Creative Implement

Ok, I will stop with the “ment”(s). This is a crucial one, though, and very much in the “would sure be nice” category. It has been fun looking at what is wrong (lament), what can change (foment), and now for a little envisioning (implement). Once you have a marketable product, where do you go to distribute it? Your friends, relatives, and close associates? Pentecostal Publishing House? What? All of those are fine, but they are limited in reaching the larger audience. The following is my visionary verbiage.

1) Opportunity
The music industry is in a major crisis precisely because they have stuck to a formulized strategy themselves, and the public, as well as artists, are rejecting it. The Internet has allowed the artist more independence to musically represent him or herself, and has allowed the general public more purchasing power. It is fascinating to watch, e.g., Prince attaching his latest to a British publication, Paul McCartney releasing his latest through Starbucks. Both of those examples “go against” the formulized, music industry strategy. There is now a much bigger, if not huge, open door. However, the internet and other alternate opportunities must be harnessed to benefit AP artists.

2) Marketable distribution
Everyone should have the opportunity to release a project, yet there should be some type of distribution that makes it more accessible. A distributive “channel” where customers can listen to the music, learn about the artist (bio, website pointer, etc.), purchase the music by ordering or by digital download, and be introduced to new artists. Knowing who is “out there” is a particular problem, as most people are known locally, but not regionally, nationally, and internationally. A group or singer on a label is typically fronted the money to produce and market a project, then they tour extensively to build a listener base. There is not much touring going on in the AP world (we are not there yet), yet there is a definite need to counter that by creating a centralized, savvy, channel to bring awareness of the music. Something of this nature would make a difference on our quality (originality, high production values, solid theme/thread, and AP identity).

3) Quality Controls
Projects of varying quality need to go through a vetting process driven by AP listeners and distinction should be made between the great, good, bad, and the ugly. A distributive channel would make that distinction by including general reviews (should be done by an unbiased person knowledgeable about the genre) and consumer reviews (anyone who wishes). Platforms like iTunes and Napster already follow this pattern. You can read a general rating, as well as customer ratings, and then listen for yourself to make a purchasing decision. This forces the music to rise or fall on its own merit, and is market driven. This channel would also give someone who might not have the financial ability to put out a complete project, to put out a solid single. The cost would be much less, with the ability for recognition and feedback.

Okay, let’s just say someone picks up this idea and establishes what I’m talking about…the next step, and I’m really casting out the vision here, would be to draw in the Apostolic world at large, and not just the UPCI. This newly founded distributive channel would then have a much broader influence, with the ability to market the good stuff to other distributive channels. Hit me with some responsive feedback.