Saturday night my wife and I headed downtown to catch the Barenaked Ladies concert here in Phoenix.

After 10 years of working/running event security I still have a hard time enjoying myself at concerts, but for once I relaxed and had a good time. BNL might make a good alternative when Buffett finally orders that first marg at the big tiki bar in the sky. BNL used to play Boulder a lot before they were big, and I’ve been to a few shows, but this was the first one where I wasn’t working that I could settle into.

But I’m not just writing this to show you all how completely caucasian my musical tastes are. BNL is doing something different with their recordings. Very different, and it could change music and DRM.

BNL sells their music only in completely unprotected formats (MP3 and FLAC). At the latest show they were selling the album on a regular flash drive. After reading the BoingBoing post on the drive I really regret not buying one. BNL encourages their fans to karaoke, remix, video, and whatever else their music. They engage their listeners and try and build a community. And, best of all in my book, they record every single live show and sell them online; again, without any DRM.

They are also actively campaigning against DRM in Canada (eh), with real results. From BoingBoing:

The USB key is part of the BNL political/technical/social picture. Recently, BNL front-man Steve Page founded an upstart association for Canadian musicians and labels that takes the radically sensible position that DRM sucks, fans shouldn’t be sued, and musicians should work the the Internet, not against it.

 

This has had widespread political ramifications in Canada. The departure of all the Canadian labels from the Canadian Recording Industry Association has left CRIA in the awkward position of only representing multinational, US-centric music companies. When CRIA hits up Parliament for special favours, they speak against the stated position of the Canadian-owned labels and Canadian musicians.

Now why the heck would a band want to distribute their music without any copy protection?

Because BNL recognizes that only a miniscule percentage of bands make any significant money on their studio recordings. It is well established that most bands are mostly broke. The studio absorbs nearly all the profits, often leaving a band with pennies on the dollar. Bands make their cash on tour, not in the studio, and (sometimes) through other merchandising. We’ve all heard the stories of the broke rock stars that made pennies per album (although I think it can be more like $1 per album, if they ever manage to earn back the advance, after studio fees). I’m too lazy tonight to dig up the numbers, but you can all Google it yourself.

A small percentage hits “megaband” status and makes a killing, usually on the second or third album when they have some negotiating power.

What brings people to concerts? Good, accessible music. DRM only protects the bottom line of the studio distributing the music; relatively little of that goes back to the artist.

The Grateful Dead were one of the best examples of this. Not only did they allow recording of shows, but they actively encouraged the community to record and trade their music. They even set up special recording areas at some shows where fans set up tripods and high quality directional mics. This community turned them into the top touring band in history. They engaged their fans, they didn’t criminalize them.

BNL encourages fan interaction and leverages the Internet to distribute directly. Rather than relying on a tiny percent of a studio release, fans can pay $13.99 for a high-fidelity copy of THEIR show, recorded right from the mixing board. Fans can remix and lay down video soundtracks to their heart’s content.

They make their money on the experience; not a single copy of a song recorded in a studio. Every show; every acoustic set; every ringtone becomes an opportunity to engage fans and make money.

When we finally cut the cord from CDs it’s hard to see the value of the major studios. When fans have the choice between music they can integrate into their lives, and music they have to pay an extra $.99 to transfer to their cell phones (while getting sued), the choice seems easy.

You’d better be one hell of a band to treat your fans like crap.

Today it takes bands with an “installed base”, like BNL, to start cutting the cord. But MySpace and other sites show that our reliance on traditional sources for new music could easily decline.

BNL recognizes that securing your product away from your customers isn’t good business. They’re building a new model, and bringing music into the digital age.

Posted on December 4