Who Are You Working With?

There was a time that railroad had a monopoly on transcontinental travel and shipping in the U.S. For over a century the rail industry made big, big money for railroad tycoons like Cornelius Vanderbilt, John Hopkins and Leland Stanford. But it wouldn’t last forever.

Railroad ridership peaked during World War II, as troops and supplies are moved toward the coasts to fight in the European and Pacific theaters. After the war, though, increased automobile and plane travel led to a decline in rail travel.

By the 1950s and 60s the interstate highway system, modern trucking and the first jetliners took a huge bite out of railroad ridership. As the industry took a dive, they adapted with mergers and consolidations.

Musician Mergers

Most industries respond with mergers and consolidations when times get tough. Take, for instance, the recent merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines. Or the merger of Washington Mutual Bank with Chase Manhattan when the recession hit.

We’ve seen it in our own business as boutique record labels were swallowed up into The Big Four (…and sometimes dissolved entirely…). When times get tough, businesses consolidate. For better or worse, there is strength in numbers.

I was watching TV today and I saw two commercials in succession. The first was for Earth, Wind and Fire & Chicago (who have merged) and the second was for Carole King and James Taylor (who have consolidated). These mega-groups are opening for each other, they are combining their concerts into one concert.

This isn’t anything new (I should note that Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago have been doing this for awhile now). I’m sure you can think of a million examples of all-star bands and mega-star collaborations.

Good Business

It’s good business to combine expenses and resources. It doesn’t have to be mega stars and railroads that combine for more strength – everyday working musicians can do it too. Think of all the different ways you could work with similar acts in your area.

Here’s an interesting project in NYC, NewMusicalTheatre.com. This is a sheet music website that features the music of new, contemporary musical theatre composers. What a great idea.

You could start something like this too – maybe a joint website of all the bands in your area similar to yours. Your scene will be a lot stronger if you cross-pollinate your fanbase. I remember growing up outside Chicago in the 1990s and listening to endless punk and punk-ska albums from local bands. There were so many! They all had the same fan base – which at the time was everybody. The scene was so strong you just couldn’t escape it. Alkaline Trio, The Smoking Popes, Screeching Weasel – these were all bands that grew out of the strength of that scene.

Here’s another example of strength in numbers. Check out the Mayfair Workshop, also out of Chicago. This group has 11 composers in the team. When a business needs music or a jingle, they come to the Mayfair Workshop. All 11 composers write something for the jingle, and the client picks the one they like. Most of the money goes to the composer who’s song was picked, but a small percentage goes to everyone. (For a less fun, true crowd-sourcing version of this model, see MusikPitch.com).

This is a tough business, and always will be. It’s a great idea to find people to merge, consolidate and collaborate with. Who are you working with?