The shredders at Metal Injection have done it again, bringing you the finest metal content to feast upon. They have undertaken their largest production to date by attending and covering the 2010 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim California.
NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), commonly called NAMM in reference to the organization's popular NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion global music products industry. Our association—and our trade shows—serve as a hub for people wanting to seek out the newest innovations in musical products, recording technology, sound and lighting—everything you need to enhance and grow your business, presentation or event! Founded more than a century ago, NAMM proudly represents a worldwide community of people who are passionate about what they do and provides them with the tools, learning and business environment they need to do it.
Obviously, my posts have been sparse the last few weeks due to my commitment to studying for the GMAT, but in an effort to still deliver you the finest material for your reading and viewing pleasure I plan on bastardizing a few of Metal Injection's webisodes documenting this fine event. NAMM not only sounds cool, it embodies of few of the things I am passionate about; music and the innovation and entrepreneurship that fuel the music industry. Whether it is creating new products or new ways to fuel your brand this event gives the lowly commoner an all access look into the real music industry vice the bubblegum pop antics displayed on MTV when they actually decide to play music. So enjoy my recycled post and hopefully I can begin dedicating a bit more time to post again shortly.
As you can tell by the sparing nature of my posts, I have been true to my warning that I will be posting less frequently during my GMAT preparation. However, hopefully I am also staying true to my promise that I will continue to post valuable content whenever possible. I came across a great clip on the importance of entrepreneurship within the music industry. The speaker is Ken Lopez, Clinical Professor of Music Industry at the USCThorton School of Music. Ken provides some great insights on what it will take for those in the industry to be successful, whether they be musicians, producers, record label execs, etc.
What I really like is that Ken doesn't try to cling to the past like many in the industry. Ken not only embraces the new realities of the industry, but he is focused on teaching his students to exploit those realities. I get the sense that Ken understands what many in my generation understand and what many others in the industry fail to put into practice. He understands that the music itself may not be the deliverable that makes money anymore. He doesn't say it in so many words but I interpret him as saying that the music is your way of branding yourself, or your band, or your label. The way to make money is through entrepreneurial new ways of delivering value to the fan.
I have had a few discussions with my geographically dislocated band mates about how we would go about making a Mask of Sanity reunion successful. Many of our discussions involve thinking of new ways to monetize things the fans find valuable. Although it is about the music, technology and social norms have made the fans less willing to pay for the value that music holds. We have discussed the possibilities of giving away all the music for free, asking for a recommended donation with half going to charity, letting the customer choose what to pay for the music, etc. The idea is to get your music to as many people as possible. Anything to build the brand that is the band. Once that b(r)and is established and that community of like-minded people is created the potential to make money on other products is much greater. The ideas can range from the standard DVD release to wackier ideas like fans contributing to the actual music, but the point remains that the traditional concept of selling the music is likely dead, especially for smaller acts.
It's no secret that the music industry is jacked up. Not too many people are making money in that industry right now and although this innovation is by no means changing the way the industry works, I think it is a creative way to leverage those who buy music to find new talent. Signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com is a new tool that Roadrunner Records is testing out that allows fans to be both scouts of new talent and submitters of new bands. Its a pretty cool idea. The bands with the best and most reviews naturally rise to the top, as well as the scouts with the most comments/reviews. This little free market if you will, naturally funnels the best bands and the best (or at least most dedicated) scouts right into the hands of the label. When I think about this system I think about Seth Godin's Tribes. He says to create an effective tribe you need to give a unified message or reason for being and give a means for members to communicate around that message. Well here is a tribe in action. Let the fans tell you who is the best unsigned band. Let the fans seek out the best unsigned music. Let the fans communicate what they think is cool. And most importantly, leverage the fans to present you with a band you can capitalize on and present to a greater audience. Pretty cool stuff. I need to mess around with the site some more to see really how effective it is, but the concept is a great one. I think being a metal label they are forced to think a little more creatively since metal doesn't translate too well into the Britney Spears pop model of selling records. Whether by choice or necessity, this is the kind of thinking that will 'save' the music industry down the road.
I recently bought Lamb of God's most recent release entitled "Wrath" and I must say that it reigns. I think it is pretty cool that these guys are like mainstream metal (Videos on MTV2 and Billboard 200 are considered mainstream to metal) yet they still are an extremely heavy band. No pop choruses, no songs about girls, no ballads, just a fresh dose of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. I don't even really like that phrase but that seems to be how this band always gets described. I think it has more to do with the fact that they are from Virginia and have redneck beards, but rest assured these guys aren't just a redneck band from Virginia. They are a well oiled machine both on stage and off.
Wrath is definitely the most mature album Lamb of God have done. Their last album Sacrament made a huge leap musically from prior efforts, yet it sounded very produced. Still a great album, but it sounded like a Pro Tools' proudest projects release. Wrath did an excellent job of getting back to a more raw sound and production while still showcasing the band progressing as song writers. These are some heavy but well written tunes, and all the songs highlight the fact that these guys can really play. I think their enhanced playing is showcased in the majority of the songs and they have pulled out some tricks that haven't been done before on prior releases. Randy Blythe the drunken screamer of a singer tried his hands at some cleaner (still far from clean) vocals on Sacrament but like I said before they had a very produced vibe. He continues the trend on this album but it just sounds so much better without an excess of reverb and echo. He is really hitting tones and is nailing down pitching his screams which has increased his range from either high or low to encapsulate everything in between. He sounds like a new age Chuck Billy from Testament at times and the rest of the time stays true to the Randy guttural growls and high pitched screams. Guitar work is flawless on the album. Very heavy riffs with very few actual breakdowns. I really like that they can make riffs sound heavy as hell without chugging through 25 open C chords (tuned down two steps of course!). Where there are breakdowns, they are not forced and they generally are layered upon after a few measures to deny monotony. The rhythm section of the band spearheaded by Chris Adler is as tight and creative as ever which must be a blessing for guitarist Mark Morten and Willie Adler who can have even the most generic riffs transformed to sound intricate and creative. All in all a strong album from start to finish.
What I really respect about Lamb of God is the way they go about their craft. They are true professionals that run, in essence, a very innovative start up business. They started in college dorm rooms in Virginia and worked to where they are today. These guys don't complain about the nature of the music business today. They think creatively and provide the fans with the extras that keep them buying albums. I bought their CD and it came with a bonus CD that is all studio mp3's of individual tracks from the album. I can jam alongside each dude in the band or just hear clearly how each guy plays their part on the tracks. Very simple, very cheap, very effective. These guys give away lessons with the band, backstage passes, whatever you can think of. They have a few gold DVDs that basically let the fans enter into the world of Lamb of God to see the good, bad, and ugly. They do whatever they can to brand themselves as a fan's band and in return they actually sell records, as a brutal metal band no less. They are passionate about what they do and the intend to take their b(r)and down the long touring road for as long as the fans will let them. I have embedded some new shreddage for your personal listening pleasure. Take care of that neck!
