03/14/2025 /
Admin / Comments Off on Guiding Musical Conversation through Structured Improvisation
(For my students in 2025 Composing for Improvisers class at Bennington College)
March 14, 2025 Kyoko Kitamura
In this class, we approach Structured improvisation as one of many ways to create an environment where participants can engage in a musical conversation using a shared set of building blocks. (Many words can be used in place of “building blocks”, e.g., parameters, conditions, rules, etc.). The building blocks can help shape the improvisation, much like the framework of a language or the topic of a discussion. While there are infinite possibilities, some of the most common building blocks include:
Melodic idea
Chord changes
Time signature
Rhythmic feel (e.g., swing)
Tempo
Rhythmic figures
Pitch
Timbre (e.g., “guttural”)
Time duration (e.g., stopwatch music, durational music)
Other sound sources (e.g., rocks, books)
Volume
Speed changes
Text (e.g., setting a poem to music)
Key words
Agreed upon conduction signals
They provide both support and contrast, ensuring that improvisation has direction while leaving room for spontaneity. If participants have played together before, they may instinctively understand certain shared musical ideas, but establishing these building blocks will pretty much ensure that the musical conversation will develop meaningfully, even with participants who are new to the ensemble.
It will also often provide an ending. A well-shaped ending can elevate an entire piece, yet it often receives less attention than the beginning or the middle during the composing process. By understanding the importance and the role of the future ending, we can sometimes be more in the present.
By intentionally shaping these parameters, we harness the strengths of the group. While there may be a main composer guiding the structure, every participant is also an improviser-composer, contributing in real time. We introduce elements of unpredictability through individual decision-making (those dopamine hits that keep us engaged!) and the work gains the potential to become much greater than the sum of its parts.
Through this process, the ensemble builds its own vocabulary, expanding its range of shared building blocks and deepening its musical connection. For some, this will be an entirely oral and aural experience; for others, written notation will play a role. Many working musicians today will engage with a combination of both.
Ideally, we want to surround ourselves with musicians who are interested in exploring this music together—and then just keep playing. Practice, play, repeat. You can experiment with the range of building blocks, from none (free improv) to fully-notated material. More than the final product, it is the process itself—the act of creating, listening, and responding in real time—that defines this music.
Writing can play a crucial role in this process, offering a way to revisit, refine, and solidify musical ideas, allowing us to track our progress and communicate ideas with others. Writing can travel over time and geographical distance; however, this can also introduce challenges, as written material tends to take on a life of its own and can be misinterpreted. Therefore, an oral component is essential. The strongest musical bond, in this type of music, is the connection formed by those playing in the same room.
This is communal music with its own deep histories. Even when solo music emerges from this practice, it remains deeply rooted in the communal experience. My own trajectory is via Black music, having been mentored by many great Black musicians, along with my background in European classical music and my Japanese heritage. It will be different for every one of us, allowing us to develop our own individual sound. Think of structured improvisation as the sweet spot between preparation and spontaneity, built on a foundation of personal and communal history, allowing for creative freedom within meaningful interaction with other great players. Above all, strive to make each other sound great and enjoy the process.
02/05/2025 /
Admin / Comments Off on Spotify’s cost of revenue trend
A new era has arrived, one in which Spotify becomes profitable. I pulled numbers from Spotify’s annual reports going back 10 years and one thing stood out yet again: the falling % of cost of revenue to revenue.
Cost of revenue (COR) for Spotify “consists predominantly of royalty and distribution costs related to content streaming.”1 COR typically scales with revenue, so it’s worth looking at why the % may have dropped.
The top table shows available figures for annual revenue and annual COR, with breakouts for Premium and Ad-supported. Most of the revenue from the ad-supported tier went back out as COR, often over 90% and once even topping 100%. Premium tier’s % of COR to revenue has been dropping slowly, but until FY2024 was still hovering above 70.
However, things look very different when we look at FY 2024 quarterly numbers (table below).
In FY2024, COR/R for both Premium and Ad-supported were lower. Premium had already fallen below 70%, with a large drop in Q3. Ad-supported had an even larger drop. 2024 Q4 Shareholder deck showed that, for the first time in 10 years, the total annual COR to revenue, with Premium and Ad-supported combined, fell below 70%.
What happened in 2024 and would these developments already have affected the numbers for FY2024?
