Cliché June/July 2011

June/July 2011

The

SUMMER MUSIC

Issue

THE FUTURE OF AN INDUSTRY: Music Driven By Technology Jazz's Not-Quite-New Ambassador:

ESPERANZA SPALDING

OH LAND IN ORBIT

JESSIE J:

An Artist Challenging the New BIZARRE

FIVE

UNFORGETTABLE ONSTAGE OUTFITS

CHRISTINA PERRI WHY WE LOVE

GLEE

THE CLICHÉ FAMILY: Editor-in-Chief/Founder: Jeremy Fall

Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief: Debbie Gardner

Photography Content Manager: Ashley Vied

Head of PR/Marketing: Simone Welch

Head of Graphic Design: Caitlin Bridge

Head Photographer: Dirk Mai

Editors:

Cynthia Almanzar, Kristine Fellizar, Melissa Darcey, Ryan Steward, Sara Brown

Contributing Writers:

Alexz Johnson, Ani Mikaelian, Camelle Dumo, Kailan Kalina, Mario Weddell, Megan Portorreal, Olivia Krawczyk, Rachel Vincent, Sarah Lorsch

Photographers:

Nicole Hill, Caitlin Bellah, Lindsay Adler, Benjamin Kwan, Kesler Tran, John Deeb, Laura Ferreira, Jessica Flavin, Nicoline Patricia Malina

COVER: Photographer: Lani Lee

Model:

Christina Perri

Cliché Picks: A Shopping Guide for the Summer Just Want To Dance? Join The Club Summer’s Fashion Remix Everything Old Is New Again: Creatively Updating the Outdated Jessie J: An Artist Challenging the New Bizarre Sid Bernstein: The Man Behind the Beatlemania From Yamakas To Spiked Jackets: Five Unforgettable Onstage Outfits The Power Of Glee: On The Road To World Domination The Tipping Point Head of Household: The Producer Christina Perri: The Cover YouTube Reels The Viewers In Oh Land In Orbit A Sweet, Sweet Thing Jazz’s Not-Quite-New Ambassador: Esperanza Spalding International Fusion of Music The Future of an Industry: Music Driven By Technology

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written one of these but it makes me more than happy to know that you all will be reading it on our new digital interactive platform. This is probably the most exciting news that we’ve ever had at Cliché and we’re just all so happy to finally see the countless hours of hard work molded into a final product. This is a new technology which I’m sure a lot of you might have suggestions and comments about, so please let us know the strengths and weaknesses and how we can improve this experience for you.

As far as the issue goes, this will definitely be one of your guides for music and fashion to look out for this summer. We have tons of new members on our team and a lot more in store for you in the near future. When you’re done reading the issue be sure to check back daily on our blog for constant features and news. Thank you all again so much for the support we’ve been getting since we launched two years ago, I can’t wait to produce more issues for the years to come. Welcome to the June/July 2011 Summer Music & Fashion issue.

- Jeremy Fall http://www.jeremyfall.com http://www.twitter.com/jeremyfall

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If you haven’t read Patti Smith’s incredibly poetic memoir about her life as a kid in New York in the 60s with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, grab yourself a copy and a blanket, plant yourself on the beach and be prepared to be inspired and floored by Smith’s graceful tale of some of the most incredible years in American music. *Photo courtesy of www.pastemagazine.com

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Karen Russell, author of St. Lucy’s Home for Girl’s Raised by Wolves, presents a story of alligator wrestling, theme parks and ghost suitors in her debut novel. In addition to being one of those books you’ll immediately want to re-read, Swamplandia! will probably make you feel like that 102 degree L.A. heat is positively balmy with its vividly gorgeous descriptions of the sweltering Florida swampland. *Photo courtesy of www.media.oregonlive.com

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Pamela Love has built a steady following of stylists and celebs over her relatively young career as a jewelry designer, and in every collection she tops herself in her ingenious use of rough materials and delicately macabre designs. We love her line of Tribal pieces--especially this unconventionally blinged-out necklace. *Photo courtesy of www.pamelalovenyc.com

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ABBA, which has been popping up backstage at runway shows from New York to Milan, is not only a green, eco-friendly company that makes great conditioners for dry summer hair, but it also shares a name with the happiest Swedish pop group ever. How can you not love them? *Photo courtesy of www.abbahaircare.com

The people have spoken, and

THEY JUST WANT TO DANCE.

