Why Don't Artists Release Their Music ?

[askn]

I have been wondeingr about this question for a while.
Why is it that there is very little carnatic music released commercially by artists ? Surely , by making albums or releasing a concert recording they reach a larger / wider audience of people and provides an additional income stream.
Till the turn of the last century , album releases were fairly common. A lot of the great artists from MS ,Santhanam , BMK etc used have their music released though labels.
It may no longer be feasible for a label / artist to release music thru CDs , due to low volumes and high distribution costs.
But for a artist to release music digitally on various digital stores costs almost nothing.
So why are there no releases ?
Similarly , why aren't there releases of recordings of artists who have passed away by their families ?

Am I missing something ?

[Rsachi]

Artistes feel people pirate records rather than buy them. The only recordings artistes like to release are full concert live recordings. Or thematic albums.

[Nick H]

Why is it that there is very little carnatic music released commercially by artists ?

I think that the answer to this is simple: it is one thing to be an artist, it is quite another to be a recording engineer, a producer of packaged CDs, a marketing person, a sales person, bookkeeper, despatch person, etc. On top of the work, there is also the financial risk of the investment. Most would probably not expect it to pay, and the fact that every CD sold may end up ripped to five or ten hard disks lends further discouragement. I think that Yesudas has his own "label?" Does anybody else?

On the other hand, the concept of sharing music (and potentially selling it too) on the internet is but a generation old...

[vasanthakokilam]

The issues are not one of piracy or artists being not recording engineers. The first issue exists for labels as well and the second issue can be solved by, for example, Parivadini providing recording services

The main reason lies with other aspects Nick said. They are not necessarily business people. In addition to taking on marketing responsibilities, there is also risk taking. You put in some money up front and hope to make a few times more than what you put in. But that is not a certainty. Dealing with such things require entrepreneurship, risk taking, business acumen etc.

And then there is this annoying and extremely frustrating perception problem. Our dear rasikas are so hypocritical ( (every one of ) you are excluded of course ) that while they try to make as much money as they can, if they perceive the artists to be money minded, it is a huge let down. Even dealing with artists to negotiate fees for a concert is not pleasant and affects how you enjoy their music. It is a problem in rasikas minds but mass psychology the way it is, there is not much any one artist can do.

Though those business skills and music skills do not intersect normally, if they do, that is quite a potent combination, if an artist can pull it off. It is quite rare.

[Rsachi]

I have come across even recently at least a dozen record release channels owned by or reserved for specific artistes.
Artistes are happy for those channels to take care of the business end (as they leave them a lions share) rather than be under the thumb of labels who are reported to be not really paying them what's due by way of royalties.
Finally on the demand side I feel it is not either big or growing for any artiste.

[harimau]

I think that Yesudas has his own "label?" Does anybody else?

Sudha Raghunathan's Music was/is released through her husband's recording company. That label also releases other artists' music.

Kalavardhini in Chennai is the Vanity Press of the recording industry. Any person can get them to record and press/burn CDs of his music. The person pays the costs of production.

Musicians have used similar organisations in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, etc., to make CDs for them. These are easy to identify and almost never are sold in stores but during concerts.

[harimau]

I think that the answer to this is simple: it is one thing to be an artist, it is quite another to be a recording engineer, a producer of packaged CDs, a marketing person, a sales person, bookkeeper, despatch person, etc. On top of the work, there is also the financial risk of the investment. Most would probably not expect it to pay, and the fact that every CD sold may end up ripped to five or ten hard disks lends further discouragement.

If one wants to release a live concert recording, I am sure the musician can get a feed from the mixer to his own tiny recorder. Then one is dependent on the mercy of the audio technician for properly balancing the various microphone inputs.

Recording Labs exist in Chennai where one can record music and even fix errors -- something not possible with a live concert recording unless it is snipping out the offending sangathi completely -- and the lab will provide a finished copy some days later. Now you have to find a label to carry your CD. Stores will not stock CDs without a registered recording company's label. Trying to hawk the CDs from your home will draw the attention of the Income Tax Department who of course cannot collect tax debts running into billions of rupees from corporations but will make an example of a person living on an unsteady income!

So you see musicians hauling a couple of hundred CDs on their trips abroad and selling these privately produced labels at their concerts.

[rajeshnat]

But for a artist to release music digitally on various digital stores costs almost nothing.
So why are there no releases ?
Similarly , why aren't there releases of recordings of artists who have passed away by their families ?

Am I missing something ?

