Does the Music Industry Need Big Cities Anymore?

Whether it is an undiscovered style of Hip-Hop brewing in a local club in Berlin, or a Rock/Country crossover gathering momentum in Kansas; when it is ready, it will find its way to Los Angles, New York and/or London.

These are three major entertainment capitals of this world; and like it or not, most of the mainstream music we now know (in the English-speaking world) passes through one of these metropolitan cities.

It is not rocket science why it seems so imperative and essential to move to L.A./New York/London if you desire to achieve greatness in the world arena of music. First and foremost, all the major record labels are based there – why not be in close proximity to the decision makers who will make your sound universal?

Secondly, you are surrounded by not only said professionals, but by other great artists (your competition) who are working towards the same goal as you – and you must stay atop of your competition because as the proverb goes, “As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another.”

But could this all change sooner than we think? It is a conceivable prospect.

Take into account the biggest of record labels, running on antiquated and bloated business models. How are they to survive with revenues falling by 20 percent a year? We could very well see them stumble over themselves into bankruptcy protection in the next three to five years.

I still accept as truth that huge fortunes are going to be made from music in the next five to 10 years – and I mean Oprah-kind-of-money!

However, these fortunes will be made by those who have the residual technological and entrepreneurial flair akin to the “tech boom” of the late ’90s. In fact, I would not be surprised if the world is turned on its head by MySpace Artists making fortunes (and then losing it all) out of music IPO’s in the stock market.

Huge innovation is required but sadly, the “dinosaurs” who currently run the music industry cannot see this – and it’s probably a good thing for the major record labels to just die.

The “music industry” is dead; long live the “music industry!”

So what has changed in our world to make the current systems antiquated? Social networking.

Social networking and social media have changed everything. I believe it is as significant to our times, as Gutenberg’s Printing Press was to print media. The instant and open connectivity we now have essentially means we no longer need to move halfway across the world to experience the “iron sharpening iron” effect.

Though I have met many amazing people living in London, probably the most important thing about this city is the Internet is significantly better in London than in South Africa.

Ironically, I changed locations for one reason – only to discover it benefited me better for a different reason…guess that’s how life goes.

What I most believe is in the coming years is your geographical location as a musician will have less to do with your success than your entrepreneurial spirit and your ability to embrace social networking, and any other technologies which are now shaping our industry.

For example: I’m writing this on my mobile (cell phone) on the London Underground, just stopped at Liverpool Street Station – where I am now invading somebody else’s personal space and they are invading mine – but we totally ignore it and pretend it is okay.

Staring at these people’s faces on the tube coming home from work is like reading a novel; and observing a strangers daily routine is like a course at university. All these experiences I can document on my mobile and recall later, as they are essential in sparking a musician’s imagination. London is a really cool place to live, as I imagine is New York and Los Angeles to be as well. I will not be surprised if great music keeps coming from these places simply because artists are attracted to the energy and life (and masses of people) in these great cities.

That is what living in the great cities of the world give you, (or at least London does gives me) – a chance to empathize firsthand with every level of society from all over the world in one place.

I will tell you to expect the world to change profoundly as a result of new technology, but the influence of L.A./New York/London on all of our lives will remain strong – unless we all start speaking Chinese.

Ni hao ma?