Lefsetz has some insight into today’s Music Managers Forum conference in the UK — sounds like lots of whining with not much in the way of solutions. But he makes two great remarks that independent, working musicians should note:
First, managers in the UK, like much of the rest of the UK music business are a completely different breed that what you’re used to in the US. I have always felt that UK music buyers enjoy a more ravenous appetite for new artists, which makes being a booking agent or a professional manager in the UK a little more lucrative than here in the US. So it’s not surprising for UK managers to put up a stronger fight for their clients — the money pie’s a little smaller, so it’s right to fight for a bigger piece of it. I wrote my own music management book in the hopes that some of that spirit would make its way to these shores.
Second, with all the hub-bub about file sharing and p2p networks in the US, UK music lovers just seem to use point-to-point bluetooth transmissions to share music. You want to make a little mixtape for your girlfriend? Just beam it to her. You want to share your band’s new single? Just put a street teamer in a cafe and share it with everyone in a 50-yard radius. I’m sure the American offices of major labels can’t wait for that to catch on over here.
All the more audience for you, I say.
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