January
1st, 2001
All The The news that's fit to print
Volume 1 Issue 0
Late final
 

THERE'S NO POINT IN ASKING, YOU GET NO REPLY

I know what questions to ask in order to find out when people are doing their jobs and then they're not. Artists are often able to gain the confidence of record company employees who'll tell us things about their company they won't admit to their bosses or co-workers. Though most are afraid to admit it publicly morale is now very, very low at the Universal conglomerate (at least 6 people I've worked closely with on my new album have walked out on the company and I know of several more who are planning to follow soon) The Seagrams takeover and subsequent merger of Universal and PolyGram was very traumatic, not only for many artists on the label but also for many of the employees. There are many decent hard working people in this company who wanted to work in the music business for all the right reasons but now find their hands are tied behind their backs as they are not allowed to get behind the projects they really believe in. Seagrams bottle drinks and music using the same machine and the sheer incompetence of this conglomerate just beggars belief. To fully list All the cock ups that have utterly undermined and ruined the release of NakedSelf would take all day and I'd like to stress the positive changes I'm anticipating in the industry rather than whinge and whine about the past year's mistakes.
Suffice to say it has been the most disastrous episode of my entire career.

THE REAL QUESTION IS THIS

The million dollar question for all artists associated with this bloated company, and this is where it gets interesting, is this: Is this really just sheer incompetence or is this wilful neglect? Because it does seem that nothing/Interscope/Universal can be very aggressive and successful with a certain type of popular music, so it begs the question that is it not really the fact that to pay for that preposterous merger, and in order to pacify their shareholders, Seagrams had to promise to make cutbacks rather than investments for future profits? Was an executive decision taken to only back acts that they thought were 'sure-fire' instant commercial hits palatable to corporate radio stations, rather than take a chance on any artist that doesn't conform to this bland criterion?

SOMETHING FOR NOTHING

I loathe censorship even more than piracy and increasing numbers of artists are now becoming victims of censorship by apathy and neglect. They just cannot get their music heard through the traditional channels.

  

As nothing/Universal/Interscope seem either incapable or unwilling (or both) to distribute and promote my album properly, and as they've refused to give it back to me, then I've been forced to consider alternative ways of reaching my audience. After much deliberation I have therefore decided to offer free downloads of NakedSelf on a song by song/week by week basis from my official site. www.thethe.com. By doing so I hope more people (including the bulk of my audience) will finally get the chance to hear this album and hopefully support me by purchasing this CD and future releases. For me to just walk away from NakedSelf now would be like leaving a baby on a doorstep and I just can't do it.
I believe in this album too much.

This is not a decision I've taken lightly, because as some of you may know, I've been widely quoted in recent months regarding my opposition to Napster. As musicians and songwriters, as in other professions, we have dedicated our lives to our art and craft and now face a situation of people stealing our work and passing it around the world for free. No one who has ever done a hard days work for a days pay would expect others to work for free, why should musicians?
it's also a sad fact of life that the general public are still fairly ignorant as to how unfair most record company contracts really are. The artist pays for everything yet owns nothing. To receive fair and accurate royalty accounting he/she has to be able to afford to send in a team of auditors every few years to examine the books and this costs thousands of dollars to do properly. Most artists with more than a couple of years experience now sadly accept that the industry is run on principles of institutionalised corruption.

The record company position is this; If you want your money you can come and find it. If you can afford to find it then you've obviously earned so much that we can afford to give you some.

THE ONLY THING THAT STAYS THE SAME IS CHANGE

This weird period we're going through in our industry right now feels both daunting and exciting and in a way reminds me of where I came from. As a teenager I was turned down by every indie and major label in the UK at least
three times before I finally got a recording contract so in the meantime I started producing and selling my own cassettes at the various gigs I attended.
It was a liberating and empowering experience and taught me how to stay positive in the face of apathy. When you get knocked to the floor you have a choice, you can either curl up in the foetal position and die or you can climb back onto
your feet and fight.


Matt Johnson/TheThe

First off I'd like to thank the tens of thousands of people who've so far downloaded the NakedSelf MP3's, the Corporate Monster manifesto and the
RussianDolls image over the past few weeks, especially those who've spread them far and wide to friend and foe alike. I'd also like to thank those who've
simply left messages of encouragement. As we're now on a permanent war footing all kind words, care packages and messages of love are gratefully received by the team and myself at TheThe HQ. While briefly unbattening the hatch I'd also like to quickly answer a couple of questions that have been raised by the manifesto and also point you in the direction of a couple of essays posted in our new forum and written by other members of my team.