The Bundle
In March 2024, “bundling” came into effect, allowing Spotify to pay a discounted royalty rate to rights holders. In the U.S., there is currently no music-only tier for new users; it’s either ad-supported or bundled with audiobooks. Billboard wrote in May 2024, “By adding audiobooks into Spotify’s premium tier, the streaming service now claims it qualifies to pay a discounted “bundle” rate to songwriters for premium streams…To determine how great this loss in royalty value would be for the music business, Billboard calculated that songwriters and publishers will earn an estimated $150 million less in U.S. mechanical royalties from premium, duo and family plans for the first 12 months that this is in effect, compared to what they would have earned if these three subscriptions were never bundled. Notably, this change will not impact Spotify’s premium, duo or family pay outs for the first two months of 2024. Bundling kicks in starting in March, so this number refers to losses for the first 12 months after premium, family and duo is qualified as a bundle, not the calendar year of 2024.”2
MLC (Mechanical License Collective) filed a lawsuit in May 2024, which they lost this month. “Although the MLC claimed that Spotify had “unilaterally and unlawfully” cut its music-royalty payments via the bundle, a federal judge ruled that its move was supported by “unambiguous” regulations.”3
Then, a week ago, it was announced that UMG and Spotify has a new agreement. Music Business Worldwide reported the following:
“Our sources maintain that, in terms of royalty sums paid by Spotify to UMPG, the effect of the bundle-related discount over the past year will effectively be nullified going forward, and payouts to UMPG and its songwriters will rise;
However, within the private UMPG and Spotify agreement, there remains a value differentiation between a music-plus-audiobooks user vs. a music-only user.”4
And now, it seems that Warner too has joined the privileged circle.5
1000 Plays Threshold
In April 2024, Spotify stopped paying tracks which did not meet the 1000 threshold, i.e., “tracks must have reached at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months in order to generate recorded royalties.”6
Spotify Reaches Profitability
If the COR/R had stayed at around 74.4%, the annual COR would have been around 11661 million €, a difference of roughly 712 million €. Would the discounted royalty rates for “bundling” and 1000 plays threshold show up already in numbers, both implemented in early 2024? Too soon? In any case, by simultaneously raising subscription prices and aggressively cutting costs, including cutting its headcount by 20.4% from 9,123 employees at the end of 2023 to 7,261 over the course of the year7, Spotify finally attained its first full year of profitability since launching in 2008. At this point, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a leading tech company could keep losing money for 15 years. Nor that, with money and power, a label can cut an advantageous deal with Spotify. But where does that leave the independent artists who may not have that kind of negotiating power?
“Our royalty payment scheme is complex, and it is difficult to estimate the amount payable under our license agreements or relevant statutes. (p.15)
…Cost of revenue consists predominantly of royalty and distribution costs related to content streaming. We incur royalty costs, which we pay to certain record labels, music publishers, and other rights holders, for the right to stream content to our users. Music royalties are typically calculated monthly based on the combination of a number of different variables. Generally, Premium Service royalties are based on the greater of a percentage of revenue and a per user amount. Royalties for the Ad-Supported Service are typically a percentage of relevant revenue, although certain agreements are based on the greater of a percentage of relevant revenue and an amount for each time a track is streamed. We have negotiated lower per user amounts for our lower priced subscription plans such as our Family Plan, Duo Plan, and Student Plan. In our agreements with certain record labels, the percentage of revenue used in the calculation of royalties is generally dependent upon certain targets being met. The targets can include such measures as the number of Premium Subscribers, the ratio of Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers, and/or the rates of Premium Subscriber churn. In addition, royalty rates vary by country. Some of our royalty agreements require that royalty costs be paid in advance or are subject to minimum guaranteed amounts. For the majority of royalty agreements, incremental costs incurred due to unrecouped advances and minimum guarantees have not been significant to date. We also have certain so-called most favored nation royalty agreements, which require us to record additional costs if certain material contract terms are not as favorable as the terms we have agreed to with similar licensors. Cost of revenue also reflects discounts provided by certain rights holders in return for promotional activities in connection with marketplace programs. Additionally, it includes the costs of discounted trials. Royalties payable in relation to audiobook licenses are generally consumption-based.
Cost of revenue also includes the cost of podcast content assets (both produced and licensed). Amortization of podcast content assets is recorded over the shorter of the estimated useful economic life or the license period (if relevant) and begins at the release of each episode. We make payments to podcast publishers, whose content we monetize through advertising sales in SPAN, which are also included in cost of revenue.
Cost of revenue also includes credit card and payment processing fees for subscription revenue, advertising serving, advertising measurement, customer service, certain employee compensation and benefits, cloud computing, streaming, facility, and equipment costs.” (p. 44) Konstan, E. & Spotify Technology S.A. (2023). FORM 20-F. In UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Report]. https://s29.q4cdn.com/175625835/files/doc_financials/2023/ar/26aaaf29-7cd9-4a5d-ab1f-b06277f5f2a5.pdf↩︎
12/26/2024 /
Admin / Comments Off on Spotify’s fake artists vs. Endel
The fantastic article on Spotify by writer Liz Pelly in Harper’s Magazine (The Ghosts in the Machine1) felt like an apt summary at the end of the year. I appreciated the nuanced approach, especially since the writer makes efforts to follow and interview current working musicians on the scene, which is so often not the case in many of the other writings I’ve seen on this subject.
