Here's what their business model looks like according to their website:
This struck me as a pretty interesting idea. As I scrolled through the sales pitch, however, it struck me just how strange it really is. Even though Feedbands insists they have a policy of accepting returned records should subscribers not actually enjoy what's been sent to them, there is no way to preview the records and prevent all that hassle. They keep the releases a secret, stating it is to uphold the integrity of the product.
I call bullshit on that. The company itself has a mobile app where songs are streaming and can be voted on. While any band can upload music on the Feedbands site, it's up to Feedbands to decide what music makes "the cut" onto the mobile app. Votes for songs on the mobile app help determine which record gets pressed each month. This makes sense from a fiscal point of view; focus-group testing the music you are about to release is a good way of ensuring subscribers will not return the records, and thereby making more money. Y'know for the bands, since it's all about the music. Music that "rocks" and is "killer" and "smashing".
So I downloaded the app and I started streaming songs. None of the music was inherently bad. It all seemed pretty well put together and unobtrusive. As I explored the options available to me I was exposed to rap, folk, funk, synth-pop, and some more folk. All of it sounded fine, but none of it left much of an impression on me. These are just people trying to get their music heard by new ears, people who might like a paycheque out of it too. It struck me pretty quickly, though, that I WOULD NEVER WILLINGLY BUY $20 RECORDS FROM ANY OF THESE ARTISTS.
That might make me a snob. I buy plenty of music, though, and I regret buying quite a bit of it. All of it means something to me at some point, and that's really where my passion for music comes from. I connect to music on a personal level, associate it with memories and experiences and other people. I can't just listen to something out of the blue, immediately connect to it, and want to buy 40 minutes of it. I need a bit of context.
I started to think a bit about Feedbands system of curation:
1) The music on the app is curated before it's available to stream. Feedbands listens to songs and chooses which bands make "the cut" based on... well they say it's how much the music "rocks". I listened to a bunch of stuff and none of it remotely rocked based on my personal definition of the word. None of it was rock. You would have to be extremely naive not to know the real way music makes "the cut": it has to be sellable. Anything too weird, in ANY way, is going to polarize people. Polarizing music, while often actually good, doesn't always sell well.
2) People vote on streaming songs to help determine who gets their record made. There's a giant problem with that: people are mostly pretty stupid. You're either going to be faced with records that while sellable are pretty generic, or are by bands who harnessed the power of social media to garner votes. The Feedbands site only says the votes "help" them decide who gets their record pressed each month, so it's possible this step is also subject to the curation of a shadow jury of people who like "killer" music.
3) Feedbands selects one band a month to get a record made, but keeps it a secret. This is a great way to keep people from questioning the integrity of their curation process. And even though the band in question might be getting "fed" from the sale of their record, they receive no promotion whatsoever. They are just providing the product so Feedbands can profit off of it.
Therein lies my true problem with this entire thing. Sure, bands are making money; sure, people are hearing new music they wouldn't have otherwise have heard; sure, there's a bit of a community that can build up from this limited group of special people who get limited edition records in the mail; these are all good things. But Feedbands, a company that purports itself to be "music without the label" are, for all intents and purposes A RECORD LABEL. They select music to release that they think will sell, and try to do just that. They control the means of production for their artists, they hold the pursestrings, they take a cut (presumably). They are the exact thing they are fighting against in this YouTube video. They don't have to do any of the legwork, though, because bands will come to them and fans will pick the winners. It's a lot like those online contests where you think you're trying to win a sweet prize and a bunch of money from a company like Doritos, but really you're making a Doritos ad that Doritos doesn't have to pay you anything for.
I would argue that we don't need music curation these days. The beauty of the Internet lies in it's ability to connect people to the things they want, and to help them curate their own reality. Who are the folks at Feedbands to say what music "rocks" when I have a perfectly apt "rock"-o-meter that has been working great for years? I don't think I'm going to subscribe to this.
This isn't all to say that I think Feedbands is evil, or anything. I just think it's a completely unnecessary cash grab, and I don't have a lot of cash to spare. And besides, how could I trust my record subscription to people who don't even know how to hold one properly?
Harsh, considering that there is a Feedband advertisement directly next to this blog post! I agree that Feedband sounds like a bit of a scam, and I also agree that the woman in the picture doesn't know how to hold a record. For a company so committed to vinyl, she sure does have grubby paws! She's also very tiny, making the 12" record seems enormous.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that I hardly need Feedband to "curate" selections for me, I don't agree that the internet's ability to connect people to "the things they want" means that curation is no longer of value. The ability to open a browser doesn't give people any unique ability to discern quality music, or literature, or art... curators, anthologists, critics and DJs are still of value. In my most humble of opinions.
Thanks for your post. I am trying to hear stories of people who have dealt with Feedbands first hand, as I find their website annoying cute and lacking too much information.
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear from more musicians who have dealt with FB themselves and whether they thought it was worth it. I'm an independent electronic/pop and cannot afford to press my own vinyl. After writing FB a few times, I found out that the artist gets a sizable amount of vinyl (250 copies!) for themselves, too. This is a good thing. What I'm not fond of is that the music they stream stays on their app forever so anyone can find it or listen to it anytime, which kind of nixes the point of trying to sell it digitally. But getting all that vinyl pressed free of cost and available to subscribers still sounds like a great deal.
Any artists out there care to comment? How much competition can I expect? What were your experiences dealing with them?
Their customer support were quick and helpful in their response but a bit too eager to get me to send my music to be curated.
im a subscriber, and let me tell you, it is worth the 19.00 a month! I've enjoyed all the albums they've sent to me. It's cool that they release unsigned bands, and the bands get to keep the rights to their recordings. Plus, every month I get to discover a new band that I probably would not have otherwise, I'm adding to my vinyl collection every month, I'm helping support unsigned bands, and each release is limited edition (the pressings are of the highest quality.) Basically its a musical co-op, and you can vote on what you like and what you don't. Might not be for everyone, but I am highly satisfied with the service and the music. ROCK AND ROLL!
ReplyDeleteI was a subscriber from the beginning until today (13 releases). Only 3 releases were kinda worth it. As much as I love the idea of getting a record in the mail each month, I'm taking my money elsewhere (like, err, the record store). They need to curate the label way better. I haven't received anything that "rocks" or is "killer", only bland and generic indie/hip stuff by kids who struggle to play an instrument. Oh and most mixes are horrible.
ReplyDeleteI like my labels to be dictatorships, curated by music lovers / nerds, not democracies based around voting and social media.