Have you, really, thought why the past decades have given us so many timeless hits? Have you wondered why the 70s, 80s and 90s left behind a legacy of classic records that will be remembered by future generations in perpetuity? Obviously, the answer to such questions is neither simple nor, of course, one-dimensional since the analysis of such phenomena requires a careful approach on many levels. In other words, they are questions with multifactorial answers. But behind all of these there is a common denominator which is none other than the music industry which today is not absent but certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with what we have known in previous decades.
Personally, I have never hidden my staunch defensive view of the…card-carrying, suit-wearing types that musicians so despised but without whom they would never have had a career. Without the money, persistence, trust and influence of the multinational giants there was never a chance that names like Metallica, Maiden, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard…the list is endless…would have such an illustrious career. Have no illusions that talent alone is enough for success. History is full of bands that could have accomplished a lot but for various reasons have fallen into obscurity. And vice versa. Less talented musicians became superstars because they made the right business moves. From management, record labels and touring agencies to producers and A&R guys, bands had a whole staff of people behind working for them.
Like any business, record labels didn’t want to lose money. They wanted to see their investments pay off and make a profit. Perfectly legitimate and rational. When the famous John Kalodner – the man whose name was synonymous with…an identity since you could see the famous line John Kalodner: John Kalodner in the credits of the records – got hold of Coverdale and told him that in order to succeed in America he had to fire (almost) the entire band and hire musicians who would fit in with MTV with the right image, it wasn’t something he was really talking about but he actually demanded it. When Bill Aucoin was investing thousands of dollars to KISS from his personal bank account putting himself in the not so desirable position of owing money to almost any creditor, he saw something in them that few people saw. When Mutt Lange locked himself in the studio for months in order to get the sound he wanted, he did it because he wanted to make records that would be talked about for decades to come. When multinational record labels were spending millions on video clips to be played on MTV or giving a ton of money to radio stations to play a song they were investing in the band. We can mention many more things that paint an even fuller picture but I think we all understand the general idea.
One might wonder what has changed. Again, the answer is not simple. Obviously, technological development has radically reshaped the landscape, inevitably affecting music, which has always reflected society. Is this not, after all, the case with every art form? But the main thing is that a different consumer consciousness has been formed, with the average music fan taking it for granted that he or she will not pay for a product regardless of whether a musician has spent countless hours of creation and a lot of money to offer the world his or her work. Where once success was measured in millions of sales, it is now based on Spotify streaming and every other platform that pays artists peanuts. And the paradox is that people continue to be a dynamic presence at concerts, generously offering their love to bands. This does not change. What has certainly changed, however, is the…refusal to buy each new creation in physical product at least.
In the meantime, society has changed and music has changed with it. Talent is not lacking and great albums are still coming out, but due to the frenetic pace of life they are unable to claim the privilege of classic status. Let’s not forget, after all, that people now listen to individual songs and not entire albums…mind you, we are always talking about the majority of listeners. In closing this short text, I would like to say the following: every time I defend the music industry of the past decades I am reminded of the words of the great Jim Peterik when in an interview he gave us he had this disarming quote: “Today to make a record we spend as much money as we needed in the 80s to get the sound of the drum cymbals on an album”! But that’s why we still talk about the crystal clear sound of “Hysteria” and have deified figures like Mutt Lange, Bob Rock, Bob Ezrin, etc. It was a musical industrial revolution and we were lucky to witness it…
Sakis Nikas
