Comments on: A Better Idea than Beating Out the Competition

By: Does Conservatory Really Prepare for Business Success? | Entrepreneur the Arts

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:19:56 +0000

[...] Individuality. In school, budding musicians are traditionally encouraged to be exactly like everyone else, only better. They play the same old music in the same old halls wearing the same old outfits with the same old conventions. (For more thoughts, click here.) [...]

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70\'s costumes — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:05:13 +0000

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By: A Better Idea than Beating Out the Competition « Music Business Heretic

A Better Idea than Beating Out the Competition « Music Business Heretic — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:31:16 +0000

[...] http://www.savvymusician.com/blog/2010/02/a-better-idea-than-beating-out-the-competition/ [...]

By: Daniel Faga

Daniel Faga — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:58:27 +0000

I couldn’t agree with you more, Dr. Cutler, but I also agree with Viktor. People today seem wary to try something new. Movies are based on best selling books or are remakes of other blockbusters; songs prominently feature samples and hooks from well known songs, or try to lure listeners with famous guest artists; Broadway shows are re-imaginings of older musicals and successful movies (or comic books!). How does an artist really come up with something new that their audience can relate to?

I play in a hip hop band (for lack of a better term) who tries to respond to this trend by being as unique and singular as we can be, but do so by combing comfortable and well tested elements together in fresh ways. We are bi-gendered, bi-racial and bi-oriented. We bring obvious influences from as many different styles of music as we can. We are multi-instrumentalists. We use looping technology (becoming more common) in a way that no one else does (looping our entire band, not just one instrument). We incorporate choreography into our performances.

In this way, we have achieved considerable amounts of attention because we take familiar elements and present them in a new-and-improved package that welcomes instead of alienates. We have won over crowds of college kids and middle aged hipsters, played in beautiful venues in the suburbs and dive bars in the inner city, sold CDs to little white boys and old black women.

People are familiar with cereal and candy-bars, so why not combine them into one delicious and interesting product?

(BTW, I’m sorry if my post seems like shameless self-promotion, but I feel we are a perfect example of what you are discussing!)

By: David Cutler

David Cutler — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:19:52 +0000

True. Luckily for us, things move much faster today!

By: Jeffrey Bianchi

Jeffrey Bianchi — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:21:28 +0000

…But even the music of Bach wasn’t appreciated in his lifetime…. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that people started waking up thanks to F.M.bringing his music back via the performance of St. Matthew’s passion.

By: David Cutler

David Cutler — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:13:32 +0000

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Viktor, and I enjoyed checking our your music on your MySpace page.

The thing about Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, John Coltrane, Pink Floyd, and J.S. Bach is that they all did something differentiated from the competition. Miles, for example, invented several new genres of music making, giving him the first mover advantage. Bach wrote such complexities that there were barriers to entry for anyone else who tried to imitate him–even today.

We may not be seeing those musicians reappear, but there are a lot of new creative artists doing innovative, exciting things today and finding success.

I wish you well in your pursuits.

By: Viktor Séthy

Viktor Séthy — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:47:50 +0000

Well…interesting ideas.But what I experienced (playing since 36 years),that people mostly get confused,when they hear,os see something new.If your music is out of every known style,they probably will not listen to it,because they got used to loving rock,or jazz,blues,or whatever.
See – I decided to be the best jazz pianist,when I started,and I did.There is about 5,maybe 10 people on the world,giving full time improvised solo concerts…and also only a few,putting 5-7 tracks on each other,making CD-s as a “one man band”.
Still – I’m close to freeze,or starve to death.Doesn’t matter,that I have hundreds of thousands of listeners on the net…and well,I’m Hungarian,wich makes my situation much worst – I admit…
My final conclusion : there are no more people working for managements,record companies (publishers,art-galleries,ect)
who are able to tell the difference between real music,and fake imitation.
There is only space for (usually burned out)”stars”,came up during the ‘70-s,’80-s,and for rich amateours – usually cheap copys of real geniuses.
And as far as they are the ones ruling the music business,the better you are,the more ignored.
This is the reason,that we have no more musicians,like Miles Davis,Frank Zappa,
John Coltraine,Pink Floyd,J.S.Bach,ect…