CONFERENCE REVIEW:

LED BY THE EAR

Around 15 years ago I took part in a debate on music with, among others, the musician, curator and writer David Toop.[1] The Arts Council of Great Britain, as the Arts Councils of Scottland and Wales were then called, hosted the debate. There was a range of participants drawn almost exclusively from organisations receiving, or aspiring to receive, public funding. The debate covered familiar ground – too much funding for classical music and not enough for jazz, improvised music and folk. I had known David for some time, and I could see he was getting agitated. Sure enough, he suddenly blurted out something along the lines of: “I can’t stand this anymore. Isn’t it time we moved away from this culture of enfeeblement and took more responsibility for ourselves?” This killed the conversation and his comment stayed with me for a long time.

Over the last 50 years many musicians, particularly those working outside of the mainstream, have broken away from the “culture of enfeeblement” in their quest to discover the best way to get their music to their audience and support themselves in the process. From the 1950’s, when members of Sun Ra’s Arkestra[2] delivered their self-produced albums to record shops in hand-made sleeves, to the 1990’s, which saw the rise of musician-led record labels such as singer Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe and the UK DJ duo Coldcut’s Ninja Tune Records, the desire for self-determination among musicians has subtly subverted the culture of enfeeblement.

Changes in the technology for delivering music – the most obvious being Mp3 downloads – alongside the growth of peer-to-peer networks and blogs have added a new range of avenues for musicians and music organisations to reach their audiences. The cost of entry into this world (at least in developed countries) has become so low that there is now very little excuse, apart from time and disposition, for a musician whose needs and aspirations are not met by the music industry to ignore these new ways of reaching audiences.

Successful musician-to-audience connections using new technology span the spectrum of musical genres. The Sheffield-based band Arctic Monkeys have recently reached number one on the UK singles/downloads chart after using blogs and the internet to communicate directly with their fan base. It was only when success was assured that they were signed by Domino, one of the UK’s smartest independent record labels. At a more modest level, New York guitarist Wayne Krantz makes all of his live performances available for download on his web site for $4.95 each and The Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne has installed an iPod docking station in its foyer so that audiences can walk away with a download of the performance they just heard in the auditorium that evening.

These “alternative” marketing and distribution methods are becoming increasingly attractive as audiences, particularly of the younger generations, demand that artists meet them on their own turf. This marketplace (and, yes, it is a marketplace, even in the nonprofit world), will require musicians and music organisations to develop new skills. Whether a musician chooses the “do it yourself” route or a more traditional career path, it will be a distinct advantage for them to have a deep understanding of and empathy with their audience that goes far beyond traditional marketing techniques.

There is, therefore, a job to be done, both in adding to the marketing and promotional skills of working musicians and in training up-and-coming ones. If music students are to be properly prepared for future careers as musicians, conservatories and music schools must broaden their focus to include much more than technical skills.

Progress on this front has been painfully slow in many of the more established music colleges and conservatoires in the UK. In my experience it is not unusual for young musicians to leave music college with an alarmingly naïve view of the industry and their prospects within it, never mind an ignorance of the possibilities offered by technology outlined above. Without the skills necessary to navigate the marketplace these musicians are unlikely to succeed in the current environment. Within the conservatoires there is perhaps a concern that the stark realities of the commercial music world will stunt creativity and disturb the development of instrumental and vocal technique. Or are they simply in a state of denial that the world has changed?

Some training institutions are beginning to realize that these changes are irreversible and have changed their offer accordingly. In the UK there are now a number of degree courses that focus on the business, technological or cultural aspects of the music business, in addition to the technical ones.[3] These practical and contextual programmes, while becoming more prevalent, are still somewhat at the periphery of the prospectus. The Professional Skills programme at Trinity College[4] and the Connect project at the Guildhall School of Music[5] (to which I am an adviser) in their different ways embody a perspective of continuing professional development and offer a holistic approach to training the next generation of musicians.

The burgeoning emphasis on the development of broader skills for musicians extends beyond the formal music sector. Community Music, a pioneering service network for non-professional musicians, has expanded their programme of training courses for musicians who have not had exposure to formal education to include preparation for the rigors of the music industry. Meanwhile, the Asian Dub Foundation has established their own educational project to promote access to the music industry for under-represented youth communities.

Technology, demographic change, globalization and audiences who will not do what they are told will continue to play havoc with the world of music as we know it. There is a particular challenge for funding, development and educational bodies to broker partnerships and collaborations that cross the firewall between the non-profit and commercial sectors if we wish to give musicians the opportunities and training they deserve. Almost certainly, these relationships will look like nothing that preceded them. But surely – from Bach to Biggie and beyond – a little bit of musical improvisation is a good thing?

This article is based on a presentation to the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland in October 2005.[6] The presentation along with one from Dan Hill, the Head of Interactive Technology for BBC Radio & Music was the basis for group discussions and workshops with music professionals.

John Kieffer
jkieffer@aeaconsulting.com

[1] David Toop is author of Ocean of Sound (Serpents Tail 1995) and other books. More information at http://www.davidtoop.com
[2] http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~moudry/
[3] http://www.uel.ac.uk/programmemes/ssmcs/undergraduate/musicculture.htm , http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-903
[4] http://www.tcm.ac.uk/RVEf6a850751b9f4e95b3a13d76a17e3fe2.aspx
[5] http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/connect/
[6] http://www.siba.fi /fin/ajankohtaista/musiikin_tulevaisuus_- seminaari/

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