more interesting towards the end, in my opinion, when the audience got involved with questions. Some of these questions and responses got my wheels turning, and I had a lot to say. Sadly, there was no time left and I was left with my own internal conversation, and hopes to hoard the mic. However, while not live, here are some of my thoughts.

One of the new concepts that struck me was the "all you can eat" model, which will allow the consumer to buy all the music he/she wants to download for $3. Where this leaves the earnings for the musician....I don't quite understand.

Apparently 99 cents for a song on itunes is now too expensive.

The conversation about music going somewhere and expanding horizons only seems to be held amongst a corporate world I don't understand, and almost denying the existence of the artist which is the source of the product, and how this whole circus is possible in the first place.
It's a shame that nowadays, when we talk about the music industry is usually coming from the "consumer's" point of view, or the distributor, or the business person trying to capitalize, and never the music lover or the musician.

This brings a few points:

1. Why as an artist are we not considered to have the same value as the greedy middle man that's getting to capitalize from our music? when the reality is that we are giving them a job?

2. With the major record labels crumbling, has the music industry configuration changed THAT much? Or is this just a disguise to keep the old structure in place under the illusion of new clothes for the emperor?

3. Why is everyone obsessed with getting more and more and more for less, less, less? Does anyone even have time to listen to 3,000 songs a day? What happened to listening to and appreciating a single song over again?

We actually consider normal paying $7 plus tip for a beer that will be consumed, and out of our system within the hour, and probably keep drinking a few of these in a night on the town.
But 99 cents is just too much to ask for a piece of art, that contains a part of the human soul. Just think about it in this context.
Where does this leave the value for arts and artists in our society? As you know, music is a reflection of the current society, and everybody knows most music out there, sucks. We are in serious need for a renaissance.

Think about it; listening to a song that TRULY moves you has a lot of impact; it can make you fall in love again, or transport you back to an important memory, or create new hopes and dreams for the future to come. I just experienced this last night while listening to a beautiful rendition of Paul Simon's "Under African Skies"in the No Name bar in Sausalito.
The power of a song could open a door to a new set of events and possibilities, when played it sows the seeds for your or my future.
Is 99 cents too expensive for this? Are we getting so limited in our fear of economical failure and desire to always have more that we have forgotten the greatness of the simple pleasures?

Look, I'm not saying stop going out, or save on your wine; we do need recreation, but I'm attempting to paint a bigger picture here, to put things into perspective. Neither am I looking for sympathy, but it is important to stay aware of the needs for a musician to make a living, as well as the arts as a whole, and we need to bring this up in conversation so we can transform the state of things.

If this renaissance is really to take place, the relentless greed of massive capitalism is going to have to be destroyed. And this is a broader conversation that concerns our whole civilization, and more importantly each one of us as individuals who yearn to evolve.

Needless to say, this discussion is only the tip of the iceberg, but it brings up so many fundamental points, that as always, come full circle for me.
Can we make a living as musicians in today's world?
Will we start honoring the good things we have and make a shift in consciousness to appreciate them?
Is the middle man to remain there and reap the benefit of our hard earned work?
Is there a real chance for arts in our lifetime?
Is there life after death?
What about death after life?
:P
This was a lot for me to process, and I hope my attempt to put it together wasn't a total mess. I look forward to hearing your guys' insights and perhaps take this conversation a step higher...
Much love as always and as always "be the change you wish to see in the world".