RIAA (& stuff)

Firstly, I'd like to set the record straight on something that's been bothering me. In reaction to quotes of mine used by the RIAA, amongst others, I'd like to state unequivocally that I AM NOT in support of the Recording Industry as it has existed. The quotes were taken out of context and used without my knowledge.
My real feeling is that much of the music industry to date has been little more than legalised thievery. From the deliberate miscalculation of album sales (and
subsequently royalties) and the scandalous 'packaging' deductions standard in most contracts to the 'miscellaneous' and numerous recoupable items that
drain away any slim chance most artists have of ever recouping. These and many other accountancy tricks are intended solely to deceive the artist and relieve
him/her of honest earnings whilst fattening the shareholder's wallet. A good example of this corporate craftiness was when CD's were introduced. An outrageous con-trick was pulled where both the artist and the general public were simultaneously
fleeced. Artists were put on half-rate royalties (for an unprecedented and very lengthy 'trial' period) whilst the price of an album was bumped up dramatically
in the shops even though CD's were actually cheaper to produce than vinyl!
The Companies were laughing all the way to the bank. They've been laughing ever since.

Until very recently.

EUPHORIA!

What's fascinating about the current situation is that it's finally dragged these and other issues out into the open, but let's beware replacing one unfair system with another. The fast pace of technology is obviously here to stay
but we have to learn to move with it while gently guiding it rather than being either euphorically and blindly swept along by it or becoming so fearful and brittle that we're ultimately shattered by it.

NAPSTER (& similar)

Regardless of the current status of the court case surrounding Napster, I believe passionately that any new system of music distribution has to be consensual. It should be an artist's right to choose how/if his work is
sold/given out around the world. In all probability we are now looking at the thin end of the wedge here in terms of how music lovers 'consume' (ouch! I hate that word) their music. To a younger music fan, scrolling through remote databases carries the same thrill an older fan has of rummaging through the dusty shelves of a rare vinyl shop. So what happens when sales of hard copies do
ultimately slump? and I believe they will with the coming convergence of the following factors;

a) Improvements to Napster or similar's software.
b) Improvement in the quality of the sound files.
c) Faster, more powerful Internet connections.
d) When the Philips, Sony¹s and Panasonic's of the world start selling home entertainment systems with easy, direct connection to the Internet and the ability to retrieve, store and play MP3, 4, (5 or whatever) files ultra fast and in bulk.

When this happens will Napster and similar start to pass on the vast wads of cash they'll no doubt be receiving from sponsors/advertisers to the musicians?
and if not, how does anyone imagine musicians will be able to afford to continue making music? How will equipment costs, studio rates, musicians fees, tour
support, managers, to say nothing of basic living essentials be paid for? I know it's strange but even musicians cannot live on fresh air alone, though many
of us made do with little more when we started out. Life on the dole had it's charms I suppose but not at this stage of my career.

SOULS FOR SALE?

To the possibility of music becoming a 'free' resource various solutions have been advanced for the problem this poses to us musicians (except the really rich
ones or the ones with day jobs of course) Some have suggested a subscription model, keeping us chained to a sort of treadmill and continually churning out 'product' to subscribers on a monthly basis whether or not we're feeling inspired, sick or frankly just too plain old and tired. Some say we just earn our daily bread from a never ending tour Bob Dylan style, hawking our
merchandise behind us, but sadly few of us are Bob and any experienced musician can tell you it costs a fortune to tour and you're lucky if you break even.
What about fans 'adopting' a musician much like an endangered animal at the local zoo? In exchange for the odd food parcel and envelope of used notes they'd
receive the occasional tape of freshly laid grooves. But of course ... silly me! there's always corporate sponsorship and/or selling our souls .. oops
sorry...
our songs to the advertising industry. Failing all of the above we could always return to the era of Royal patronage. Well, you can see where I'm going with
all this. Anyone else out there got any bright ideas?

BOILED IN THE BAG

The Internet has opened up wonderful possibilities for many musicians at a time when it's virtually impossible for anything other than 'boil in the bag' stodge to get on radio, television or in the music press and any misgivings I have about the downside of Napster and similar is purely in defence of artists, songwriters and musicians, the majority of whom have been drawing the short
straw for far too long and If not very careful could be doing so for the foreseeable future.

Perhaps my view point will be considered 'unhip' amongst those who think musicians can just live on bread, water and air and create, regardless of
the financial implications. In a way they're right, I personally love writing songs and making music and would be doing so for a hobby even if I couldn't cut it professionally but these are relevant questions that need
answering at a time when theories about the industry's future continue to change faster than most people change their underwear.


Sincerely Yours


Matt Johnson/TheThe


p.s.
I actually feel optimistic about the future by virtue of the fact so many discussions are now taking place amongst so many people. This situation wouldn't have existed even five years ago and I'm convinced the new way will
be better than the old. Once again, my preferred model is the artist dealing directly with his/her audience both via their own Internet pipeline and through bricks and mortar stores, selling their work for considerably less than the old record companies, and with beautiful packaging to boot!

 
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