If you haven’t followed MBW’s reporting, I highly recommend chronologically reading the above articles to get a sense of how the story developed. I also appreciate that MBW disaggregates the problems and reports separately on Spotify stock price/cash out8, a related but fundamentally different issue. Conflating the two only adds to the muddied landscape, fueling moral outrage about the wealth gap and generating a certain kind of interest, which may not be a bad thing, but ultimately putting the focus on the polarization and bringing us no closer to a solution.
Spotify is hardly the only platform offering functional music playlists. There is one company which offers ONLY that: Endel, the creator of AI-generated music which, according to its 2022 press release, is “a sound wellness company” with an “award-winning patented technology” which supposedly “creates science-backed, functional soundscapes that help people relax, focus, and sleep better.” As evidence of their effectiveness, Endel often cites the 2021 research paper9, which used technology developed by its collaborator Arctop Inc., research funded by both Endel and Arctop, with the support of UMG, Warner and Sony. Endel has partnered with UMG and Warner, and has also released through AWAL which is now a subsidiary of Sony10. As musicologist Ryan Blakeley writes in AMS Musicology Now’s article “Welcome to the Sound Wellness Revolution”: Endel’s AI-Generated Soundscapes and the Commodification of Passive Listening11, an overview of issues surrounding Endel, there are very clear financial incentives to offering functional music. Endel now has its own set of merch too, like the Endel Icon Hat described as “the classic dad hat never goes out of style”.
And here we see the outline: a land grab for the digital functional music space – by platforms, major labels, artists and AI-generated music creators. Currently most visible are the Spotify and “fake” artists, while the work by major labels with their collaborators like Endel remains less conspicuous.
So, what are the real issues here? Is it that the contributing human artists are using “fake” names? What if they don’t want to use their real names? Is it that the public is being duped by fake artists? But artists have always had the tradition of using pen names. Or is it that the human artists have entered into a “work for hire” agreement? That too has always been an option for us artists. Is it that the amount paid to artists is not commensurate with Spotify’s profits? Spotify has never turned an annual profit as of the writing of this post (12/26/2024) although this year may be different. 70%+ of its revenue has been paid back to rights holders. If there is a problem here at all, it would be between the rights holders and the artists.
Yet, there is a fundamental inequality which needs to be addressed. Monopsony and oligopsony have unfortunately become par for the course. Everyone is pursuing a share of their listening time for profit and artists are losing out.
Despite all of the above attracting attention, it’s important to remember that we are actually dealing with a small section of music: digital music which is not performed live. It’s easy to forget that so much music exists outside of this paradigm. If we look back on the history of music, the recent research on why it exists and its possible roles, and how music has been participatory for most of human history, we can perhaps find alternative paths for the next generation musicians who desire to work in both the digital and acoustic world, creating music for sync licensing as well as cultivating spaces where artists and audiences can mingle over live music. There are so many paths.
When working musicians are kept out of the conversation, the picture becomes a version of the simplified binary argument: is Spotify good or bad? The situation is so much more complex than that. We creators are not a monolith. Our relationship to Spotify runs the spectrum, depending on where we are on that particular commercial totem pole. As a former reporter who still has a foot in media, I am always perplexed as to why musicians’ viewpoints are so often left out of the coverage surrounding the music industry. Liz Pelly’s writing was all the more impactful to me because of the lengths the writer went to capture the voices of the creators. I look forward to reading the book.
This will be posted on Bluesky and Mastodon. Happy holidays everyone!
