more thoughts on the gang of four album
This was once the future - the Seattle monorail
After spending the last 3 days with various friends and acquaintances from my past days in the music industry and having made friends with some new, young web pioneers, I came to some more thoughts about new G4 music and its distribution.
01. We need to make a cheap quick recording of no more than 6 songs. The days of spending forever in a studio are over.
02. It can’t be called an album, that format is over - case in point - after downloading the Radiohead In Rainbows album I found various remixes of songs from that album and so I deleted the originals as the new mixes were preferable to me. I then built my own running order. Goodbye to having an album formatted in advance.
03. As we write and record in rehearsal we should post the demos, as rough as they are, to our website and also to Amiestreet so that fans can download them. Comments would be offered and that way we could gauge response. Also word of mouth will get the message far and wide that these demos are available and that we are working on the new recordings - no PR required.
04. Understanding the data which will then help us understand our fans’ behaviour.
05. It’s imperative that we give away MP3s.
06. Enroll our most rabid fans to help us market and promote the band.
07. We must partner only with an indie label for any physical good that we release.
08. We must take meetings with people like Kevin Arnold at IODA and Shane Tobin at iMeem whose companies offer very distinct ways to reach music fans.
One intriguing light bulb moment for me was the realization that being out of any contracts for a long time and being well beyond any re-recording restrictions, we now own the master copyrights to any and all of our live concert recordings.
And then the big one - What’s our brand and what’s it’s value? And is this what a new ‘record’ label looks like?
Related Post: Gang of Four New Album
November 4th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
ioda seems to get it. set up the highest quality digital content possible, add the meta data, and track distribution/marketing efforts.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:39 am
I like your thinking, particularly the idea of going back to working fast, releasing fast.
Part of the excitement the Smiths generated was their ability to keep new songs coming out hot on the heels of each other. Ditto the Fall, and the Wedding Present (didn’t they do a single every month for a year or something like that?). There’s a lot to be said for the EP.
Either way, it’s becoming harder and harder to experience music, books and films without getting honeyed in hype, so anything that cuts across that will make for a pleasant change.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:01 am
I agree with you in part, Dave, but I would like to add — purely for argument’s sake — that your old knockabout friends the Mekons have successfully been releasing albums (with some adherence to a theme) on Quarterstaff for some time now, and with a high level of quality. Which is to say that albums, per se, aren’t necessarily dead and gone, they are only as dead and gone as the artist producing music wants them to be. If the Go4 wanted to produce a thematically coherent album, it certainly could, and it would be well-received (I’d bet), and do credit to the artists who created it. I mention the Mekons only because it was my love for Go4 that led me to the Mekons, and the Mekons are now (with Go4’s long hiatus) my favorite band. Like the Mekons, I think an independent means of distribution is very important to the Go4, in that you should put together and distribute music WHEN THE MUSIC IS READY, not because of any label pressure to produce product for consumption and profit on some artificial schedule. Radiohead (and Prince before them) have made an excellent beginning, but to put it back into context, Radiohead’s OK Computer was and remains AN ALBUM — any remixes would break the coherence of the songs on that record as an album. I believe that albums have a place in music’s future, and possibly in Go4’s future (or so I hope).
November 20th, 2007 at 9:09 am
I would recommend avoiding overproduction. I much prefer the simple presentation of demo material over work that has been overpolished, overdigitized. Think John Peel show 1980’s go in there, set up, do it. I want the sound to feel like the raw creative spirit of the band in a brown paper bag, not a slick mass-produced coffee table book representation with glossy pages.
Drums should sound like drums, not syndrums- as much as I appreciate the work of Martin Hannett, that kind of production doesn’t have the same impact as it did nearly thirty years ago. I might even use a cliche here as it is appropriate: keep it real.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I see jdh’s point in that music should not be pushed out before it’s ready, and In Rainbows, to continue his example, consists largely of songs that Radiohead was playing live for months if not years before they set foot in a studio. At the same time, as a musician, I think some of us tend to screw around with our older songs, adding stuff to fight the boredom of playing them thousands of times, to where it ends up morphing into something else entirely. Sometimes the song needs it, but my (admittedly limited) experience is that if a song doesn’t sound good in it’s initial, raw form, it probably isn’t that great to begin with. And as a player and live audience member, it seems bands in general enjoy showcasing their newest material, and it tends to be reflected in their performances (more energy/enthusiasm/emotion) — reinforcing Dave’s steady-stream-of-demos model. Again, playing the same songs for years gets kind of old.
