[Written for Reporting Words: Fall 2013]
Gary Powell, Grammy nominated multi-platinum composer and producer, presented the idea on Sept. 5 that the music industry is “enormously hard to understand” and he was going to “piss off as many people” as he could in order to share his perspective on the music business.
Powell’s speech, “Can Music Survive the Music Industry?” was presented to approximately 100 people involved in the music business at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. During his presentation, Powell explained what he did not like about the music industry. He further established a connection between how musicians perceive the music industry and how it actually is.
In order to introduce how the music industry works, Powell explained that people are out there making music in a day’s time while others are taking months and spending large amounts of money to produce better quality music. At the end of both projects, ultimately, both will sell for the same price. Powell said that “it’s stupid,” but it is about the money.
“You need to have some outside support because not many individuals are willing or have the capacity for or have the resources to produce that kind of music,” Powell said.
When there are people not wanting to invest money in order to produce quality music, Powell said that there are a lot of people who will argue that music should be free. If people favor this idea of free music, then the focus of making money would be directed somewhere else. However, he explained that those people who do in fact put money into making music have other people they need to pay for the production, and free music is “screwing up” the foundation of making music.
“You’re going to change your mind about music being free and you kids in here that steal music, I’m going to thump you in the head,” Powell said. “If you’re using a BitTorrent software and you’re not paying for it, you are upsetting the general principles of what made this country great.”
Through experience in the industry with Disney Records for 20 years, Powell said that he wants to deliver quality music. Disney Records, for the most part, has allowed him to do that with few constraints. As part of such a high-profiled record company, Powell said he has seen how young musicians view the industry and realized they are not getting the whole picture.
Powell explained it is important to educate our musicians in understanding that it is ok to be a musician, not necessarily a star, because musicians need to have a stable income in order to provide for themselves.
“Musicians should have a sustainable lifestyle. How do they do that? They don’t need to be stars. They need dental insurance, they need a retirement plan, they need healthcare, they need a car, they need gas, they need a place to live, and they need air conditioners for where they live,” Powell said. “So when they’re playing at music venues in Austin for $50 a head for four hours, I think the strategy for changing that is to say, ‘No. I won’t do it.'”
Powell further addressed that the way music artists in the industry are perceived is false, and being famous is not the path musicians should follow. He said it is not realistic when about 1 percent of people actually make it to the top.
“Celebrities are the only things we have to offer these young people. Why? Why is it that the best opportunity for a young performer to have a sustainable career is to go on some lame, corporate-controlled, silly, ridiculously aggressive, legal construct on a talent show on television? Why is that the answer? I don’t like it. I encourage people to not do it,” Powell said.
Furthermore, when people are seen on Youtube videos, Powell explained that people have this idea that if they are able to put their music out there, someone from the music industry will possibly come across them. They may potentially be contacted, have the opportunity to present their music in person, and hopefully get signed with a record label. Powell stressed that people need to stop making this appear to be an ideal situation, when it is not.
“Quit thinking that that’s the norm,” Powell said. “When you hear one story, please don’t explode it into something it’s not.”
Among the audience members who listened to Powell’s words, Jennifer Houlihan, executive director of Austin Music People, agreed with Powell. She said musicians need to be able to establish and make informed decisions in order to create a sustainable life-style for themselves.
“Gary’s perspective as someone living the life of a musician was important. There are a lot of good musicians out there but they need to make a living and the idea of being famous isn’t the way to make a living in this business,” Houlihan said.
She further added that Powell gave a voice to things people need to know about the music industry and how it ultimately affects young musicians trying to make an identity for themselves in this business.
“Music streaming sources like Spotify aren’t helping the industry. Contracts aren’t in favor of the artist most of the time. Expectations of the majority of musicians are too high. Being here today was a great reminder of some of the basics and why we all love music and want to do what’s best for this industry,” Houlihan said.
Leslie Rodgers, leader of an organization in Austin called Symphony of Soul, was another audience member who understood what it meant to be a part of the music business. Rodgers is a musician and runs a charity where young musicians serve their time in order to perform for children and elderly people. This organization gives young musicians decent money and establishes Rodger’s and Powell’s beliefs that musicians should not settle for the role of a “struggling musician.”
“There are so many people who are passionate about this issue and want to continue the conservation of what music is. It’s times like these where we do need to get together on something we’re all equally concerned about,” Rodgers said. “Club owners, come on! Pay your musicians. Let’s not only make Austin the music capital of the world, but let’s make it a place for people to make a living.”
Powell concluded that there is no simple success story when it comes to the music industry and people do not need another myth to believe that there is such a thing.
“What’s next? How might we avoid becoming emotional slaves to the desolate jesters of despair or the empty ambition of others,” he asked. “Regardless of the detractors of the soulful integrated powerful music, I choose to win.”
Felicia Rae Rodriguez 