I think the skill of feeding a live concert from a mixer to a private recording device does not have enough quality to release as a digital recording . There is curation by recording engineers and recording equipments which is required , I think 99% of the musicians do not have that reach to get the curation .
I see sanjay in the last few years and of late abhishek almost releasing every live performance as a recording .I think what musicians need to do is release their recordings directly to digital streams like spotify, itunes etc which I believe very few are attempting but many do not know- it is lack of skill and awareness issue.

Apart from that ,the cooperation and agreement of fellow co artists is also a key for the main artist to release , many a times it does not happen . Sometimes the sabha which owns also should give permission. Musicians are mostly powerless there.

[Nick H]

So you see musicians hauling a couple of hundred CDs on their trips abroad and selling these privately produced labels at their concerts.

So, when I see a table outside a concert, the artist is probably literally selling their own CDs?

Where an artist has recorded with a "label," I gather that they probably received a one-off fee, and further sales of the CD itself do not increase their income, so there is no advantage in them selling those CDs themselves, other than a certain element of self-promotion.

I think the skill of feeding a live concert from a mixer to a private recording device does not have enough quality to release as a digital recording

In these days of digital devices, it can be very good indeed, quite likely better than what we are hearing in the hall! Better than a proper engineer in a pro studio? no, but better than some idiot that puts the two sides of the mridangam on left and right chanel and adds reverb just because there is a knob that does that, etc etc etc? Well, if that sort of stuff can get done to BMK's CDs (perhaps he likes it like that: to me it unlistenable) then what hope for the lesser person in the low-cost studio? They probably are better off plugging a phone into the desk --- and even the low[er] cost models from Zoom, Tascam, Sony, which a number of artists seem to own these days.

[askn]

I think the skill of feeding a live concert from a mixer to a private recording device does not have enough quality to release as a digital recording . There is curation by recording engineers and recording requirements which is required

As simple line out from the amp / mixer will give a good quality stereo recording. This is the audio that is captured by folks like Shaale & Parivadini when they are doing their webcasts. If you need a multi track recording where you capture each instrument / voice separately , then need to take a output from the mixer. Since CM does not have extensive orchestration , a straight line out is usually good enough. Of course , the sound balance will need to managed , tweaking knobs can spoil it.

the cooperation and agreement of fellow co artists is also a key for the main artist to release , many a times it does not happen . Sometimes the sabha which owns also should give permission. Musicians are mostly powerless there

A lot of the sabhas record the artist performance. The rights related to the performance lie with the artists ( unless they have specifically transferred their rights). So shouldn't the artist ask the sabhas to give them the recording and they can decide what they want to do. Why do / would the sabhas not provide the recording to the artist ?
The sabhas can't do anything with the music without the artists permission anyway ? e.g MA archive.

If the artist can play together , they can come to an agreement with each other ? or am i being naive ?

There are services available today that help artists get their music onto digital platform like iTunes or Spotify etc , E.g parivadini has their ARMS initiative .
Is it just an awareness issue , or a reluctance to take the effort , a combination of the various points raised ? are there any artists on this forum who can provide a point of view ?

[hnbhagavan]

Sanjay Subramaniam releases his concerts on regular basis.

refer sanjaysub.com

[rajeshnat]

A lot of the sabhas record the artist performance. The rights related to the performance lie with the artists ( unless they have specifically transferred their rights). So shouldn't the artist ask the sabhas to give them the recording and they can decide what they want to do. Why do / would the sabhas not provide the recording to the artist ?
The sabhas can't do anything with the music without the artists permission anyway ? e.g MA archive.

If the artist can play together , they can come to an agreement with each other ? or am i being naive ?

askn
We have talked about who is the primary owner in many threads in recent past - cannot find the post . But the consensus was the organization that conducts the concert holds the primary rights . For eg kutcheri season of MA which gets released as MA archives - I am assuming implicitly MA giving an artist an opportunity to perform is enough for them to record and sell as labels (I think harimau and/or Rvijay made this point).

With respect to how a bunch of artists agree and market them as commercial streams or labels post the concert , it is certainly very tricky and is a case by case basis . But artist do work out some times - very recently a team of artists like patri-gurucharan--v sanjeev came up with Sraavyam where they have marketed their music recordings without a middle man . Something on what you said has already started happening - sraavyam is one of those.

[Nick H]

So far as my practical, but rather old, and not musical, knowledge of copyright goes, it must be explicitly transferred. It could never be implicit. If you buy an artwork, you own the physical object, but not, unless confirmed in writing, and copyright in it.

