September 20, 2009 You’re So ‘Yester-moment’
It’s no longer the flavor or the month or what used to be called 24/7 or wall-to-wall coverage. The new media cycle, at least for this nanosecond, is called “perpetual movement.”
In other words, spin or die. That’s the latest from Internet guru Michael Moritz, a Sequoia investor who backed Google, Yahoo and the Sugar Inc. blog-networks.
Quoted in a recent New York Times article, Moritz says:
“Perpetual movement is the essence of survival and prosperity online. If online media and entertainment companies don’t improve every day, they will just wind up as the newfangled version of Reader’s Digest — bankrupt.”
A second ago, it seems, we were talking about reinventing ourselves. But that’s so yesterday, or should I say so yestermoment.
What the Suger blog people have learned of late is that content on their successful networks must change constantly.
What this overall trend spells for us music artists is even scarier than the current biz model. Maybe the Web 2.0 atomizing machine will move us even further from the album, all the way to the ring tone (do not pass digital single).
Of course, I’m kidding, but only partly. After all, it is somewhat scary. The same warp-machine that devoured major labels, newspapers and publishing may chew us into yet smaller morsels.
For myself, I’m headed into my studio to record a new three-note masterpiece. Must adapt or die.
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Allen Shadow is a rock artist, songwriter and PR pro. For more, check out his blog.
Reader Comments (2)
Disagree. If everything is constantly changing, chasing trends by definition puts you behind the ball on the OODA loop and you'll be playing a game of catch-up in perpetuity...too much work.
Besides, given how fast trends turnover...and given that these trends have accelerated every decade...your best bet is to just do what you do, and refine it based on fan/customer feedback.
Stay right where you are, and you'll be cool again every 3-6 months, right? There's only so many colors the sheep can wear.
I didn't see this post as being about chasing trends... It's about velocity and friction. If you ask me, the current system has too much friction and not enough velocity. Record deals and the royalty machine (for example) are mechanisms (there are many more examples) that introduce friction and slow things down. "Perpetual Movement" is the enemy of multi-album, multi-year deals. Unfortunately, that's how the legacy business operates. Investors / entrepreneurs have to find ways to operate outside of 'deals', royalties and music revenue if they want to keep pace with "perpetual movement".