DubMC

NY Times on the New World Music

I hesitated to post this (the vanity factor), but it is relevant to the recent fan/border-crossing of global music. I got quoted in the New York Times on January 20, in an article about the band Dengue Fever (not a rock paper scissors, inc. client, by the way, but a cool band that did play at globalFEST previously, which rps publicizes):

"Dmitri Vietze, a publicist and marketer for many global music acts, sees the band as 'part of a larger developmental pattern' in world music. 'Can you stick them in the world-music bin at brick and mortar retail stores?' Mr. Vietze asked. 'I don’t know. But as far as how they fit into world music in a larger philosophical context, they are a part of a huge and promising future.' He noted that the American market had been introduced to world sounds most often by American artists who love and emulate them, like Paul Simon. Now, he said, he sees a movement toward music made and influenced by émigrés: 'We’re seeing more and more bands like Dengue Fever.'" Full article here.

I said some other things that didn't make it into the article. I mentioned David Byrne, Peter Gabriel, and Ry Cooder in addition to Paul Simon. I mentioned bands like Chicha Libre (pictured left), Antibalas, and Bole 2 Harlem which also fit into this diverse category of hip, edgy, USA-based globally minded bands that would not have been found in a world music bin back in the day when there was brick and mortar retail. I mentioned the shifting demographics of America which will continue to feed the fire of global music in America, where immigrant-made music will not be viewed in the mainstream as just be a nostalgic, quaint thing, but it will BE the mainstream. And as a result it will be very modern and have the much-desired "youth demographic."

DubMC.com is the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.

Two New Clubs in NYC Show the New Face of World Music

Is world music moving from being granola crunchy to cutting edge? Or was it only some people's perception that it was granola crunchy? Did you know there are two new world music clubs in New York City: Drom, started by the relatively young Rom-centric music promoters behind the New York Gypsy Festival, and perhaps more surprisingly (because it is in Harlem), The Shrine, named after Fela's place in Lagos and I hear run by an African man. Not the world music of yesteryear.

DubMC.com is the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.

Wait, There's More! JDub Speaks on World Music Ghetto/Meadow

I asked Aaron Bisman of JDub Records (Balkan Beat Box, Matisyahu, Golem, Socalled [pictured right], etc.) to help me summarize the "Breaking Out of the World Music Ghetto" discussion that took place two weeks ago and here is what he wrote in:

<<

Key ideas from the session:

- ghetto vs meadow. For some the niche label of ‘world’ is useful, for others it holds them back. It was a reminder that especially with non-english, non-mainstream pop culture, it's never one-size fits all. Every stage/city/artist has a different take on this and different needs in their path to success.

- Shouldn’t have to sing in english to get attention but it definitely helps.

- Need a hook to bring in wider audiences whether its covers of well known songs, or a simple descriptive tagline (ie Hasidic Reggae Superstar).

- don’t program for local/niche communities/ethnicities, program WITH them.  (include individuals or community organizations in your planning process.)  You get better buy in, better turn out, and sometimes, better content.

- consider new technology making real time translation available.   

Overall, what stood out for me was a commitment to music and culture as a powerful tool of communication and connection across often divisive lines.  It did not feel like a room of people trying to fill seats. It was a room of people dedicated to sharing quality music because of its social value.  I left feeling inspired to take on the work ahead.

>>

Thanks, Aaron, for the close and thoughtful listening and thorough round up!No wonder you are rockin' the metaphorical microphone.

DubMC.com is the brainchild of Dmitri Vietze and is sponsored by rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm.

Breaking Out of the World Music Ghetto, Meadow not Ghetto, Community Outreach, and Crossover Success -- A Wrap Up

The recent discussion at Arts Presenters earlier this month turned out to be all over the map. As facilitator I put some people on the spot including JDUB Records' Aaron Bisman, asking him why Hasidic rapper/reggae singer Matisyahu (who started on JDUB) skyrocketed to crossover success while one of my all-time favorites Balkan Beat Box (also on JDUB) continue to be in the fan-building mode. He gave a thoughtful and eloquent response that I will probably not do justice, but ultimately what I heard him say was that he thinks the two factors that made a big difference are that Matisyahu sings/raps in English and that he spent consecutive months touring his heart out in the USA.

Robert Singerman of the French Music Office and European Music Office (NYC) articulated some efforts upon which he is working in the realm of language translation as it relates to music (live concert super titles, real voice language translation in recorded songs, music video captions, meta-tag translation, etc.). We will post more from him shortly.

