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Author: [who?] (Audiocafe News)
Published: c. August 1999
Musician’s Corner, a new feature in Audiocafe News, will profile a musician every month. This space will allow bands to comment on everything from digital music to their latest projects, plus anything in between.
This month, we talked to Weezer drummer and Special Goodness singer Patrick Wilson. As the drummer for the multi-million-selling Weezer, Wilson has experienced the life of working on a major label (Geffen, which was recently purchased by Interscope Records). But as the singer/guitarist for the Special Goodness, which is Wilson’s own project, the songwriter is learning about the joys of self-promotion (the band is signed to the indie label Vast Records). One step Wilson has taken is creating a web site to update fans on his projects. The site, www.weezer.net/pat, offers a few MP3 samples plus news and updates.
We talked to Wilson about his feelings on the whole MP3 and digital music phenomenon:
Audiocafe:
What do you think about the record companies jumping on the whole digital music idea?
Pat:
I don’t understand why people give a shit what the record companies think, because no one is going to be able to stop piracy. They’ll never be able to stop MP3 piracy...I just don’t see how they can do it. It’s too big, too fragmented. How are you going to stop Vladimir over there in [some far off country] from posting anything he wants? Personally, I think the record companies are fucking everyone...they still hold onto the belief that they should get a bigger cut of the sales. In the ‘80s, the record companies jumped on the ‘new technology’ of CDs. In our contracts, there is still a stipulation that they get more of the cut because it’s on CD format. They say it’s because they have to recoup their ‘investment’ in this ‘new technology.’
Audiocafe:
Do you think MP3 and digital music will be helpful to musicians?
Pat:
Sure. If someone digs your band, though, they’ll go out and buy the CD. At this point, unless everyone starts getting super-fast connections, I don’t see it as, “here’s your music in MP3 form.” I don’t think anyone is ever going to make money off MP3s, not until it’s as easy as walking into a store, giving them your money, you taking it home and putting it into your player. Let’s face it: you’re an 18-year-old kid who just graduated from high school, and you’re sitting in front of your computer saying, ‘Hm...I’d like to hear this record.’ Anyone who is savvy at all will find it for free. What would you rather do? Use your credit card to download an MP3? It’s like trying to stuff Genie back into the bottle. The SDMI standard is stupid - why even do that when MP3 was doing just fine beforehand?
Audiocafe:
So do you think that MP3 will hurt other formats?
Pat:
Well, what I think is going to happen is that the price of CDs will come down, especially now that everyone has a burner. Like I said, the people that are going to wind up getting hurt are not the artists, but the labels, because it seems like they operate on a somewhat outdated approach to marketing. It seems [with all the focus on image - MTV especially] to me that they are trying to compete with video games for these kids’ eyeballs and time. So it will hurt the labels because people will say, ‘I’m going to listen to what I want to, not what you want me to.’ Assuming these are motivated consumers, they will not accept whatever the record companies throw their way. People will get what they want, free, through digital formats - it will make it easier for them to have more of a say in what they listen to. The Blair Witch Project is a good example: it cost $60,000 to make and it’s a huge hit, instead of something like Wild Wild West, which is designed for success.
Weezer is currently on hiatus until March of next year, and in the meantime, Wilson is working on his second Special Goodness album (Vast Records). Next month, Audiocafe will talk to Skunk Anasie, a British hard-rock band with a weakness for virtual studios. Stay tuned...
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