The 2016 Grammys are getting closer, so I decided to look back on the artists who took the cake last year. I was out of the loop about 2015's results, and I actually hadn't looked them up until just recently. As I checked the rankings, it turned out that I had already listened to the "Album of the Year" before I even knew it had won that title - and in a way, I was surprised that it had.
It was Beck's "Morning Phase", a soft, ambient, acoustic work by the well-known Los Angeles musician. I had first listened to it just a month or so ago as I drove into Hoboken, and the weather that day seemed to match the music: cold, gray, and brooding. Not that "Morning Phase" is dark in any sense, but it certainly comes off as introspective and mellow. It's a great album, but it didn't exactly take off commercially, and certainly didn't top the charts, which was why I was slightly surprised it had stolen the show at the Grammys last year. Beck's winning album originally sold so few copies compared to the big-name artists who are typically nominated for the award. Take Adele, for example. In 2012 her album "21" was a massive market success; it also won Album of the Year. Taylor Swift's "Fearless" similarly won the title in 2010. It turns out, however, that this prestigious award is given out not with regard to album sales or commercial success, but rather to "artistic or technical achievement", says Grammy.org. I guess I had just gotten the wrong impression of what it takes to be an "Album of the Year" winner. You really don't have to be a chart-topper to pull it off. You don't have to go platinum on record sales, either. As a matter of fact, you just have to be a great artist and produce an exceptional, new work of music - which I believe Beck was able to do.
My friend once told me, "I don't really use iTunes anymore." This was more than six years ago, when he introduced me to Spotify. I was wary of the idea to begin with. After all, music streaming was a foreign concept to the rest of us normal music lovers who bought tracks on iTunes and slowly amassed a digital library. What Spotify offered was, of course, access to a much vaster music collection, though you never actually downloaded the songs or stored them on your device. In fact, Spotify isn't just six years old. It was founded ten years ago in Sweden, and although it didn't make too big of a splash to begin with, it has essentially redefined the format of digital music in the past several years. They're not unique, either. Apple Music offers a similar paid service. Competitor Deezer has gained plenty of attention, too. And they all seem to be getting lots of attention from the investing world; according to Billboard, Deezer recently announced $109 million in new funding. Check out the article in Billboard: Is There a Music Tech Bubble?
They say that the biggest music streaming companies are already receiving multi-billion dollar valuations, which is a huge indicator of growth, given that Spotify, for example, is still in its investing stage. For now Spotify is focused on strategic development, and not on pure profitability. Obviously this is a concern for artists - until profits are turned, where are the royalties? Although this new trend complicates matters with artists' compensation (for now), I'm still excited about it. It's a growing industry, and it's a great way to put more music in the hands of more fans.
Did you know that the beat to one of the top songs of 2015 was actually written back in 1972? Drake's "Hotline Bling", produced by nineteen85, relies heavily on its sample source, "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas. Take a listen and see if it rings a bell:
Almost instantly you'll recognize this now famous cha-cha groove (though in the original instance, it's a bit slower and lower in pitch). Timmy Thomas probably never imagined in 1972 that more than 40 years later his song would resurface as a Top 20 hit. Yet there it was in 2015, juxtaposed over some heavy 808 kicks and intricate trap-style hi-hats. Drake and his producer had breathed new life into a track long forgotten and had made a fortune doing so. The case of "Hotline Bling" made me consider sampling in a new light. It made me think, "how much of what I'm hearing on the radio is actually original?" I've realized that in modern day industry - especially in hip-hop - this type of sampling is pretty common. That's not to say that these types of tracks are unoriginal, but rather that their compositional roots pre-date themselves. A lot of great examples of this phenomenon are found in Kanye West's discography. You all know the song "Gold Digger", but did you know most of that beat was hacked together from an old Ray Charles tune? Another famous track of his, "Stronger", off Graduation, mostly revolves around an earlier Daft Punk creation. In fact, this type of heavy sampling seems to be one of the things that defines Kanye's sound. While some artists use the technique of sampling more than others, it has still become a prominent part of modern music production. And in theory, it makes sense: if a track was well received the first time, why not re-hash it, sample it, and lay it under the top-selling artists of today? So keep your ears peeled - a lot of the sound you hear on the radio had its origin before your favorite artist dug it up.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
"Hit Charade" - Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic, October 2015
Image Credit: Nicolas Dehghani Here's an article worth the read. For the longest time, I viewed the music industry as an inaccessible entity available to only the ultra-talented. I thought the biggest performing artists were all-in-one, jacks of all trades - people who could both write their own music, perform it flawlessly, and market themselves into stardom. I imagined Rhianna pouring over the piano as she worked out the chords to "Stay". I pictured Justin Bieber personally crafting acoustic guitar riffs over professionally-processed drums. But it turns out that, in the case of a lot of top superstars, their music is actually scripted by 40-year-old Norwegians. Sure, Katy Perry's still a great vocalist, and Taylor Swift has more influence than most stars today, but the truth is that most of their biggest hits are simply not written by them. You'll also learn why venture capitalists choose certain artists over others to bring to fame. You'll see that the pop music industry isn't so much about the music itself, but rather the marketability and personality of the artist. So give "Hit Charade" in the October 2015 Atlantic a read. I don't think it will depreciate your awe of your favorite stars, but rather open your eyes to the hit-making geniuses across the pond.
