It's Hard Out There For a Pimp

When Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar for the song (title above) from Hustle & Flow, we should have taken it for what it was – a sign of the times. Yep, the writing was finally on the wall for all those pimps out there -- the world’s middlemen – the sharks, hustlers and hucksters.

Who would have thought that they would be among the first lasting victims of the Internet age? I mean, it makes sense, but didn’t we all think they’d wiggle or weasel their way out of it, like always?

That seemed to be the case when Hilary Rosen and the RIAA were bullying 13-year-old kids for file-sharing, high-powered lawyers were trying to drive the Shawn Fannings of the world out of business, or when Lars Ulrich revealed himself to be the Joe Morgan of the music world, unable to grasp how the coming New World Order would benefit him more than the old way ever did.

But a recent Wired article offers up proof that the seeds that were sown by Fanning and others have finally begun to take deep root. Perhaps the populist movement is finally getting the upper hand.

If we believe what we read, now the big four labels are between a rock and a hard place that is suspended over the edge of a bottomless pit of obsolescence. Bands have begun to realize that singles, radio play and deep-pocketed advertising are no longer as important as they once were.

Not many read magazines any more, except older businesspeople that fly a lot. Radio isn’t dead yet, but now people anywhere have access to college radio (via iTunes and the Internet), independent Web radio and the extremely egalitarian podcast. With the Internet becoming the primary means of distribution, what is it that major labels are providing the bands on their roster for all that money they’re pulling out of their pockets? Turns out not very much, just like any good pimp. Well now it’s the ho’s turn.

According to Wired, the labels’ mainstay, CD sales, have dropped 20 percent since 2000, but concert ticket sales have increased 100 percent since 1999. Many bands, both large and small are offering free access to new material through myspace and their own sites. It used to be that only big-label established acts would find their way into car commercials, large music festivals and other big paydays. Now a bit of the youthful frontiersmanship has made its way into marketing boardrooms. Mid-level acts like My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Richard Buckner and the Dandy Warhols have had songs turn up in commercials for formerly staid industrial giants like Ford, Coors Brewing Co. and Volkswagen. Festivals seem eager to keep up with up-and-coming acts rather than trotting out the big draws every summer. While the dinosaurs keep rising ticket prices to counter lackluster sales, fans turn to the cheaper alternative – going online to discover bands that are playing more intimate venues for reasonable prices.

So next time Lars and Metallica play Oakland Arena for 80 or 100 dollars, they just might discover that many of their fans have gone to see Sunn O))) at 12 Galaxies instead.