Either way, I can’t wait to hear the new stuff, regardless of what form it may take!
November 20th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
I think all of the comments so far are thoughtful and correct in each of their own ways. The reason I’m interested in an experiment like this is simply because I believe that the rule book has had a few crucial pages torn from it. Another reason behind our plans to release a digital EP is that it’s a matter of timing. To make an entire 12 song album-length piece of work would require a great deal of effort, not to mention an awful lot of time spent commuting from Portland to London myself to be in the studio with Andy, Mark and Jon. Doing things this way allows us to experiment more and to try out different ideas and songs live as we work toward a body of work that we then believe we could release in CD form.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:21 am
Hey Dave-
I concur! It is a brave new world out here and music (like all the arts) needs to adapt…
I certainly agree with the “long ardous days in the studio” should be over. On our new CD, we went back to basics. We locked ourself in an 6 x 15 foot un-airconditioned room in July and got back to basics. It really is the essential part of the process.
Keep up the good work and thanks again for reminding me what live music was supposed to be like. We still hope to take you up on that re-mix offer!
All the best
thom f.
Savage Republic
ps. if you want a copy of “1938″, drop me an e-mail
November 21st, 2007 at 11:56 am
[...] Gang of Four have announced that they will release a four-song digital EP, the making of which bass player David Allen has posted quite an inventive list of rules for on his blog. And lucky for fans, rule number five plainly states, “It’s imperative that we give away MP3’s.” Already on Allen’s website are demo versions of the new tracks “Second Life” and “Password,” which according to the man himself, will precede next week’s “Faking It,” “American Man,” and another version of “Second Life.” [...]
November 26th, 2007 at 9:25 am
[...] Ok, song demo number 3 - American Man is the working title. In case you missed the update I’m posting MP3s of rough ‘work-in-progress’ demos of new songs that we, Gang of Four, are currently working on. The full story is linked to here. We are hoping to release four new songs as a digital EP in Spring 08. Another demo of a song called Password can be found here. And a demo of a song called Second Life can be found here. Song number four will be posted later this week. [...]
November 27th, 2007 at 4:03 am
[...] Dave Allen, a member of influential post-punkers Gang of Four, has a blog called Pampelmoose. On it, he’s listed some basic tenets for distribution of music in the future. Here’s what he says: 01. We need to make a cheap quick recording of no more than 6 songs. The days of spending forever in a studio are over. 02. It can’t be called an album, that format is over - case in point - after downloading the Radiohead In Rainbows album I found various remixes of songs from that album and so I deleted the originals as the new mixes were preferable to me. I then built my own running order. Goodbye to having an album formatted in advance. 03. As we write and record in rehearsal we should post the demos, as rough as they are, to our website and also to Amiestreet so that fans can download them. Comments would be offered and that way we could gauge response. Also word of mouth will get the message far and wide that these demos are available and that we are working on the new recordings - no PR required. 04. Understanding the data which will then help us understand our fans’ behaviour. 05. It’s imperative that we give away MP3s. 06. Enroll our most rabid fans to help us market and promote the band. 07. We must partner only with an indie label for any physical good that we release. 08. We must take meetings with people like Kevin Arnold at IODA and Shane Tobin at iMeem whose companies offer very distinct ways to reach music fans. [...]
November 27th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Hi Dave,
Thanks so much for taking the time to update us on all things Gang. The music has been so influential for me for so many years and it’s nice to keep the thread moving ahead. The demo release is a brilliant idea. To have an opportunity to see the music evolve is a real treat. You mention you guys now own the rights to all your live stuff. Is there any chance of releasing some Mp3’s of live material on the web site? This would help salve the pain of missing you guys on the last tour. Looking forward with great anticipation to the digital EP. My vote is for less production and more volume!
Keep up the great work………….Jay
November 27th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Wow, something to be excited about in the world of music! Dave, you and the rest of the band are once again - jeez, what, almost 30 years later? - at the forefront of a revolution. Sheer brilliance in the quick-to-market approach. And to let us, the fans, in on the evolution of this work. In a word, amazing. Thanks so much! To think I had second thought about signing up for the mailing list!!
