DRM News

Our site tries to cover topics across the entertainment spectrum, but every interview we’ve done thus far has been game centered. Hey, wouldn’t it be a great idea to try to talk to someone starting out in another part of the entertainment industry, see what they think of the way things are and what they plan to do? If only such a person would just appear…

He seemed pretty outspoken in his comments, and that always tends to make for a more interesting conversation than attempting to discuss issues with a mime-like introvert, so I sent an introductory email to Pete Smith of Antiqcool.

Our discussion follows.

So, what’s your musical background?

I could write a book about that question, one which would be very boring for most people, so I won’t anytime soon. Musically…..been playing guitar since the age of six. First guitar was made by my father who was a handy carpenter…..it was probably a bit rubbish, but when your six….you know

It’s a cliche, but it seems to be necessary in a music interview…so, who are your biggest musical influences?

Way too many to list them all here. In terms of song writing, some of Sting’s earlier writing has left an impression. Neil Young and Simon and Garfunkel to name a few…..there are many others.

And, just to test your ability for brutal honesty, what bands do you wish could be erased from time?

Bands I wish could be erased from time? Oh my!….I would start with some of my own first attempts at song writing….very bad I guess the world could live without “The Birdies Song” by The Tweets….no I didn’t write that one

I am not liable for the sanity of anyone who chooses to follow that link. Let’s just say I agree with Pete about that particular song, and it shall haunt my nightmares for some time.

So what made you decide to go ahead and create a music label?

In the words of William Wallace (oh alright then, Mel Gibson)…..FREEDOM!!

Even if a major label offered (not likely btw) I probably wouldn’t sign a contract. Most of them are completely out of touch with their customers. The RIAA was recently voted the most hated company in America above Halliburton….what does that tell you ?

Are you looking at Sicknote Publishing as a serious business venture, or something more for your fun and enjoyment, or both?

I would have to say both. No sane person would get into the music business just to make money, and for me making and recording music is a labour of love…..making money is a by product.

Do you have anyone else currently on Sicknote Publishing, aside from Antiqcool?

The Karma Seeds….an ever changing artist collective who get together from time to time to write and record.

One of the more interesting aspects of your band/label is that under your current business model, you’ve made the decision to allow music sharing/downloading under creative commons. Tell me a little more about that.

If you have been to The Antiqcool Podcast blog and listened to the podcasts, you will know that I have no real business model as yet, except to make pretty much everything in the Sicknote Publishing/Antiqcool catalogue available for free download under a creative commons license.

If you go to the Creative Commons website and take a look around, you will see that there are a number of different options you can chose from. So contrary to what some people may think, you are not actually giving away copyright ownership.

It’s quite a simple philosophy really, and it’s being adopted by more and more people everyday. The reality is that there is so much music being produced by independent artists that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to build a fan base without giving away at least some of your music. The hardest thing is to actually get people to listen, and charging them for the privilege is just placing more friction between you the artist and a potential fan.

There’s a guy called Gerd Leonhard who been labelled a media futurist, whatever that means. His philosophy pretty much aligns with what I believe, so I suggest you check them out. Plus, he’s a lot more well informed and entertaining than I am.

So, what sort of response are you seeing in terms of having people share the music and get your name out there?

A very good one. If you remove the friction and make it easy for people to recommend and share what you have to offer, they will. I won’t deny that until you build a strong and loyal fan base, the low returns can put a big strain on an independent label’s finances, but we are in this for the long haul. As long as I don’t end up in the poor house (it could still happen), I’ll be happy.

And on the flip side, you also do have a couple of albums available for sale. What kind of sales are you seeing? Are you happy, or disappointed, with that side of things thus far?

The label is still in development, so free downloads and file sharing are far in excess of sales. It could be years before we can turn a profit, but people are listening and recommending our music to their friends in increasing numbers, so for the moment I am happy enough.

Where do you hope to take this in the end? A full time gig as a musician, running a small label, something else entirely?