Pelly, L. (2024, December 18). The Ghosts in the Machine. Harper’s Magazine. https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/ ↩︎
Ingham, T., & Ingham, T. (2017b, July 8). Spotify is making its own records… and putting them on playlists. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-is-creating-its-own-recordings-and-putting-them-on-playlists/ ↩︎
Ingham, T., & Ingham, T. (2017d, July 10). Spotify denies it’s playlisting fake artists. So why are all these fake artists on its playlists? Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-denies-its-playlisting-fake-artists-so-why-are-all-these-fake-artists-on-its-playlists/ ↩︎
Ingham, T., & Ingham, T. (2018, August 2). Fake artists still dominate Spotify ‘chill’ playlists. Now Universal is fighting back… with. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/fake-artists-still-dominate-spotifys-chill-playlists-now-real-artists-are-fighting-back-with-apple-music/ ↩︎
Ingham, T., & Ingham, T. (2022, March 28). Remember Spotify’s fake artists? They’re still going strong – and still attracting scandal. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/remember-spotify-fake-artist-theyre-still-going-strong-and-still-attracting-scandal/ ↩︎
Stassen, M., & Stassen, M. (2022, April 6). An MBW reader just blew open the Spotify fake artists story. Here’s what they have to say. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/an-mbw-reader-just-blew-open-the-spotify-fake-artists-story-heres-what-they-have-to-say/ ↩︎
Stassen, M., & Stassen, M. (2024, March 19). This ‘secret’ composer is behind 650 fake artists on Spotify. His music has been streamed 15bn. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/this-secret-composer-is-behind-650-fake-artists-on-spotify-his-music-has-been-streamed-15bn-times-on-the-platform-report/ ↩︎
Ingham, T., & Ingham, T. (2024, November 27). Daniel Ek just cashed out $35.8 million in Spotify shares. But that’s nothing compared to his co- Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/daniel-ek-just-cashed-out-35-cashed-in-384-million/ ↩︎
Haruvi, A., Kopito, R., Brande-Eilat, N., Kalev, S., Kay, E., & Furman, D. (2022). Measuring and modeling the effect of audio on human focus in everyday environments using Brain-Computer interface technology. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2021.760561 ↩︎
“Welcome to the Sound Wellness Revolution”: Endel’s AI-Generated Soundscapes and the Commodification of Passive Listening – Musicology Now. (2024, January 18). https://musicologynow.org/welcome-to-the-sound-wellness-revolution-endels-ai-generated-soundscapes-and-the-commodification-of-passive-listening/ ↩︎
11/01/2024 /
Admin / Comments Off on The Sportification of Politics
[This has been edited on 11/6/2024 to reflect the election results. This post is now a list of links to articles relating to media leading up to the election, continually updated.]
The Republican sweep was decades in the making, and a win for unbridled capitalism. The markets are elated, for now.
What role did the media play, including Roger Ailes and Fox News? Elon Musk who controls the platform X? The cumulative advantage given through media exposure to a particular individual, party or agenda? The Apprentice ran fifteen seasons from 2004 to 2017, a time period which coincided with the rise of social media in the mid-2000s and the prioritization of algorithmic feeds in the mid-2010s, further amplifying polarization. Republicans also took advantage of podcasts in ways Democrats could not.
Media exposure, including information shared on social media, favors the rich and the powerful regardless of party affiliation. Media platforms are for-profit, and their gatekeeping works in tandem with technological advances which also favor the rich and powerful. By keeping our eyes glued to the spectator sports of the presidential election, were we missing something important?
On technology, prosperity and the wealth gap: Power and Progress by Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson (Daron Acemoglu is 2024 Nobel Laureate)
Books:
The Paradox of Democracy Free Speech, Open Media, and Perilous Persuasion. Zac Gershberg and Sean Illing. “Though freedom of speech and media has always been a necessary condition of democracy, that very freedom is also its greatest threat…The Paradox of Democracy captures the deep connection between communication and political culture, from the ancient art of rhetoric and the revolutionary role of newspapers to liberal broadcast media and the toxic misinformation of the digital public sphere.”
The Increasingly United States: How and Why American Political Behavior Nationalized. “Dan Hopkins, associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania… explores how politics in the U.S. have largely become a spectator sport. That is, politics have become more nationalized—issues are more likely to be argued and adjudicated at the national rather than local level. This stands at odds with the historical intent of our framers, who envisioned that political power would favor states and municipalities.” [1]
[1] French, C. (2022, December 11). Democracy from the Sidelines: How U.S. politics became a spectator sport – behavioral scientist. Behavioral Scientist. https://behavioralscientist.org/democracy-from-the-sidelines-how-u-s-politics-became-a-spectator-sport/
How do we find music? Recommendations from friends? Movies? Video games? Algorithm? Music is everywhere. But when 120,000 tracks are being uploaded every day to digital streaming platforms1 and Spotify gives us access to over 100 million tracks,2 the chances of us encountering a piece of music become surprisingly low.
Yet, we find them.
This semester at Bennington College, my class “Musical Taste and Monetization” took another deep dive into music discovery methods. The image above is a page from a project by Ruben Whitaker, recent graduate of Bennington College, who analyzed years of their playlists and made the following observation: “Friend recommendation + Algorithm seems to be a powerful phenomenon of exposure especially if the artist and sub-genre are completely new…I was surprised at the low number of artists and songs I encountered through algorithms, this highlights that peer-to-peer recommendation is strong…”
Ruben continues: “I think a lot of people listen to…music they know personally or locally because it’s more of a personal relationship. I think this aligns with the hypothesis of music being developed for social bonding. This is something to think about in terms of how to build strong musical networks and offer something that AI music or mass-produced popular tracks cannot.”
