In the Digital Age, Artists should be going physical

Master P said it best, "Ain't no money in the music business." He was speaking about the fact that streaming has become the preferred form of consumption when it comes how people access music. This has caused record labels to scramble to adapt, with many missing the ball on creating their own platforms and eventually just conceding to the major streaming platforms. The industry has never been the same. Everything's digital. But when everyone's going digital, this is the opportunity for artists to pivot and go back to physical media.
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But who's really making the money? The tech companies, the Spotify's, the Apple Music's, the YouTube's. Not only are they getting money from the fans by charging monthly fees, but artists also pay to rent digital space on their platforms, sometimes indirectly by going through a distributor or getting on a playlist, and other times directly by paying for advertising on the streaming platforms. Artists pay for advertising to run ad campaigns on these platforms in hopes of getting new listeners, but they don't have the analytics to see the listeners' emails or phone numbers in order to directly talk and cultivate an audience. Not to mention, these streaming companies get free advertising every time an artist or a fan posts a link to their platform. When you own the house, you can control the rent.  

Get it out the trunk like P. How do artists go physical? To go physical means to sell your music on CDs, Vinyl, USBs, cassette tapes, etc. I know what you're thinking. Who owns a CD player? Who owns a vinyl player? As far as vinyl, there's actually a community of vinyl collectors who are already expecting to pay for the premium product that vinyl offers. Also, a selling point is that these physical products offer a sound quality that streaming sites can't match. It also offers an opportunity to get into the physical product space. Why not buy some CD Players off Amazon or Alibaba in bulk and create a packaged experience? In this example, you get to control how your music is consumed. You're not competing with other artists; you’re not competing with algorithms or even annoying ads. It’s your music that is a curated experience that your audience would love to have. Also, there is a generational shift occurring where people are choosing to unplug, meaning no smartphones or even just dedicated time away from a screen, and this is where music shines brightest. The example has been proven. Kanye West’s Stem Player is an example of how controlling the listeners' experience can make millions. Going physical also means that you can gather information from your customers like their emails or phone numbers, or even birthdays, in order to keep the relationship open to a second transaction, or third, and so on. 

Lastly, don't forget merch. Master P also said, “Get you some products”. Do you have a song that resonates, or a quote that everyone likes? Put it on a shirt, make an item that is unique to what you like, and share it with your audience. One example of this is Larry June. He’s seen the benefits of creating products that coincide with his healthy lifestyle brand that he raps about in his music. Some of the items he sells include a branded bike light, branded water bottles, and tote bags made from recycled material, all products are true to his lifestyle brand. Even Dame Dash saw the importance of merch and he literally used music videos and movies as hidden advertising for Roc-A-Wear and all the products under the Roc-A-Fella umbrella. This caused fans around the world to buy the merch that their favorite rapper wears in videos. The thing about merch is that it sells when you’re sleeping. Companies like Printful can even do all the printing and drop shipping for you with you ever having to touch the product. Now that’s distribution, without a Def Jam!

The Tides are slowly turning. When you look at Spotify and all the major streaming companies, people are getting upset. The prices of these platforms continue to rise as the economy gets worse and worse. Soon people may have to decide between music and going out to eat. But this is where Physical media is starting to make a comeback because also people are seeing that some of their favorite music is being taken off streaming sites or even altered, which may ultimately lead everyone back to the Napster days of pirating. Also streaming services that aren’t morally aligned with their customers are seeing mass cancellations. We saw this with Spotify after it was discovered that their CEO had been investing through his private equity firm into a software company that uses AI to operate weapons used in war. Just this past year major artists like 2 Chainz who is releasing his short film Red Clay on a digital VHS which streams to your phone, and Chance The Rapper released his new album Star Line on CD that has a tap feature that allows users also to stream the album from his website. These are not only physical releases, but it also gives fans something unique and collectible.  Believe me, if the major artists are doing it, then Indie artists should be doubling down on it. ​

One artist that took this idea and ran with it is Oklahoma City artist Chris "The God MC" Cain, who at his recent show in OKC, dropped a merch pack that included a CD player along with a burnt disc of his 2 albums "A EASTSIDE STORY" and "Bird's Fly East" that he sold for $40. This same album (that is on Spotify) would take 28,500 streams of his music to make $100, but with this concept of selling this packaged album experience, all he has to do is to sell 3 and he's already passed the $100 target. Like Jay said, "I can divide".

Is the solution only physical? Is the solution only digital? No. The answer is somewhere in between. Spotify, Apple, and YouTube still have a huge audience that you can’t deny. This is where the market is. And you always want to go where the market is. But you also want to give the market another option. That means releasing 2 to 3 songs off a project but only releasing the full project independently through physical media. Another option would also be sites like BandCamp and EvenApp that give the artists a way bigger payout and allows people to talk directly to their customers including giving them their customer's emails. Customers can stream on the app, or they can just simply download the project. This is how you can exist in both worlds and participate in the business of making music. 

Art is meant to be shared with the world. In the end you have to decide how you want to share it. Do you want to be an artist who follows the trends? Or do you want to be one who can create their own rules? That’s what going physical means. It’s owning the house and being able to set the rent. It’s being able to control the listener’s experience without having to compete for attention. It’s being in front of the trend and never having to worry about being behind it. Lastly, it’s how you show that you’re in the music business and not the music hobby. Physical media gives you back control in a world fighting against digital monsters. The artist can still win and reap the rewards bigger than any dream they could’ve imagined. Because like Master P’s vision, there’s NO LIMIT!