Episode 259
Navigating the New Age of Artist-Fan Connections in Music
This podcast episode delves into the intricate and often unseen processes involved in the creation of music, emphasizing that audiences are now more interested than ever in witnessing the evolution of songs from their inception to their polished final forms. We reflect on the significant shifts in audience expectations, highlighting how contemporary fans, exemplified by the case of Olivia Rodrigo's "Driver's License," actively engage with artists during their creative journeys, thus fostering a sense of shared experience and anticipation. The conversation further explores the notion that the quality of the final product may not be as paramount as the connection artists establish with their audience throughout this process. We assert that while the artistic landscape has transformed, the fundamental essence of music—its emotional resonance and ability to connect with listeners—remains unchanged. In conclusion, we underscore the importance of authenticity in an artist's narrative, particularly in the context of social media, where personal expression can have significant repercussions on audience perception and engagement.
Transcript
You didn't know how those songs were created.
Speaker A:You had no idea how many awful, crappy takes it took of rhymes of jay Z or Dr.
Speaker A:Dre to get to the point of the Chronic.
Speaker A:You only got the finished, shiny version of it.
Speaker A:Now, fans want to know what you're working on.
Speaker A:They want to see photos of lyric sheets.
Speaker A:They want to see a piano version.
Speaker A:They want to see how songs go from sucky to amazing.
Speaker A:And in fact, you know, even right now, Olivia Rodrigo's song Driver's license is number one for the fourth straight week, debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Speaker A:There's only 15 songs in music history that has been number one from a debut of a first song on Billboard.
Speaker A:She was posting her going through that song six months ago, you know, strumming on the guitar, trying to figure out what the song was.
Speaker A:And she would say, guys, I hope you like it.
Speaker A:It's a work in progress.
Speaker A:And then when the song came out, she had hundreds of millions of people that had already felt like they had worked through that song with her.
Speaker A:So when it was finally out, it was like a journey to the final process of it.
Speaker A:Now, what you don't see is maybe that she was already signed to the major label.
Speaker A:Maybe that song was already finished, and this is maybe her process, which was maybe.
Speaker A:I'm not saying it is.
Speaker A:I'm not saying it's fake news.
Speaker A:I have no inside information, but I've been in parts where I'm telling artists to start post, to start filming their work in the studio so that when the song is ready to come out two weeks beforehand, start posting that stuff.
Speaker A:So it's not a question of that.
Speaker A:The audiences are willing to take bad.
Speaker A:They're willing to happily follow their artists through the process of things which would have never happened before.
Speaker B:Makes.
Speaker C:That's some.
Speaker D:Does the final product have to be of a certain quality or.
Speaker D:That doesn't seem to matter as much anymore either.
Speaker D:It's more about the song itself.
Speaker A: ith the song mattered back in: Speaker A:And to that.
Speaker A:The, the quality of the songs.
Speaker A:I mean, are they sounding better?
Speaker A:Probably not.
Speaker A:Are they more melodic?
Speaker A:To me, not really.
Speaker A:I mean, I, I, I listen to classic rock artists or artists that have been around for 50 years tell me that in some of the hits that are going on, their choruses wouldn't even make a verse in their song.
Speaker A:But that's okay, that's, that's their music, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, well, it, it's, it's just, it's almost like the ability to create a song from committee.
Speaker A:You should have every minute detail of the song be a melodic structure, but it's really not.
Speaker A:It's almost like it's a vibe, you know?
Speaker A:And I don't, and I don't say this because I'm old, because I am.
Speaker A:I say this because I started to think about this.
Speaker A:The more criticism artists are getting, at least on my Twitter feed from people that are over the age of 35, where I'll post something like Drake just got.
Speaker A:You know, it's his 230th Billboard Hot 100 hit, the most in history.
Speaker A:And somebody will invariably write, I can't even hum a single song.
Speaker A:And it's like, it's not for you, you know, White Accountant from, you know, from Cincinnati Des Moines.
Speaker A:But then, look, I mean, even some of the best songs that have completely stuck in people's minds, like I Got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas or Old Town Road, there are people who will just not like that kind of music.
Speaker A:But I think it's genius, you know?
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:Wow, you are.
Speaker C:You're very interesting to chat with.
Speaker C:I have a couple more questions.
Speaker C:I know our time is running short with you, unfortunately, but.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's okay.
Speaker A:Go for it.
Speaker C:You have these really cool one minute tips for artists.
Speaker C:I thought that was fascinating.
Speaker C:Maybe borderline genius.
Speaker C:So I'm gonna ask you a couple of the questions I came across.
Speaker C:Who's the most creative person that you know?
Speaker A:Ah, wow.
Speaker A:You know, the reason why I ask these silly questions on Twitter and I tell everybody else is because I don't want to answer them.
Speaker A:The most creative person I know.
Speaker A:You know what it's probably going.
Speaker A:I'm probably going to have to say Kevin Drew, who's the owner of Arts and Crafts Record, not only does he work with artists like Gordowney from the Tragically Hip and Andy Kim, but he works with a lot of new artists and I think he just has a real good eye for things.
Speaker A:The creative artist that I.
Speaker A:That I don't know is probably Taylor Swift.
Speaker A:I mean, just go to her Instagram, she's like, here's me with my squad.
Speaker A:Here's me with my cats.
Speaker A:Here's me sleeping on a plane.
Speaker A:Buy my single.
Speaker A:Here's me, you know, walking in the park.
Speaker A:Here's me making gifts for people that they don't know.
Speaker A:Here's me spending $50,000 on a student that needs money buy my album.
Speaker A:And I think she's utterly fascinating because she makes the narrative of her songs match up perfectly to where her life is.
Speaker A:So yeah, I would say her.
Speaker B:What are some things on social media that you see artists do that you would probably caution them to maybe stop doing.
Speaker A:Giving their opinion?
Speaker C:Oh.
Speaker B:I agree.
Speaker A:You know, the artists have to understand that the minute that they talk about something that they feel they could potentially lose at least 50% of their audience.
Speaker A:So that's okay.
Speaker A:Just don't be surprised when you post about Donald Trump or Joe Biden.
Speaker A:No matter how good and powerful you think both those people are, they're the opposite effect.
Speaker A:That is going to happen with it and we're seeing it now.
Speaker A:You know, there are absolutely the absolute right for artists to speak out and talk about their mind and talk about what's going on in their head.
Speaker A:Just don't be surprised when you start telling people to wear a mask or when you go outside.
Speaker A:Something that is so universally accepted is not when you find out that is universally accepted.
Speaker A:When I post about wear a mask, I can't wait until I get the virus.
Speaker A:There are people who will unfollow me because they believe that while they are typing this on their phone and having social media apps on their phone following them, tracking them while they do waze on their phone, there are people that are complaining that there is a microchip in the virus while they are on their phone tracking.
Speaker A:So you know, hypocrisy is not one of human beings finest points.
Speaker A:But I would, you know, it's not so much that I tell them to do, to not do this or say this, but whenever we kind of get into the whole like, look, people have to know who you are as a person in order for them to really follow you and like you.
Speaker A:They'll love your song.
Speaker A:But if they really want to turn into a hardcore fan, they have to know who you are.
Speaker A:Be really, really cautious of that because even where you stand politically and cancel culture, which is probably the worst thing that ever happened to social media where, you know, actors and actresses are getting canceled based on, on who they're voting for.
Speaker A:It never used to be like that.
Speaker A:It never used to be like that.
Speaker A:Yeah, so part of it is like, thank God we all know now who, what kind of people they are.
Speaker A:But it's also like, wow, it's okay if somebody disagrees with you.
Speaker C:God forbid.