When I first designed this course back in 2021, I anticipated students to rely heavily on the Spotify algorithm. How wrong I was! Although Spotify is the main platform many use to listen to music, the ways in which students discover music were remarkably diverse and creative, with person-to-person communication and live concerts playing huge roles, that I had to completely rethink and recalibrate all I had thought I knew.
Daniel Ek recently made comments about the cost of creating content, and my class too had previously reached a similar conclusion specifically regarding digital content: anything that can be reproduced digitally ad infinitum with a click of a button skews the traditional supply and demand curve. We discussed what it means to live in a society surrounded by technologies of abundance: “New technologies continue to democratize, decentralize, and disrupt production, offering the possibility that scarcity will be a thing of the past for many industries. We call these technologies of abundance. But our economy and our legal institutions are based on scarcity.” 3
Music is so much more than digital content. Reexamining the non-digital component of music feels especially important right now. Music has been integral in every culture since the dawn of humanity, with many researchers highlighting the relationship between music and social bonding.4 In that spirit, I continue to make music and explore the opportunities of social bonding through music. The next generation already understands this. These students are creating our future. We have so much to learn from them.
[All images by Ruben Whitaker, used with permission. Ruben Whitaker is a Chicago-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and a graduate of Bennington College. During college, Ruben ran a radio show called “Folkloric Geography” which showcased music from around the world. Ruben has several releases under the name “Ruben Jai” including the the album Present for You and the singles Washburn and Neighborhood Planets.]
Stassen, M., & Stassen, M. (2023b, May 24). There are now 120,000 new tracks hitting music streaming services each day. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/there-are-now-120000-new-tracks-hitting-music-streaming-services-each-day/
Konstan, E. & Spotify Technology S.A. (2023). FORM 20-F. In UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Report], P.35, https://s29.q4cdn.com/175625835/files/doc_financials/2023/ar/26aaaf29-7cd9-4a5d-ab1f-b06277f5f2a5.pdf
Desai DR and Lemley MA (2023) Editorial: Scarcity, regulation, and the abundance society. Front. Res. Metr. Anal. 7:1104460. doi: 10.3389/frma.2022.1104460
Mehr, S. A., Krasnow, M. M., Bryant, G. A., & Hagen, E. H. (2021b). Origins of music in credible signaling. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x20000345
“Bridging the Gap” is Kitamura’s new project concept conceived in 2024. Kitamura has always been interested in ways to bring people of diverse backgrounds and generations together, the main reason she has continued to pursue wordless vocal music – because language, while being an important tool to communicate, can also exclude.
Taking this a step further, and building on her experience honing her craft as a sideperson-vocalist under many musical elders, Kitamura expanded her activities to create opportunities to bridge the gap in performance settings. Kitamura recently took on a volunteer consulting role for the multi-generational and diverse Brooklyn Free Spirit Festival (July 12&13 at IBeam Brooklyn) as well as set up gigs for next generation musicians to perform with seasoned veterans at small NYC venues.
The first of these activities will happen on July 2, 2024 at the Downtown Music Gallery, where two Bennington College music students, Julius Boxer-Cooper (fl) and Paige Draiss (dms), will perform with veteran bassist Ken Filiano and Kitamura herself. The second will happen on July 13th, when Julius Boxer-Cooper will demonstrate an excerpt of a work by Anthony Braxton during the workshop segment of the Brooklyn Free Spirit Festival. Kitamura hopes to inject this concept into all of her future activities.
09/07/2023 /
Admin / Comments Off on Lost recordings and artists’ rights
Every so often, I hear about a label on our scene which would disappear, along with all the physical recordings. Horror stories abound, of label owners destroying CDs and LPs. Are the artists notified beforehand? Can the artists keep any of the copies about to be demolished? Unfortunately, the answer to both is often a “no”. Although the sound recording itself may belong to the artists, if the label produced the physical goods and helped distribute it, they often end up doing what they want with them. All we can do is sit on the sidelines. We often aren’t even given the chance to buy them back.
Thankfully, that is not what happened with ok|ok’s eating mantis which was recorded back in 2006, the year Spotify was born but hadn’t yet landed in the U.S., the “before times” when CDs still ruled. The album features Michael McGinnis, Khabu Doug Young, Tony Moreno and myself, and was released through a label back in 2008. We – the artists – produced the master recording ourselves and collectively own the sound recording. We also produced the artwork and did most of the publicity. The label produced the physical copies. Everything was very relaxed and we never had any formal agreementaside from the trust we had in each other. Friends making music, released by a label run by those we knew well. (I am still grateful to the label for giving us that opportunity.)