One of the most interesting findings for me during the discussion was that many people's comments were directed to crossing into specific immigrant or culturally-cohesive communities (I dislike the use of "ethnic communities" since all people are ethnic whether they know it or not and "minority" is way outdated... just look at the planet's demographics, which is where the USA is headed anyway). This was a surprise to me because I thought the topic was clearly about hitting "mainstream audiences" (another problematic phrase), but it came up so much that I realized I needed to check my assumptions. A reminder once again that not only is there no single and definable "world music audience" there is no single and definable "mainstream audience" either. It's not like every concert audience is made up of the same couple of circles of friends from the same neighborhood (though in certain cities and certain venues, it may look that way). The point being that the perception of "mainstream crossover" can just as easily be the amalgam of acceptance by a variety of perceived communities, cultural groups, etc. Yes, I know some readers are probably thinking, "Who cares about mainstream audiences? They're brainwashed by TV and care more about their cel phones and hairdos than emerging global music hybrids and long lost traditions." I think the jury is still out and given the demographic shifts of the USA there is plenty of potential for further converts to global listening.

Prior to the discussion I also got this insightful note from Jean Rousseau:

"The touring factor is a very important reason why some world music artists succeed in the US over others. More specifically, the cultural economics of touring the US is important to understand. Most world music artists are represented by managers and agents that simply do not understand the US market. They fail to property translate to these artists the importance of making the necessary and important short term investments of time and money needed here to insure long term growth and success. These handlers, because theirs is a derivative income, will almost always suggest to their artists to take the better monetary offers coming out of Europe versus those out of the US.

"Look at the Gypsy Kings whom continue to sell out tours in the US yet haven't released an album in years versus Youssou N'Dour who continues to put out albums yet does not invest the required touring time. Manu Chao when he was with Mano Negra never liked touring here. Without their live presence we at Virgin Records couldn't break them even though we had plenty of college and alternative radio play. Only now is Manu realizing the importance of being here and he's made a concerted effort to be more visible in the US and spend more time touring. His appearance at last year's Coachella and the crowds response truly validates this. Now if he could only find the right label support here.."
-- Jean Rousseau 2B Digital - Founder // Former Director FMEO & Senior Mktng. Exec. Columbia Records & Virgin Records

...and music attorney and artist manager Ali Sachedina wrote this:

What Leads to World Music Crossover Success? Survey Data Results

I posed the following question to a thousand world music industry professionals and musicians:

"What artist have you seen crossover beyond the typical "world music" market?" Eighty-four people responded. The answers were quite diverse, but the ones that came up repeatedly were:

Angelique Kidjo
Balkan Beat Box
Buena Vista Social Club
Cesaria Evora
Gogol Bordello
Gypsy Kings
Konono No. 1
Manu Chao
Mariza
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Youssou N'Dour

Next I asked: "What factors do you think led to their crossover success?" The top three answers in rank order from the choices I provided were (including percentage of respondents who checked a given factor):

1.  An inherent musical quality that had mass appeal (63.1%)
2.  A clear connection with a recognizable Western genre (50%)
3.  A connection to youth culture or the dancefloor (46.4%)

Tying for the next grouping were:

4. Connection to another mainstream artist (38.1%)
5. A celebrity endorsement (36.9%)
6. A specific media appearance (like NPR or national TV) (36.9%)

Rounding out the survey were:

7. An appearance on TV or in film (31%)
8. English Language (29.8%)
9. A major marketing campaign (lots of ads, promotions) (29.8%)

Top write-in candidates for other factors were:
-- Touring (sometimes at trusted venues, sometimes at unexpected venues)
-- Being on a respected label

Needless to say, this was not a very scientific survey, but the discussion about how to help international musicians reach new and bigger audiences is still an interesting one.  Rather than honing in on a particular set of factors, the survey proved, if anything, that there is still no formula for commercial crossover.

Celebrity Entrypoints, Familiar Styles, and Built In Home Base

When I posed the question of what factors lead to "world music" artists crossing over into a more "mainstream artist, I got this compelling entry from journalist/author Elijah Wald...

As far as I can see, the three main factors in crossing over are what you are calling "celebrity endorsements," similarity to already familiar styles, and it also helps to have a built in home-folks fan base.

That is, the groups that have crossed over need first to be heard by large portions of a "mainstream audience," and second to appeal to that audience's existing taste.  The biggest crossovers, things like Buena Vista and Ladysmith, had celebrities to bring them into the public eye, but then flourished because they resembled things people already liked--old Latin dance music and choral/gospel music. Buena Vista sold way bigger than Ladysmith because it both had a substantial Latino audience and --more importantly-- rumba/mambo has all the appeal of Frank Sinatra without any of the cultural baggage.

