Angela Barkan isn’t your usual uptight marketing manager of a music label. Quite different from the usual corporate head honchos, Barkan, senior director of marketing and publicity at Sony Music Entertainment, prefers settling down with a Diet Coke before initiating a conversation. What strikes one in the first few minutes is her curiosity to know and learn about the music scene from this correspondent. Having been in the field of marketing music and making it available to the audience, Barkan says promoting music is an entirely different ball game.
Technology and social networking sites have changed the way we listen to music and make it, as well, she says. Every youngster who is socially connected online makes a difference. “Millennials, as Generation Y is known, contribute most to the marketing and distributing of any kind of music. I think it’s the perfect time to be talking about such things, since one can access any music anywhere. I found out through my research that 60 per cent of the population in India is under 30 years old and that makes it a powerful group,” says Barkan, who spoke extensively about the two way communication between the youth and musicians at the MTV Youth Marketing Forum.
“India is the second largest user of Facebook and we keep sharing our music through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all the time. Moreover, what makes all these platforms trustworthy is that we take our friends’ advice seriously and hearing from someone who is on the move immediately about an exciting form of music is all the more interesting,” she says.
Culturally and musically rich, India has always had takers for its music worldwide. But the percentage of people taking it to the outside world has just gotten bigger and wider. “Right now, music in India is going through an exciting phase. Many digital services are cropping up and people are digitally savvy, thus making the most of these services. Also, due to the fact that there are so many platforms available to showcase your music, you don’t have to thrive on Bollywood or film music to make your mark. All you need is your talent,” says Barkan.
Given that there are so many digital music services, and most websites offer music for free, it’s no secret that piracy is rampant in the industry. “There are over 400 digital streaming services which cater to illegal downloads, even though the industry has so many new apps that can be used to legally download music. I believe there are and need to be situations where musicians would give away their music for free, or at least a part of it. To distribute music for free works in today’s day and age, given the larger scheme of things,” she says.
With piracy and many similar issues plaguing the music industry, one often wonders about the future of music. “The answer is going digital and reaching out to your fans in the best possible manner. Today, 86 per cent of the youth watch videos online, there are over three billion YouTube views a day, so the dynamics of spreading music in the literal sense is changing,” feels Barkan.
She points out a couple of examples as well. “Garbage was a band who creatively and smartly hit the right note by showcasing artwork by their fans in their video. Another favourite is Kelly Clarkson, who capitalised on the emotional quotient of her fans very well. For her video Stronger, she sent the dance routine to her fans and asked them to learn it. The fans sent in hundreds of audition tapes and Kelly included them on her Facebook page and used clips in her video. She made them feel invested in her venture, which encourages them in return to share it with people who would not have been her fans. Consumption, ownership and access can co-exist, as there is room for everyone,” says Barkan.
The relationship between a record label and an artiste has undergone several changes over the years. Barkan says record labels are like catalysts who support musicians in every possible manner. “By the virtue of the fact that music industry has changed, I think the relationship between labels and musicians has redefined itself. There are a lot of things artistes are able to do on their own nowadays. Labels bring in more structure and organisation. They understand the value of the band and music. Labels give people music worth their money. They tailor-package it to the fans that includes more than music, like memorabilia, concert tickets, et al. Band and labels have to be creative and give fans what they want to buy,” Barkan says.
In today’s world, where YouTube sensations strike an instant chord with people online, what role does a record label have at all? “Record labels are now working more closely with other platforms. Sony works closely with YouTube. To cite an example, there are two guys from Croatia, essentially cello players, who put up a video of them playing to a Michael Jackson track through a cello. They received over a million hits in a week and Sir Elton John had invited them on a tour. Sony too called them to record a label. So basically, there has to be talent and just a little more. Labels turn a YouTube sensation into a career artiste,” says Barkan.