Somewhere along the way, things got reshuffled because of technological developments in the industry. CD sales plummeted, record stores went belly up and distributors disappeared. The label had personnel changes, then moved to a streaming/download only format, understandably presenting themselves outwardly as the rights holder of the music so they could deliver the audio files to various platforms.
Looking at the contracts I’ve worked on or signed since then, they almost always contain a blanket agreement which grants a label or artist to distribute the material on all future mediums that goes something like the this: “…grant all rights therein, including, without limitation, the following: any so-called “SACEM home video payment rights”, blank tape levies, cable transmission rights, and “Rental and Lending Rights” pursuant to laws, regulations or directives of any jurisdiction (collectively, “Collection Rights”), throughout the universe in perpetuity…”
That didn’t happen with eating mantis. All of us were unprepared for the speed of the transition. In hindsight, when the label went to digital distribution should have been the moment to hit the pause button, for the label and the artists to sit down. We never had a discussion with the label about digital streaming. (Four Tet’s royalty dispute lawsuit with Domino is a famous example of a “push for a fairer deal on historical contracts, written at a time when the music industry operated entirely differently.”)
Today, armed with the knowledge and experience of overseeing the label New Braxton House for over a decade, I am able to see what could have been done better from a business perspective to protect artists’ rights. Yet, surprising even myself, I’m not convinced those things are necessary. Our objective was to make great music together, label included. Having an airtight contract covering all possible future music technology was never the objective.
When did we turn into a society where negotiated agreement trumps all? Where we seem to spend so much time and money creating contracts? When did the objective switch from the common goal of creating something great together, based on trust and shared responsibility, to making sure all parties were covered legally should something go wrong? Of course, shared responsibility means that we all have to do the work, and that’s not always easy. But isn’t that better than tying each other up in the oft-incomprehensible fine print of legal jargon so that we end up being locked into a contract, rather than having the joy and flexibility of exploring solutions together? Isn’t it time we reexamined the status quo? (Full disclosure: I research the effect of trust vs. negotiated contracts; here is an excellent paper by Professor Marc A. Cohen The Crisis of Trust and Trustworthiness in Organization).
So here we are, 2023, the fifteenth anniversary of the album release. The artists collectively agreed that we should re-release the album on our respective outlets with the blessing of the label. Together, we are stronger. We – the artists – can no longer offer the physical CDs but we are very happy to be able to offer the digital album. Name your price. We just want people to listen to this album. I still love it. Bottom line, if we want to keep what we created, we need to own it. Negotiate carefully and always stand up for artists’ rights. Re-presenting eating mantis.
08/29/2023 /
Admin / Comments Off on Making of Anthony Braxton mini-documentary
Over the summer, I dusted off my rusty broadcast journalist chops and edited an 18-minute educational documentary on Anthony Braxton and his Syntactical Ghost Trance Music (SGTM). The video Introduction to Syntactical Ghost Trance Music premiered earlier this month at “ANTHONY BRAXTON: 50+ YEARS OF CREATIVE MUSIC” international conference in Darmstadt, Germany, and is now available in its entirety for free viewing on Tri-Centric’s Vimeo channel (please click on the link). Most of the material has never been seen before by the public, including rare rehearsal, recording and interview footage.
How did this come about? Back in 2017, when we were recording the SGTM box set which I directed and co-produced with Anthony, René Pierre Allain at Scholes Street Studio set up cameras so that we could also have a video document of the sessions. I knew that there would be enough material for a mini-film, so I asked Anthony for a sit-down interview which lasted about 45 minutes. The video is based on that interview.
For many years, it weighed on me that I wasn’t able to put the footage in a form for others to enjoy. I wish I could have finished this video while vocalist Michael Douglas Jones and Tri-Centric friend Hugo de Craen were still with us.
Having an educational video also became a practical issue once I started to spend more time teaching. It would be valuable to have more material about this music which featured artists in action.
Thankfully, technology has evolved to a point so that I could now edit the film on my laptop. I started with a storyboard around the interview, and by giving it the title “Introduction to Syntactical Ghost Trance Music”, I was able to shape the project. Mostly, I was thinking about my students. I wanted to pass on the experience to the next generation.
It was fortuitous that I was asked to present at the conference. It was an opportunity to finally do something with the footage. Thank you to everyone who made this happen. Full credits below.
