UCLA PANEL DISCUSSION: THE DIGITALIZATION OF HIP HOP

The other day I was invited to be on a panel about the digitalization of Hip Hop at UCLA. Among the Panelists where Domino from renowned music collective Hieroglyphics, 106 KMEL’s DJ Amen, the creators of music blog CSNoWheaties.com, an A&R from Columbia records, and myself. This question is one of my most popular among music folks -Producers, artists, promoters, etc. - “what  will we do with music in this new era of internet music?” Labels are struggling to stay relevant, there are no universal working models anymore, and everyone has an opinion on how it should/could/will proceed. There is also a generational divide, as there always is when a structural shift drastically changes the playing field in any industry - a generation of folks that miss the era of CD sales and an (arguably) working model of music distribution, and a new generation that are enjoying more free music, and the independent hustle. 

For the independent artist, it has become almost mandatory to provide a certain amount of free music to get fans invested. We throw concerts, do kickstarters and sell merchandise - this ends up being how projects and artists are funded. A large part of our conversation at the panel became about:  should music be free? Why are labels struggling?  Are blogs a good thing?

To be frank, I am long exhausted by questions like this - our opinion about IF music should be free is irrelevant - at the moment it IS mostly free, and until they find a way to stop people from trading music, the industry should adapt.  Labels are struggling because they won’t adapt, and are too far removed from the music to come up with a relevant strategy. Blogs ARE the new labels.  You pay them, they push your music, end of story. 

And what are broke, independent musicians left to do if they don’t have start-up money or a great connection at a blog that might help you go viral? Bombard. Artists bombard their friends, fans, followers, fellow artists, and blog reps, hoping to gain support and catch a break. We have all had it happen - suddenly there is a music video on your Facebook wall, or a reply to one of your tweets with a link that says “Bruh, check out my new video, I swear I’m the greatest! New song: pussy poppin + link.” It’s not any more fun for the artist to spam you than it is for the recipient to be spammed, but when left with no other options, this is what bands with time on their hands resort to. 

And why do artists do it? Fame. Fame has become the equivalent to currency in the independent rap game. The more twitter followers, youtube subscribers and Facebook LIKEs you have, the more shows, support and social currency you have to try and make other opportunities for yourself - sell tickets and merch,  and hopefully get enough followers to eventually sell something with very little overhead. A noble goal, considering that if you keep say, 100% of your album profits, selling a modest 10,000 digital copies at $10 a copy could net you 100 grand.

Two major problems I wish I had discussed on the panel, but there wasn’t enough time to really get into it: 1. The lingering rap ego. The old industry we all grew up on, the one with big chains and expensive houses showcased on MTV is gone. Perhaps it was never entirely a real thing, but it is definitely a facade at this point, and any new rapper you see flossin is putting on a good show for you. This myth, combined with the new fake-it-til-you-make-it mentality is a main cause of stagnancy with new artists. Get off your fuckin’ ego trip dog, chill out and just make good music first.  If you look at any good cult following, whether it be Jim Jones (not the rapper) or die-hard Wu-Tang fans who STILL rep hard, they bought into an idea, a culture, and felt included in the journey. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, Nipsey Hussle, Mac Miller, Nicki Minaj are perfecting this, and it hasn’t been through holding up markers of success or getting ahead of themselves, it has been through over-proving themselves time and time again. Proving their worth to an industry that doesn’t want them to succeed because the industry can’t make a fortune off of artists like them right now.  

2. The music industry is not the only artistic field that is struggling, and it would be foolish to think they aren’t all connected. Theater sales are down, book stores are closing, art programs in schools are being cut. The millennial generation is unfamiliar with theater, doesn’t read, and doesn’t have a means to invest time in the arts in schools (public schools, but let’s save the class divided convo for another day.) Why should anyone expect the new music audience to have respect for the value of music and pay for it, when there is no education about the importance of art of any kind? 

Something to chew on for my artist folks reading - how will you inspire your audience to value what you do, and support your growth? 

Thanks to UCLA for having me, and big s/o to my fellow panelists. They are all available on twitter and have great opinions about the subject matter if you want to follow up with them. 

@djamen3000 @clutctronica @hierodomino @joebxCSNW and of course our moderator @frolab

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