What does "Green" look like for the music industry

I attended an interesting MusicTank event yesterday on whether the music industry can 'afford to go green' https://www.musictank.co.uk/events/sustainability
Fortunately, there were no trees being hugged, and it was a fairly balanced, practical, mostly factual, discussion about what could and should be done to reduce the industry's carbon footprint.

I couldn't help wonder though, whether we were in denial, truly unprepared for the major shock when we realise what it will take to live in a sustainable, low-carbon way, and what this means for music consumption. Gone will be the endless promo flyers (recycled paper or not), and the unnecessary concert merchandise (sustainable supply chain or not), and the 21-date or 50-date arena residencies with half the continent travelling to see the artist. The way I see it, our current trajectory is one of extreme sacrifice and personal behavioural change, unless there are major technological breakthroughs to reduce carbon emissions. Put simply, we need to use and consume less. End of...
And as for waiting for the government to legislate on change, personally I wont be betting the Sussex coast on it. This is just not a vote winner, because too many people do not really want to change, if it impacts their lifestyle significantly, even if they say that they "care about the environment".
Until the full cost of carbon is truly reflected in goods and services, people will still shop til they drop for unnecessary crap, and drive and fly to their hearts content. So, whilst we wait for the carbon markets to kick in (post-recession of course), the onus is on leaders (you and me, as well as the fat cats), entrepreneurs (Branson et al), opinion formers and role models (musicians, celebs and reality TV contestants), and all those who generally know better, to do better, and encourage others to do better.
That's enough preaching for one post, and I need to go take off this itchy, organic, wool shirt

Music to My Ears

When I first decided to take my running up a gear, I went to the nearest sports shop and left with as many bags as a WAG on a post-match celebration shopping spree. For some bizarre reason, this hobby, which you first started because it is meant to be low cost, suddenly means kitting yourself out with the right trainers - cushioned, stability or motion-control, all costing north of £50 of course - the right clothing, and a whole array of accessories that the sales assistant, who is half your age, and probably doesn't run, has persuaded you that you need, but which will in fact languish in your spare room, or under the stairs.

On such a first trip, with my just as eager running pal, I ended up with very expensive socks, a Nike water belt, and some seriously disgusting energy gels, as well as trainers costing over £100. I soon added to this with a collection of caps and beanie hats, gloves, waterproof jacket, warm up jacket, thermal top, base layer, top layer, full tights, short tights, skins (!) etc etc. - I think you get the picture.

You soon figure out that there are various sources that are worth listening to when it comes to recommendations for stuff to make your running easier, faster, more comfortable etc. My bible is generally Runners World mag, but even better is the forum on http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/. This is where you get the absolute truth - good, bad, ugly on all sorts, but most importantly on products and services, to avoid making the classic mistakes I mention above.

Which leads me to my best running purchase to date. Last week I received, in environmentally friendly packaging - bonus - the Sennheiser PMX80 headphones. You see, when I run alone, I need music - radio, playlist, it doesn't matter. And I have been through at least 15 different headphones, which all either fall off/out, sound tinny/too quiet, or barely last 2 weeks without falling apart. These Sennheisers are, without exception, the indisputable, bomb-diggity of running headphones. I purchased them solely on the strength of the forum and Amazon customer rating and comments. Now, this is no new thing - the power of consumer reviews, e-pinionators, wide scale belief in the web as being the truth. But for me, this links to something about the buying patterns and behaviours of those engrossed in their hobbies or interests which I'm guessing must be relevant to the music industry. What makes people repeat buy? Why do people pay above the odds eg. for that perfect piece of kit, music memorabilia, or concert ticket? What drives loyalty, and what is it worth? What is the influence of other consumers - certainly Amazon, last.fm, Spotify, and others jumping on the social-networking-linked-to-product-placement seem to think there must be something in this. It's all rather interesting, but what does it mean for future business models? who wins, who loses...or is there a win-win

What will Spotify do for music?