————————————————————————————————
All music and scores by Anthony Braxton Written, edited and narrated by Kyoko Kitamura
Tri-Centric Vocal Ensemble: Roland Burks, Tomás Cruz, Lucy Dhegrae, Chris DiMeglio, Kristin Fung, Nick Hallett, Michael Douglas Jones, Kyoko Kitamura, Adam Matlock, Anne Rhodes, Kamala Sankaram, Elizabeth Saunders
GTM (Syntax) 2017 recording session footage, Anthony Braxton interview footage and Tri-Centric Vocal Ensemble group photo by René Pierre Allain at Scholes Street Studio
Big Ears 2016 rehearsal footage and Trillium E recording session photos by Kyoko Kitamura
Kitamura/Rhodes duo footage by Adam Matlock
Tri-Centric Vocal Ensemble Roulette performance, Trillium J and Pine Top Aerial Music footage courtesy of Tri-Centric Foundation
Anthony Braxton conducting Composition No. 339 phone footage by Chris DiMeglio
Special thanks to James Fei, Carl Testa, Taylor Ho Bynum, Jon Rosenberg, Andrew Raffo Dewar
04/14/2023 /
Admin / Comments Off on Press Release Creation ChatGPT vs. BARD vs. Bing
Prompt: Could you draft a press release for an upcoming CD release concert? Date: September 28, 2134 at 8PM local time. Group name: The Chitchats. Occasion: New album release. Place: The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3. Album is titled “For Those Who Aim”. This is their first release in six years. Group members are Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument. The music is electro-jazz-fusion with a dance vibe. They have been recently touring the West Coast in the U.S. on earth, has had numerous sold out shows in both 2032 and 2034. Review from Lunar DitchSpoon states, “This young group of fearless innovators caters to both the teen and senior fans, melding familiar jazz moments with abrasive noise, creating something utterly new from the old. Their use of Lunar Rocks as a percussive instrument is what endears them to the local fans.” (Note: I say this is a clear win for ChatGPT but someone tell Chatty that “comprised of” isn’t correct usage. Bing is the weakest of them all but perhaps Bing isn’t cut out for this sort of thing.)
ChatGPT:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Chitchats to Release New Album “For Those Who Aim” at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3
Lunar Outpost 261J3 – The Chitchats, the electrifying electro-jazz-fusion group, are set to release their highly anticipated album “For Those Who Aim” on September 28, 2134. The album, which marks the band’s first release in six years, promises to be a musical experience that fans won’t forget.
To celebrate the release of their new album, The Chitchats will be performing at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3. The concert will take place on September 28, 2134 at 8PM local time.
The Chitchats are known for their unique blend of jazz, fusion, and dance music, which has earned them a loyal following of fans across the West Coast in the U.S. on earth. The band is comprised of Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, and Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument.
The band has been receiving rave reviews from both fans and critics alike. Lunar DitchSpoon states, “This young group of fearless innovators caters to both the teen and senior fans, melding familiar jazz moments with abrasive noise, creating something utterly new from the old. Their use of Lunar Rocks as a percussive instrument is what endears them to the local fans.”
The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3 is the perfect venue for The Chitchats to showcase their new album. Fans can expect an evening of electrifying music, a vibrant atmosphere, and an unforgettable performance.
Tickets for the concert are on sale now and can be purchased online or at the door. Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see The Chitchats perform live and experience their new album “For Those Who Aim.”
For more information about The Chitchats and their upcoming album release concert, please visit their website or contact their publicist.
The Chitchats Release New Album, “For Those Who Aim,” with CD Release Concert on Lunar Outpost 261J3
[City, State] – [Date] – The Chitchats, a four-piece electro-jazz-fusion band, will release their new album, “For Those Who Aim,” on September 28, 2023 at 8PM local time at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3. This is the band’s first release in six years.
The Chitchats are made up of Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, and Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument. Their music is a unique blend of jazz, electronica, and dance music. They have been touring the West Coast in the U.S. on Earth, and have had numerous sold out shows in both 2032 and 2034.
The album “For Those Who Aim” is a collection of 10 original songs that showcase the band’s diverse musical talents. The songs range from the upbeat and danceable “The Moon Is Calling” to the more introspective “Aim for the Stars.” The album is sure to appeal to fans of all ages.
The Chitchats will be performing a CD release concert at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3 on September 28, 2023 at 8PM local time. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
“We are so excited to release our new album, ‘For Those Who Aim,’” said Jackie May, the band’s pianist. “We have been working on this album for a long time, and we are really proud of the final product. We can’t wait to share it with our fans.”
The Chitchats are a rising star in the music world, and their new album is sure to cement their place in the spotlight. Don’t miss your chance to see them live at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3 on September 28, 2023.
About The Chitchats
The Chitchats are a four-piece electro-jazz-fusion band from [City, State]. The band consists of Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, and Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument. Their music is a unique blend of jazz, electronica, and dance music. They have been touring the West Coast in the U.S. on Earth, and have had numerous sold out shows in both 2032 and 2034. Their new album, “For Those Who Aim,” will be released on September 28, 2023.
Quotes
“We are so excited to release our new album, ‘For Those Who Aim,’” said Jackie May, the band’s pianist. “We have been working on this album for a long time, and we are really proud of the final product. We can’t wait to share it with our fans.”
