The Future is a Three Minute Pop Song. Dies ist ein Interview aus dem Online-Magazin Pophouse, das Neil Ende Januar 2000 »virtuell besuchte«. Interessant sind seine Ansichten zu seiner Zukunft, seinen Talenten, seinen Arbeitsschritten und zu seinen Fans im Internet allemal...
Neil Finn has a true gift: The ability to package the meaning of life in three minutes. Today he takes a break from recording his second solo album and joins the January Pop Panel to discuss the future of the online music industry, the New Zealand economy and genetic engineering - all in under 900 words. Neil Finn:
7.30am is a very creative time of day if you're actually up at 5am. I've done some writing at that time of the morning - jumped out of bed and written a few songs here and there. Better Be Home Soon is one example. It doesn't often happen because I'm normally distracted with getting my kids ready for school. Tim Flattery:
What are the key changes that are facing artists in the music business in the new millennium? Neil Finn:
We are on the verge of a revolution in the way that people can receive music. Some artists, like Ani Di Franco in America, have been taking the early initiative, not purely because of the digital age but because of
their prevailing mentality. In the future, you would hope that this levels the playing field for artists in small countries, out of the way places and those not on major deals, allowing them to compete and find an audience.
At the same time the music industry, particularly in America, has become more conservative than I've ever seen it. Much less career oriented and more hit oriented. It has also become more corporate with fewer record
labels and the people running these labels are more and more business people and accountants and less and less music people. Rosemary Herceg:
How is the business side of the industry negatively affecting creative side? Neil Finn:
Certainly in terms of major labels, I've heard of extraordinary things happening with artists who sell a couple of million copies of their first record and are then made to go in and record two or three more albums before the record company will agree to a second release, out of desperation for something that will get onto Top 40 radio. I think that is shocking for the artist in terms of interrupting their flow, destroying their self-confidence and their sense of themselves. I feel
very fortunate that I am down the track a bit and although not a Top 40 artist in a lot of countries, I've got enough of a base that I can make records. I've been asked in the past to go back in and make singles, but I've always said no. Tim Flattery:
Do you have a web strategy for yourself as an artist?
Neil Finn:
I'm slow off the mark, but Peter Green, who runs my fan club, has created a site which is very well visited and highly regarded because he is conscientious and makes sure it changes a lot. There are also people in America that do a site called Tongue In The Mail. In the first instance when we were touring with Crowded House, we didn't really understand it very well and it made us feel
claustrophobic because we would go from one town to the next and the people at the next show would know exactly what happened the night before because they had been conversing via the web. It made us feel very uncomfortable for a while - as if they knew too much. I've realised now that it would be very valuable for me to have an ongoing presence in that medium because so many people are listening in and it is also a good way to avoid the middle-men and speak directly to your audience.
Rosemary Herceg:
How would you define the record company of the future? Neil Finn:
Record companies are scrambling to ensure that they have a presence in a future where they will be largely defined by their marketing. Distribution has already
changed and many of them are outsourcing their online strategies to experts in the field. I don't think that record companies will disappear because having a team working for you still allows you to concentrate on what you do best. I would find it time consuming and harrowing to sit in front of a screen for half an hour. There is a strong argument for someone like me hiring a net person to maintain a presence online and keep a really interesting and exciting site going. Tim Flattery:
Have you considered distributing your music directly to an online audience? Neil Finn:
There is certainly a lot of extra margin if you are going to distribute via the net but I don't think it's big enough
yet to be a super attractive option. It will be, but at the moment we are still waiting for enough people to get a fast enough system that will allow full downloads in good time. Rosemary Herceg:
Is music still an agent for social change? Neil Finn:
Because the major labels are so conservative there is the opportunity for a groundswell of support to break the system. But even with heavily politicised bands like Rage Against The Machine, I don't know how much of their message gets through to their audience. I applaud anybody who feels strongly enough about an issue to put it into a song but I've found that counter productive to the idea of a song being a seductive force. Tim Flattery:
How vibrant is the artistic community in New Zealand right now? Neil Finn:
Up until now, I would say there has been the lack of an infrastructure and an acknowledgement within the community or government that art and creativity is
valuable not only for the country, not only for the psyche, but for good the knowledge economy. Recently, people have started to talk about these things and I'm optimistic that things are about to improve in terms of the emphasis of music and art in every day life. Rosemary Herceg:
Do you think New Zealand is well placed to take advantage of the new economy? Neil Finn:
We are well placed in that there are a lot of very clever people living here, but a lot of them leave because they do not see great opportunity. In farming, which is our traditional base, there is a giant opportunity to embrace organic farming as a main feature because we already
have such an established trade mark for being green and eco-friendly, if our produce was all organic (which is a growing market internationally) I think we would take advantage of that. Unfortunately I think our politicians are particularly leaden and dull I don't think they recognise the fast and dynamic sectors that can produce new income. Tim Flattery:
What is the biggest challenge for humanity in the 21st century? Neil Finn:
Genetic engineering, in all aspects, is the next major moral dilemma. We are already struggling with it in terms of our food and it will be a very real issue in terms of designing babies. Issues such as perfect human
beings versus flawed human beings may not be that far away. Rosemary Herceg:
Is there a new creative 'Everest' for you? Neil Finn:
I have always been reasonably single minded about doing pop music as well as I possibly can. I've dabbled
in other areas and enjoyed them, but at the end of the day I find it most enjoyable when I am working on my own relatively humble three to four minute pop songs. With the album I'm making at the moment I may end up making the most direct record I've ever written in terms of its lyrics. I'm usually pretty abstract at times and lateral but this time I'm far more direct. In a way, every little gain at this stage is like climbing Everest. Tim Flattery:
Thanks for chatting to Pophouse and good luck with the new record! | 