It doesn't matter if it is the music academy or a marriage concert: status will not change the law.

(one way or another, I expect that the MA would have all their booking terms written and signed off)

[VijayR]

We have talked about who is the primary owner in many threads in recent past - cannot find the post . But the consensus was the organization that conducts the concert holds the primary rights . For eg kutcheri season of MA which gets released as MA archives - I am assuming implicitly MA giving an artist an opportunity to perform is enough for them to record and sell as labels (I think harimau and/or Rvijay made this point).

Rajesh, I am clarifying because you attributed the above information to me. I am pretty sure that I did not say anything like that... In fact, it is the opposite. The performers right always resides with the performers unless "explicitly" transferred (i.e., a written contract that transfer the rights). Simply giving an artist an opportunity to perform does not give MA any rights. If the artists have not signed any contract signing away their rights, then they still rest with them. http://www.kutcherirecording.com has some more information on performers rights.

Nick: You will be surprised at the reality, regarding written contracts.

[Nick H]

I wouldn't be surprised at the reality in many organisations, either on the lack of written concerts or the liberties taken with recordings. I'd be a bit surprised with MA --- but you have now prepared me not to be

[askn]

This would be funny if it wasn't tragic
The artists have the rights to the recordings but can't do anything with them as the sabhas have the possession. The sabhas can't release them though they have the recordings, but don't have the rights !
50 years of music not available.
Is there any solution ?

[sanjaysubfan]

Sanjay Subramaniam releases his concerts on regular basis.

refer sanjaysub.com

Just downloaded two albums of Sanjay Subrahmanyan - Kapali and Tyagaraja

https://gum.co/YHMo

https://gum.co/AWCqW

Awesome stuff!

[parivadini]

Thats why Sanjay is "Thalai".
Information assymetry. People think that the technology involved and marketing is too much and out of their hands. That is not true.Digital space is about disinter-mediation.
ADAMS our model is exactly about this -i.e Getting the Artists to release their music on their own names.We dont have a label of our own we make a label out of the artist's name and put up their digital presence. Of course our model is pretty self defeating because honestly in a few years they would not require us at all.But hell we are here to get good music,I am sure we will be able to get a business model to survive!

Cheers
Venkat

[sanjaysubfan]

Link to album notes that Sanjay has written on his blog for Tyagaraja Live

http://sanjaysub.blogspot.in/2014/07/ty ... notes.html

[vasanthakokilam]

Those liner notes are excellent. In fact, one way to monetize the music is those who pay '+' instead of '0' ( in the 0+ model ) get expanded liner notes goodies. At least it is worth a try. Currently, people probably pay something voluntarily which is fine, but it is a better motivation for people to pay if they know they are going to get something extra. This is the freemium model.

Another experiment Sanjay level artists can try is along the kickstarter model. Essentially, people pre-pay for the music that the artist is going to record. It can be one of many things, what works need to be experimented on. five new songs every week for 4 weeks. You can pay $1.00, $2.00, $5.00, $10.00 At each level you get different things in addition to the music.
I am just making this up as I type, these are just examples, Artist's monetizing manodharma needs to be employed.

[askn]

ADAMS our model is exactly about this -i.e Getting the Artists to release their music on their own names

Paravadini would now have a library of a couple 100 concerts ? What is the constraint in making these available on other streaming platforms or make them available for purchase on online stores ? Surely , the artists should be supportive ?

[parivadini]

Paravadini would now have a library of a couple 100 concerts ? What is the constraint in making these available on other streaming platforms or make them available for purchase on online stores ? Surely , the artists should be supportive ?

WE have 702 concerts. Some of the last few concerts can be done since we use multi track to record. Earlier ones are of poor audio quality. Not yet explored the option on other platforms.

Regds
Venkat

[askn]

Not yet explored the option on other platforms.

You should. One platform is already ready to take

[parivadini]

The artist have to realise. Last year Alamelu Mani sang in a couple of concerts,we were the one of the 2 to webcast.
Today She has been conferred the SKAcharya! Plus Singer Hariharan's mom!! A marketing 101,but we did not.....
The FICCI Numbers are encouraging say non film music is about 30% of 5500 crores annual market(INR).
We have incidentally shared the current plans and our vision going ahead on slide share. Please feel free to check it out and give feedback http://www.slideshare.net/venkataraghav ... slideshare

Thanks once again
Venkat