Part II Of My Interview With Brad Kyle
Be sure to check out his SubStack at https://bradkyle.substack.com/
Mr. Kyle chronicles the zeitgeist of the 70s and 80s music scene as well as his relationship with the Houston Astros on his brilliant SubStack “Front Row & Backstage” Catch all of his commentary at Brad Kyle on Substack
Yesterday’s post, “Part I of my interview with Brad Kyle” is here if you missed it:
Part II:
Q. (Michael Acoustic) In “Michael Acoustic” we’re tackling some of the issues concerning entering the music “industry” in some fashion. One of those issues is copyright and the importance of copyrighting original works early. Did you encounter musicians, songwriters or others who missed (or lost) opportunities because of failing to copyright works, selling their rights too soon, or misplaced trust?
A. (Brad Kyle) While I've always been, personally, fascinated by publishing, mainly because I revere songwriters (a talent I definitely lack), the topic hasn't really come up in my travels, mainly because so often it's driven by dollars, and of course (along with it being none of my biz), artists are loathe to discuss it.
What I find fascinating, though, are the recent unloading of entire (or partial) catalogs of songs (for half-a-billion dollars or so) by the likes of Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen (all 3 relentlessly prolific artists have spent decades on Columbia Records, interestingly enough...a company REALLY into publishing) and many others.
I think THAT phenomenon is a perfect, under-the-microscope peek into the marriage of "old-school" record industry, and the stream-conscious industry of the 21st century.
Are the wildly prolific songwriters of the late 20th century suddenly feeling the pinch of 99c streaming, and the dearth of hard-copy product availability and the "need" for albums, the format they've become used to for decades? Or, feeling "dried-up" (maybe some of them) are they just wanting to set up their children's children's children for futures of comfort and ease?
Q. (Michael Acoustic) In the past, broadcast radio was the source for “hits”, and DJs and station programmers and managers had a great deal to do with a performer’s (I’ll include bands as well as individual artists in that word) success, aided, I assume, by a healthy dose of promotion from record labels. While these folks probably still hold a good deal of decision authority, to some extent now, “influencers” who curate playlists for streaming music services and music supervisors who make decisions about music inclusion for television, movies, and now streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu are equally as important for artists. Is there a set of “qualities” for these folks that are indicators of success in these mediums? Or is it more “luck” and “right place, right time”? Or some more calculated formula?
A. (Brad Kyle) Everything in the record biz has always been a mix of luck, right place, right time, the blowing of the winds of pop culture, and more. But, of course, I'm more familiar with terrestrial radio, and music promotion how it used to be.
But, for those who curate and "influence" from today's streaming (both music and movies) avenues likely are themselves directed by their bosses and their motives, as well as following the trends set last month, last week, and yesterday.
I think what execs for music streamers, Netflix, Hulu, and all the "pluses" (Disney+, et al) can do to bridge a possible generational/info gap is to make the new "frontier" seem less foreign and tough-to-navigate for older artists as possible.
Older artists probably wonder how their music is going to be heard today and [how to build a] following, and it's probably vastly different today than when they had managers, agents, business people, and others to look for new uses for their music (in movies, as TV themes, in ads, etc).
This, then, goes back to why artists may be unloading their catalogs...let someone else navigate this new terrain, i.e. "I'm 75, and I don't wanna have to bother with all this newfangled stuff anymore!"
Q. (Michael Acoustic) While I kind of subscribe to the theory that eventually “everything old will be new again”, it is pretty evident that currently anyway, rap/hip hop/electronic dance music and other beat based genres are the industry’s most successful. Any thoughts on the future of what’s next and maybe when?
A. (Brad Kyle) No way I'm gonna venture a guess on the future of music. My fear, though, is that with the preponderance of rap/hip hop, and EDM, the pushing forward of all things "beat" will elbow out any new artists' desires to produce anything with melodies and harmonies (coupled with the reluctance of any label, say, to sign them to produce their songs).
The result, then, might be the shoving of the "traditional pop song form" (with its gorgeous melodies and soaring harmonies) into a little-heard graveyard of sound, which will only lead, then, to its eventual extinction.
But, at least we'll all be dancing....apparently. Yippee.
(Michael Acoustic) I could not have found a more gracious and forthcoming person to interview about music industry trends and topics. Once again, my profound thanks to Brad for his contributions. If you spend some time in the archives of his SubStack you’ll find gems such as: “By the time I met Iggy Pop, legendary Godfather of Punk and Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famer (with his late ‘60s-early ‘70s band, the Stooges, 2010), I had already spent hours with other punk cornerstones, the New York Dolls and the Ramones.” Pressing the flesh - hard to find a more objective “inside baseball” behind-the-scenes look at the way that world was back in the day.
And speaking of baseball - if you’re a fan, check this out, from Brad’s days covering the Houston Astros: “Days of Dominance”
You’ll find much more there including this gem I had no idea even existed! “Wholly Toledo” about an Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach collaboration (really!!).
And finally, speaking of Declan McManus (Elvis Costello’s birth name), check out “That Fatal Mailing List”, a SubStack that explores Elvis Costello’s music in-depth!!
Next week, we’ll continue to look at some of the things you’ll want to know when it comes time to jump in to the music business. After that I want to revisit “the guitar”, and the reasons I started this in the first place. Along the way, I may try to include an interview or guest author piece relevant to where we’re at in the moment. Comment below and let me know what you want to hear about most!!
Cheers, and keep playing!!
Michael Acoustic
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