Cartel

Originally cartels were a group of people devoted to a common end usually delivering products that we can’t be without oil, drugs etc. The band, Cartel claims to be able to create music we can’t live without. Note, I don’t know if they have made that specific claim, but I believe it is implied in their name.

If you haven’t heard by now, Cartel in conjunction with MTV and DR Pepper ( I’m not sure which has less to do with music) is entering a bubble under the Brooklyn Bridge and sealing themselves off from the rest of the world to compose an album. You can read about it here: USA TODAY Cartel Bursts Marketing Bubble

Part of me thinks this is a great idea, and part doesn’t. Here are the reasons why it is a good idea. First its exposure on MTV, which despite the fact it doesn’t play music videos anymore still has the potential to create stars, at least for a little while. The Ashley Simpson show is a prime example. Second it put some music on MTV, that is always a good thing. Someone needs to make MTV change its name now that it no longer shows music. Would CNN still be allowed to call itself the central news network if all it showed was reality TV.

The reasons it is a bad idea are pretty simple. David Blaine. If recent history has taught us anything it is that people are made fun of for sitting in a bubble. It is just such an easy target. It is the proverbial glass house, and Cartel can expect stones to be thrown. Stones are actually something Cartel should wish for since the much more likely projectiles involve bodily fluid. Secondly watching people record and write music is pretty boring. MTV can still make a career, but it takes a lead up and getting to know the personalities involved, Good Charlotte is one example. With the live approach that this act is taking it does not allow creative editing focused on conflict and drama. If viewers aren’t attached to the characters (the band) then no one is going to care, and when they emerge from the bubble to play their new album. It won’t matter. Lastly, this all hinges on them writing a great album. The last time I checked inspiration can’t be forced. If I were a betting man, and I am, I would bet that the album is going to end up being pretty mediocre as they rush to finish it in time for the deadline. I give the band props for betting on themselves, but I hope they have a really good album all set to go, and are just fine tuning it in the bubble, if not then they are really taking a risk here.

Now that my thoughts on the stunt are off my chest, I can get to the real reason I wanted to write about Cartel. This Quote from Lead singer Will Pugh’s open rant to Bob Lefsetz. “We don’t listen to our A&R he just got fired anyway”

This quote made me really angry. First off Cartel’s A&R is Peter Malkin, who was a very successful manager before taking the Epic job and someone who is very knowledgeable about music and the music industry. From what I heard he was willing to stay on and help the launch of Cartel’s record despite being laid off (which is a big difference from fired). And for this, the band just calls him out completely unnecessarily. He later recants and apologizes “for throwing his A&R under the bus,” “And says that he is involved in the creative process” but the damage was already done.

This begs a larger question, what is the relationship between A&R execs and the bands they sign?

I had one prominent music attorney tell me several years ago, when I told him that my dream was to be in A&R, that I should do management instead. He said that bands laugh at their A&R whenever he leaves the room, usually to pick up a tab. This is mainly because at the end of the day the A&R is beholden to the record company. They sign his or her checks. Artists traditionally don’t like record companies. It is always been an uneasy partnership.

This needs to change. Everyone is talking about record companies being involved in more and alternate revenue streams, and becoming more of a management company, even Warner is apparently looking to buy a management company. If there isn’t a mutual respect between the artist and the label though, then this strategy will never succeed. Artist need to think of their labels as partners in their success, and conversely labels need to truly develop their relationship with artist beyond a monetary one.

This is the first step down the road to recovery for the music industry.