Right now, who knows. I just work as hard as I can at writing, recording and promoting the Sicknote Publishing catalogue. The rest is in the lap of the gods and down to the good will of fans.

Fans are everything…..without their support we will be lost in a sea of obscurity. We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into our music and give it all away for free. All we ask in return is for people to help us spread the word, and hopefully somewhere down the line it will lead to a profitable business model so we can eat decent food.

Changing topics a bit…you’re a musician, and a music fan. How do you think bands should go about creating a listener base for themselves?

If you can, by putting on a great live show. Social media is also beginning to play a big part in developing fan relationships. As Trent Reznor would say, CWF + RTB.

Any particular advice for other acts in a similar position to your own?

All the things I have already mentioned, plus a whole lot more. I am not a marketing expert, but I listen to what other experts have to say and cherry pick the best ideas. Playing live and putting on a great show is the best piece of advice I can give. For reasons I won’t go into here, Antiqcool are not currently playing live on a regular basis (barring unannounced guest appearances). This is clearly a major handicap and I wish it were otherwise because it makes the job of marketing and promotion that much harder.

Pete went in to a little more detail later on about Antiqcool perhaps hitting the road down the line.

Other commitments at present prevent us from touring as a band, but who knows what the future holds? I would like to think it could happen one day, but there are no guarantees.

How big a problem do you personally see music downloading presenting overall?

It’s not a problem at all for us….in fact it’s a benefit. The more people downloading, listening to and sharing our music the better, whether they paid for it or not.

Just how damaging illegal file sharing is to artists and record labels big or small is up for debate. I had to laugh about the Liam Gallagher piece on DRM News, but he is absolutely right in my opinion. Rock stars and major label executives who own five houses should not complain about file sharing.

Any thoughts on the sorts of DRM protection being used on music…tracks that can’t be copied easily between devices, download limits on purchased music, on board software blocking CD ripping, things like that?

DRM = More friction. If you want people to listen to your music and spread the word, why make it more difficult for them by putting obstacles in their way? Every mp3 we put out is DRM free, and many are high quality 192k/320k files.

Do you personally see the current major label landscape as workable? Does the way these businesses are run make sense to you?

The major labels are rapidly losing ground but they still have a huge marketing machine and budget to match, so don’t expect them to go down without a fight. If they spent more time listening to their customers and giving them what they want instead of suing them, they could still turn it around.

Okay, let’s bring it back to cliche questions. You’re brought in to run a big music label. What would you do? Oh, and suicide or ‘just blow it up!’ aren’t acceptable answers.

Ha! I would cut the label executives’ salaries by 80% and make them work for a living. Then I would try to persuade some of the top artists (the non greedy ones without huge egos who are willing to give something back) on the roster to donate a percentage of their income into developing real talent back into the recording business. Fear of a loss of status is an issue with many of them, though.

If there were fewer over rated rich rock stars and label execs, and more middle income artists with true dedication and talent, the music business and the world would be a better place in my opinion.

Do you see the current landscape, where a lot of people have more of a willingness to take music rather than buy it, as a problem or an opportunity?

For me personally, and for Sicknote Publishing, it’s an opportunity…. 100%!

A recent CD Baby podcast featuring an interview with DIY success story Cory Smith outlines an interesting example of how giving away music can actually increase sales. Cory was offering free downloads from his website. At the same time, his songs were up for sale on iTunes and doing brisk business. He stopped offering the free downloads from his website, and his iTunes register suddenly stopped ringing and figures took a sharp nose dive. After reintroducing the free download offer, his iTunes sales went back up….what does that tell you about file sharing and free downloads?

His dad’s a musical instrument MacGyver. He’s building himself up in the music business, making it up as he goes and listening to what smart people have to say. Thank you very much to Pete Smith for his time and his answers…both are very much appreciated. Check his stuff out…you have nothing to lose but a bit of time.