Wow, either the Spotify marketing team have been doing a lot of schmoozing, or someone very hip, trendy and cutting edge has suddenly declared them as the next best thing. The Sunday Times has dedicated some serious column inches to how Spotfiy might spell the end of ownership (something about clouds), and Sean Adams chips in by recommending Spotify as your music service provider. Hello!!!??? Am I the only person that finds this a bit odd? Unless I am really the technophobic laggard of all of Shropshire and the modern World, I cannot see how I can use Spotify to listen to music in the car, out for a run, or basically without being HOOKED UP TO MY COMPUTER.
Now, I think I'm fairly progressive, as I now use my mobile phone as my only mp3 player (ever since my Creative Zen was stolen from my car!) and I do actually watch programs on demand via my laptop. But... computer, stream, listen, music - i just do not get it one bit.
The Sunday Times pics and Spotify ads showing real people, with headphones on, sitting plugged into their computers is absolutely ridiculous - laughable even.
Here's where I agree with the article - until Spotify goes mobile eg. I can stream it on my mobile phone, and until broadband and wireless connections make streaming seamlessly easy and of the right quality, this will be just another Twitter - totally pointless.
And if anyone thinks this sort of commercial arrangement, in its current form, is going to save the music industry's butt, think again. Just look at the market for illegal TV and movie downloads. Digital accessibility has opened up new markets and uses for music. Unfortunately, like 7 yr old school boys playing football, everyone is rushing after the ball, all going in the same direction, until the ball is kicked somewhere else. At the moment, that direction is big digital music libraries, as the industry tries to tap into revenues from the 'digital generation' and illegal file sharers, thus ignoring the oldies, technologically speaking, like me, who will pay good money for more than just an mp3 file. Or do I just need to get with the program and give Spotify their dues?

The Circle of Life

Actually, I'm thinking more the circle of business life. Specifically, start up(birth), growth (teen struggles), maturity (mid-life crisis leading to old age), and finally death. Isn't this what happens to all businesses? - eventually...

Only, those of us working in Strategy, or positions of leadership, are paid to keep the business alive - rejuvenated to cope with the world changing around us, or to keep up with the market innovator who has now changed the rules of engagement.

But should we invest so much time and energy in trying to keep dying businesses alive, or should we allow them to grow old gracefully, pop their clogs and then nurture the daisies that grow in their wake.
From what I can see, Strategists and Consultants spend most of their time trying (and failing) to convince businesses, who don't want to change their way of doing things, that they need to change in order to survive. Remember Sir John Harvey-Jones, Troubleshooter?? How many of those businesses took JHJ's advice - very few. And how many are still around? - I suspect very few, and I don't think it's all the recession's fault!

I was somewhat surprised when I attended a music industry event last year to hear what sounded like an awful lot of 'stuck in a rut' views and opinions on how to deal with the changing face of technology, records, file-sharing, illegal downloads etc... Apart from the subject matter, it was just like listening to the sorts of conversations I hear everyday in the energy (utilities) industry - the majority stuck in some time warp, with a few frustrated forward-thinkers trying to persuade the many of their impending doom. There seems to be a common inability to look at the world from a different perspective, as an outsider or new entrant would, seeing through the obstacles that will inevitably cause paralysis for some, and opportunity for others.

In reality, it seems that only when there is enough impetus from the top will things actually change. I guess the textbooks would call it visionary leadership. Perhaps this is what Leoni Sceti is bringing to EMI with talk of a new business model, new ways of connecting with audiences. Let's wait and see. Do record companies (majors in particular) really know what consumers want, or are we simply waiting for them to kick the bucket and make way for the next generation in music distribution...

Music to Run to...

I have a few loves in life, aside from family of course. The first is music, and sound, the second is running (actually the second is probably shopping - shoes, bags, coats etc. - except I'm on a recession-busting shopping fast this year).

Anyway, I have been looking for music to run to for years and years - particularly in 2007 when I was training for the New York marathon. I don't mean any old speedy track, or something that just makes you feel like running, I mean pace music - music to run to the beat of.

If you're anything like me you'll know just how difficult it is to find either decent playlists, or the bpms to stuff you own or download. I have spent literally hours searching various free databases and downloads to compile my playlist of 'music to run to', and I now have about 5 hours worth. So, in the spirit of togetherness and collective enjoyment I thought I'd share it with you, in the hope that you would also share yours with me as my collection is now getting a bit stale.

Now, I realise that the list may be a little hip hop/RnB heavy (look out for clean versions or radio edits if you are of a sensitive disposition), but this does tend to be at just about the right bpm to run to. In fact, the first track that got me into wanting to compile such a list was Lose Yourself by Eminem. Perfect, and great lyrics to motivate you on those dark mornings - think Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

So, here's my list - hopefully you can read it by clicking on it, and for you non-RnB fans, there's even some Oasis, and some amazing Pendulum tracks. My recent Pendulum discovery, which I have yet to add, is the awesome Slam. Enjoy