November 27th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Get in touch with Mike Watt (www.hootpage.com). The Minutemen put Double Nickels on the Dime (a double album) together in 10 days, soup to nuts.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Hi Dave,
Great ideas and great demos. Bringing back the original sounds, attitudes, and ideas of G4 is exactly what the music world needs. You are a smart man to be able to recognize the changes within the industry and be able to figure out the best way to make it (the music industry) work for G4. I think you are on the right track as far as reaching your core fans first and letting them do alot of the marketing (word of mouth) for you. Thats basically the way it started for G4 and with the sounds of the new demos this shits gonna snowball into a full-on rockstar world tour! I saw G4 on the “songs of the free” tour in East Lansing, MI. The show was at the Outer Limits/Bus Stop lounge. Basically it was a kind of disco that I thought at that time was a weird place for G4 to play. I couldn’t believe the energy when G4 started to play. I can’t wait for G4 to tour again. Just leave out the disco crap!
Good luck
November 27th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Hi Dave,
Great blog, very interesting comments and ideas…but one thing seems to be missing from your considerations:
What about sound quality?
I surely can’t be the only Jurassic Park-era audiophile with an absolute loathing of the crappy sound of MP3. Call me a dinosaur if you will, but I far prefer the sound of CD to its inferior digital counterparts. In fact, that was one of the main reasons I picked up five of the double-CD “Return the Gift” albums when they came out in 2005, so I could gift my friends with some superior audio quality. I realize that digital distro is a LOT more profitable for the artists, who don’t have to deal with the manufacture and transport of physical product; however, I’d hope that, ultimately, a limited physical release would be considered for those few people these days who actually give a hoot about sensational sonics….
November 29th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
[...] Ok, song demo number 3 - American Man is the working title. In case you missed the update I’m posting MP3s of rough (at times very rough like this one!) ‘work-in-progress’ demos of new songs that we, Gang of Four, are currently working on. The full story is linked to here. We are hoping to release four new songs as a digital EP in Spring 08. Another demo of a song called Password can be found here. And a demo of a song called Second Life can be found here. Song number four will be posted later this week. [...]
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:37 pm
[...] Well here it comes: according to bassist Dave Allen, there’s a new all-digital Gang of Four album in the works. If I had to point the finger at just one, I’d say that Gang of Four’s first release Entertainment! is possibly my favourite album ever, and the follow-ups Solid Gold and companion EP Another Day, Another Dollar are also fantastic. Then they lost their rhythm section and everything went a bit wrong until 1995’s Shrinkwrapped. [...]
December 8th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
While it is very interesting to see what Radiohead is doing, I have also been impressed with Wire’s recent output on their own record label (Pink Flag) distributed through PostEverthing. Their most recent output, Read and Burn 3, has only four songs and was reasonably priced. There are MP3 versions available as well as an optional CD format. With Graham Lewis living in Sweden, Colin Newman also spoke of working remotely to collaborate on the songs and went Pro Tools for the final product. I would also encourage you Dave to consider your audience. Is it 20 year olds who get their music one ditty at a time via iTunes, 30-40 year olds who have familiarity with traditional formats, or some mix in between? While I sometimes buy digital music (primarily for the immediacy), I prefer CDs because when I used to buy albums I was buying an experience. It is a much different experience downloading a song. With albums, and less so with CDs, I would pour over everything that the artist delivered: the music, the artwork, the liner notes, the lyrics. Yes, I wanted to be entertained, but I was also interested in the artist’s overall POV. A PDF of liner notes just doesn’t really cut it. It almost feels like the music industry (in a way) has come full circle to the 1950s, when singles were king.
December 9th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Harold,
You make a good point re the younger crowd buying the single online, but if Apple is to be believed it would seem all demographics are buying tracks in ones and twos and not full albums, hence their campaign “You bought some tracks, now buy the album without paying for those tracks again…” I believe there is a mix of folks who want to be able to get music in as many formats as possible - MP3, vinyl and CD. I’m not suggesting that Gang of Four would avoid any format, it’s just my opinion that the CD was a mistake in the first place that set up the recording industry to lose control of the ones and zeros. Now we have a chance to test out what the new paradigm might be. Remember, the buggy whip manufacturers tried to stop the onslaught of the motor car by having Congress pass a law that required a person to walk in front of the vehicle ringing a bell as a warning to the public. We all have a deep and emotional connection to music and one way or the other we find a way to get access to it; that doesn’t mean it should be delivered in an album-length format or as a single for that matter, it’s how the recipient wants to receive it that’s important. What I’m really saying is that we can’t please everyone….
August 13th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
[...] This was exactly the way I wanted to release new Gang of Four material. Of Montreal’s new album ‘Skeletal Lamping’ will be released on CD of course and [...]