Some semi-crossovers have managed the illusion of being much more successful than they really were because they had enough of a core immigrant audience to create the illusion of broader popularity--Nusrat would be a perfect example of this, filling huge halls largely on the basis of immigrant fans, but fooling people who weren't doing the demographics into confounding the numbers of his relatively few, but very vocal mainstream fans with the numbers of tickets sold. But it is not all smoke and mirrors--that immigrant fan base gave Nusrat the opportunity to reach a much broader audience than he could possibly have reached without the packed, exciting concert tours, and the same goes for Cesaria Evora and Mariza.

The artists who feel trapped in the "world music ghetto" are making the assumption that they would fare better in the mainstream. Most of them are wrong. Like the "classical ghetto," the "world music ghetto" provides grant- and arts council-funded bookings. Anyone whose biggest gigs of the year are non-profit-funded concerts in parks, at city festivals, and at venues like Grand Performances or for concert promoters like Boston's World Music should thank their lucky stars they are not considered "mainstream." A lot of people who will fill a 1,000 seat room to see "world" acts at $20 a seat would not show up if the same concert was in the same room at a ticket price that actually paid for the show.

-- Elijah Wald, author and journalist, www.elijahwald.com

Unofficial Guide to World Music, Arts Presenters 2008

Here is the Unofficial Guide to World Music taking place in and around the Arts Presenters 2008 conference, compiled by rock paper scissors, inc., the global music publicity firm. The 14-page Guide is an Excel document. To download it, click here.

Please note that in previous years we included conference sessions and panels, but due to time constraints for further research the schedule only includes concerts/showcases this year. Make sure to double-check all listings before planning your movements, as some errors and changes may occur. Thank you to everyone who submitted listings. If you have concert listings, you may submit them by 12 noon Eastern on January 9, at which point we will try to post an update. Submit your listings using this form and sending it to lisa atsign rockpaperscissors period biz.

World Music Market in Flux, With or Without Celebrity Power

The Breaking Out of the "World Music Ghetto" conversation continues... When I asked various music industry players and musicians themselves "What factors do you think leads to crossover success of world music artists," this is what Matt Moran, founder of Slavic Soul Party! said about the role of pop celebrities and the changing audiences...

World Music Ghetto or World Music Meadow?

In preparation for this week's Arts Presenters session titled "Genre Hopping: How Some Global Artists and Presenters Have Avoided the 'World Music Ghetto'", a heated online discussion has exploded on the topic. While the questions posed were meant to instigate a conversation about "breaking" global music into the "mainstream," some took issue with the term "world music ghetto." Others, had compelling things to say about how and when global music crosses over to larger audiences. Some commented on the role of the decline of mass media has made the question itself somewhat out of date. Here is the first of a handful of comments people in the field have made. This one comes from artist manager and concert presenter Derek Andrews of Toronto...

Free World Music Preconferences at Arts Presenters NYC,January 11, 2008

Friday, January 11, 2008

Arts Presenters Conference

Hilton New York and Towers (1335 Avenue of the Americas, betw. 53-54th St.), Sutton Parlor (no registration required)

9 am - 9:15 am Meet and Greet (bring your own coffee/tea)

9:15 am - 10:30 am Genre Hopping: How Some Global Artists and Presenters Have Avoided the "World Music Ghetto," and Marketing Lessons We Can Learn from Them

An emerging conversation topic among global music circles is how to break out of the "world music ghetto" to reach audiences who would not normally think of themselves as "world music" fans. Does the category that lumps together thousands of unrelated genres create more obstacles than opportunities? How have some artists and presenters overcome this dilemma? How do you decide when to market an artist as "world music"? This lively discussion will call upon the expertise and experience of all attendees.

Facilitated by Dmitri Vietze, rock paper scissors, inc., global music publicity firm

10:45 am - 12 pm The Role of Global Music in Geo-Political Diplomacy

The State Department used to be in the music business, sending the likes of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong to win hearts and minds around the globe during the Cold War. But these days, resources for cultural diplomacy have decreased even though the need is higher than ever. What are the experiences of musicians who make a point of reaching out across cultures and political divides through their music? Is it an effective tool? Can cultural diplomacy work outside the realm of government? Is it preferable? Or should thre be a synchronicity between a nation's foreign policy and an artist's musical and political goals?

Moderator: Marco Werman, PRI's The World; Panelists: Amy Blackman, Ozomatli; Susan Kocis, Search for Common Ground; Simon Shaheen, Musician

Hosted by the North American World Music Coalition, coordinated by Alison Loerke/ALIA Productions