“This young group of fearless innovators caters to both the teen and senior fans, melding familiar jazz moments with abrasive noise, creating something utterly new from the old. Their use of Lunar Rocks as a percussive instrument is what endears them to the local fans,” said Lunar DitchSpoon in a recent review.
Bing:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Chitchats Announce New Album Release Concert on Lunar Outpost 261J3
The Chitchats are excited to announce their upcoming CD release concert for their new album “For Those Who Aim” on September 28, 2134 at 8PM local time at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3.
The Chitchats are a group of fearless innovators who have been recently touring the West Coast in the U.S. on earth and have had numerous sold out shows in both 2032 and 2034. Their music is electro-jazz-fusion with a dance vibe that caters to both teen and senior fans.
The group members are Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, and Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument. Their use of Lunar Rocks as a percussive instrument is what endears them to the local fans.
This is their first release in six years and it promises to be an unforgettable night of music that melds familiar jazz moments with abrasive noise, creating something utterly new from the old.
Don't miss out on this exciting event! Tickets are available now at [The Sunrise Lounge](https://www.sunriselounge.com).
For more information about The Chitchats and their new album “For Those Who Aim,” please visit [their website](https://www.thechitchats.com).
Contact:
The Chitchats
info@thechitchats.com
ChatGPT Extra Credit:
18 months before release:
Start building a buzz about the upcoming album on social media and through interviews with relevant media outlets.
Begin planning promotional activities, including album launch events, live performances, and collaborations with other artists.
Identify target audiences and determine key messages for marketing and PR campaigns.
12 months before release:
Launch a teaser campaign to start building anticipation for the album.
Begin pitching media outlets for interviews and reviews, and plan for any necessary press events.
Coordinate with other artists, labels, and distributors to ensure that the album release is properly scheduled and promoted.
6 months before release:
Launch a full-scale marketing campaign, including social media promotions, influencer partnerships, and paid advertising.
Finalize any collaborations or guest appearances on the album and begin promoting these features to fans.
Release one or more singles from the album to build excitement and start generating buzz.
3 months before release:
Ramp up promotional efforts, including media appearances, radio interviews, and press releases.
Launch a pre-order campaign for the album, offering exclusive merchandise or early access to content for fans who purchase in advance.
Plan for any live performances or other promotional events leading up to the album release.
1 month before release:
Release a final single or music video to generate last-minute buzz.
Continue to promote the pre-order campaign and encourage fans to purchase early.
Finalize logistics for any promotional events, including scheduling, venue preparation, and marketing materials.
Release week:
Release the album on all platforms and announce the news to fans via social media and press releases.
Host a launch event, such as a listening party or live performance, to celebrate the release and generate additional media coverage.
Continue to promote the album through interviews, appearances, and online promotions.
Of course, this is just a general outline, and the specifics of your publicity plan will depend on factors such as your budget, target audience, and available resources. But hopefully, this timeline will help you get started in planning an effective and successful campaign for ChitChat’s new album release.
BARD Extra Credit:
Timeline
Activity
Month
Notes
Set marketing goals
January
Define your target audience, marketing objectives, and budget.
Create a marketing plan
February
Develop a detailed plan for how you will achieve your marketing goals.
Secure press coverage
March
Pitch your album to music journalists and bloggers.
Release singles
April-August
Release one or two singles from your album leading up to the release date.
Create promotional materials
May-June
Design posters, flyers, and other promotional materials for your album release.
Book live shows
July-August
Book live shows to promote your album release.
Launch a social media campaign
August
Launch a social media campaign to build excitement for your album release.
Release the album
September 28th
Release your album on all major streaming platforms and retailers.
Continue promoting the album
October-December
Continue promoting your album through live shows, social media, and other channels.
This is just a sample timeline, and you may need to adjust it based on your specific needs and budget. However, it should give you a good starting point for planning your publicity campaign.
Here are some additional tips for creating a successful publicity plan:
Be creative and original. Your publicity plan should stand out from the crowd. Think outside the box and come up with creative ways to promote your album.
Target your audience. Make sure your marketing messages are targeted to your target audience. This will help you reach the people who are most likely to be interested in your music.
Be persistent. Don’t give up if you don’t get immediate results. It takes time to build a successful publicity campaign. Keep at it, and eventually you will see results.
Bing Extra Credit:
2 months before the event: Send out press releases and begin promoting the event on social media platforms.
1 month before the event: Begin email marketing campaigns and reach out to local radio stations for interviews.
2 weeks before the event: Hang up posters and flyers around town and begin online advertising campaigns.
1 week before the event: Partner with local businesses to offer discounts or promotions for customers who attend the concert.
Day of the event: Host the CD release concert at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3 at 8PM local time.
