Apr 03 2007
amy winehouse

Amy Winehouse and What’s Wrong With the Music Business

Anyone remotely familiar with basketball knows Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. The man who cashed in during the dotcom bubblicious days to the tune of billions hasn’t lost his love for the internet. On his website Blogmaverick.com he pontificates on all things net and entertainment related.

This past Sunday he wrote about what the music business could do to pump up their sagging sales.

“If the music industry is going to rebound, rather than trying to find ways to sell more CDs, they have to either find a reason for people to start buying CD players again, and I cant think of a single reason why anyone would.. there has to be a technological advance that creates a new experience with music.”

That’s nice talk around the entrepreneurial roundtable, from the street level it’s a much clearer view.

The music industry - hip-hop included - is in a state where 500k is the new platinum, because they think you’re stupid, and the people calling the shots have no balls.

They take no chances on anything on the borders of the menu. Burgers and fries, chips and soda. Keep it familiar.

Problem is when it’s time to promote an artist as fresh and new, it’s displayed with the same stale wrapping. As a consumer, we say, “looks like a burger to me” and leave it on the counter with the rest of the burgers.

We eat them, but why rush out to buy another burger?

Most people aren’t looking to change their lunchtime favorites but if you have the best spinach and chicken salad on the block. Promote it as that. Don’t stuff it on bun and call it Chicken Cluck Cluck.

Here’s something more specific.

Amy Winehouse released one of the best CDs this year.

But you won’t hear her music pounding in any clubs or have 106 and Park or TRL teen fans in a frenzy.

She’s not a hook and chorus, hip and pop artist.

Don’t take it from me. Here’s a snippet from a review of her last album.. the description is still relevant.

“[Amy’s] style is not for the candlelit basement. It’s out there living in the real world of Gucci bags, Diesel underwear, high heels, breast implants, weed after school, cheating airhead honeys and runaway crushes.. Amy is able to deliver “technically faultless” jazz vocals, and then she knocks the shit out of a bluesy soul track. The paradox has to be heard to be believed!!! ”

“This is not some white girl from London singing what she read in a book.. this is a street savvy, jazz, hip-hop, street poet with edge and soul.”

With all that jazz and soul.. and paradox.. what does the record company do? They sandwich Ghostface on “ You Know I’m No Good” chorus-rap-chorus style and use that to promote her to the “urban” community.

Heard it all before. Heard it yesterday. And you’ll hear it today.. if you listen to the radio at all.

Ghostface is one of my favorite rappers, but he didn’t need to be on the song. A song that’s nothing but ‘bonus song’ status on her CD.

The song of Amy’s that had me paying cash for the CD was “Rehab”


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Why skirt the edges and give the ‘urban’ people what they’re used to?

Because that’s too complex.

Along with the song “Addiction” that was dropped from the US version of her album.

It’s like the BET producer that rumoredly said De La Soul was too “intelligent” for their airwaves.

The music industry is lacking because they think you’re stupid.

Not dead. Just burgers and fries. Chips and soda.

You can eat that for the rest of your life, Fast Food Nation has that end result.


☼ What's Your Opinion? ☼

1 a-nat Tue, Apr 03, 2007 - 9:30 pm

wow!!!!

lemme tell you that this article is soooo on point, i’m bout to post it on my myspace (with your permission of course).

i too love “Rehab” but for some reason i just can’t seem to jump on the Amy Winehouse bandwagon. Just like I can’t jump on the Robin Thicke, Corrine Bailey Rae, and any other new-uber-soul bandwagons. It’s like you finally get some fresh air artists and then a record label cuts off the air supply so quickly we never get a chance to take it in. I was feelin Regina Spektor before she got the big-budget video playin on VH1. Still don’t understand why Robin Thicke is king, when Van Hunt was doin “Marvin Gaye” better than anyone else in the game.

I still dream of being the ultimate head of the music industry one day and just putting everything on pause, cleaning house, and then going back to the days of their being only a handful of artists making and releasing quality music so that way…us CD buying consumers would have a reason to dust off our CD players and giving our ipods a rest.

P.S. BET…i still have no words for them after they got dudes youtube/myspace videos shut down only cuz he decided to speak the truth…

2 Rafi Tue, Apr 03, 2007 - 9:41 pm

For the BET thing - it was Little Brother, not De La Soul.

Though De La undoubtedly faced similar shit from a music industry (and yes many dumb fans) that didn’t know what to do with them.

3 This was the truth Chris Wed, Apr 04, 2007 - 2:25 am

I heard “Frank” once from Amy Winehouse’s last album on the radio (late night show here in TO), and NEEDED to get the CD. THis was before the new one was released…then buzz started to sprout and I was like “a-nat”..I didn’t want to get on the bandwagon..her 2 shows here in Toronto sold out last month and they aren’t until May! I gave in and bought “Back to Black” on the weekend and it is getting RINSED!!!! I play it in the car..I take it out and play it at home…it is so muther effing refreshing! “Me and Mr. Jones” I have to listen to like 6 times before the next song. It’s not about being on a bandwagon—its about real, genuinely good music. The bandwagon would be “chicken noodle soup” and songs like that. I’m a grown woman and need grown music—I’ve come to figure that if its not on the radio, it has to be good (I haven’t heard “Frank” again) and that is what I will spend my money on—and that is a shame. Its like when you had to seek out underground hip hop to find the gems; now its just underground music in general.

4 khk h Wed, Apr 04, 2007 - 2:27 am

Corrine Bailey Rae I can’t get with either—I find her boring.

5 Chris G. Wed, Apr 04, 2007 - 3:17 pm

a-nat go on and do that, just link back to the article, helps in the Google eco-system.

Rafi, correction noted. It’ll be interesting to see how Lupe’s next album is handled.

this was the truth - I’m starting to enjoy that you can dig for undiscovered, under appreciated gems, even on majors.

That’s a component of hip-hop, having that white-labeled, black taped joint that isn’t in every DJ’s crate… I mean ipod

6 Morgana Thu, Apr 05, 2007 - 2:56 pm

I was the same way, I didn’t want to jump on the Amy Winehouse bandwagon. But then I heard “You Know I’m No Good”, and there is no denying that she is very talented. I love “Rehab”. Who is creative enough to write about having a drinking problem?? I’m definitely going to get her album.

7 Buttafly Fri, Apr 06, 2007 - 11:04 pm

I just don’t get Corrine She is soo f**king boring!!! I can’t stand hearing her she’s so frustrating to listen to she sounds like a knock off of that other Girl i like with the long hair singing ” My heart is drenched in wine”

I get Robin Thicke I really like him i never get tired of him he’s just timeless.. I agree with “This is what the truth is Chris”
The band wagon is “Chicken Noodle soup”  “Rock it out” and every other stupid stuuupid song these bamas keep coming out with My kids love that crap but they’re broke.. I have the money and I won’t be buying Shit.
I’d tell them to take that shit right back to the store if they were old enough to buy it..

Back on subject I like the girl i like the realness of the up to no good thing it’s very real i think she’s bringing “Hiphop soul” back on the WAGON we need it..

8 ash-bash Tue, May 15, 2007 - 1:36 am

just hearing a sample of her new album makes me want to physical get the C.D i cant remember the last time i actually bought a C.D. she’s go talented with words.

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