From Lady Gaga’s undeniable dominance of the radio to the Black Eyed Peas’ techno-influenced sound, the value of a dance beat cannot be denied.

Most of the top songs of the past year have had bass that pounds harder than a love-struck teen’s giddy heart. The synthesizer scene is blowing up. Even the soaring, ballad-esque chorus of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” has swirling synths and a thumping drum.

How has dance music managed to go mainstream so quickly?

It may be indicative of the generation that is both producing and consuming the music. In a world where the 140 characters of Twitter can be used to express an entire sentiment; where TV shows like Glee and Keeping Up With The Kardashians don’t have theme songs because they just keep us waiting; and where Four Loko (a drink that doesn’t even give you time to choose between being hyper or sluggish) is popular, it just makes sense. Keep it simple, and serve it up fast.

“It appeals to our senses. It makes us want to move. Most of it is about sex; everybody loves sex.

A lot of it is about drinking; we love drinking,” says Stephen Williams, a solo pop musician and executive intern for Bad Boy Records. “I don’t think it’s specific to this generation, but we’re more upfront about it.”

Technology has consumed the music industry in the same way it consumed Generation Y. Text

messaging replaced the phone call; it removed all the cumbersome and inessential information, stripping a conversation down to the main point. Google eliminated the need to read; a few well-phrased words now bring us directly to what we want. And now, synthesized dance beats give us the pulse of music, the kernel of what keeps us interested.

Goodbye, instrumental solos. Who has the attention span? Goodbye, live musicians. Who can sit still long enough to watch you tune? Goodbye, dramatic song intros. Who has the time for musical foreplay?

Marketing and music production aren’t too different anymore, either. Producers have learned to be just as aggressive as advertisers, and in a country where the majority of people polled in a Nielson survey said they watch the Super Bowl for the advertisements, who can blame them? Producers want to craft songs that get to the point, stay with their listeners, and keep them coming back, like a strong commercial. In the current industry, producers are running the show, for the most part. ““Britney Spears’...album [Femme Fatale] is a great example,” says Williams. “Any time you read anything about it, all people talk about is who is producing it. ‘Oh, she’s got a Stargate track, a Dr. Luke track, a Rodney Jerkins track.’ That’s all [listeners] care about. They do care that it’s [Britney], but when they talk about [the album], they’re not really talking about her. It’s who’s making the beat.”

-Mario Weddell

Britney Spears - Til The World Ends

AUDIO Jennifer Lopez - On The Floor ft. Pitbull

Y

ou all remember physics, right? For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction, et cetera et cetera, motion and thermodynamics, blah blah blah. I’ve always thought that fashion works according to a very similar principle of backlash and resurgence, and the forecast for this summer looks like it’s going to prove me right. So, this trend report is based on a fairly simple observation: look at 2010, and do the opposite.

Where we had micro mini skirts and shorts, there are loose, flowing palazzo pants and midi skirts (which are just as cool and far more comfortable than skintight, super short versions); and though the 80s have been having a series of moments, designers have been hearkening back to the 70s (see Marc Jacobs)-and yes, even the 90s--for inspiration as of late.

Topshop Unique showed maxi skirt after maxi skirt in sheer, splashy grey prints and citrus, that

came out as way more rock-and-roll cool than when designers explicitly try to do rock and roll.

Aside from the newer, looser silhouettes, the spring and summer runways were awash in color.

Prada sent down the runway boxy mini dresses in banana and monkey sketch prints, maxi skirts in graphic neon and black stripes, and ornate, bright sunglasses that looked like they belonged to a stage production of Willy Wonka.

The effect, though, of the neons and flowing

fabric at Prada, Jil Sander and Burberry, and of any runway trend in general is that it appears in a diluted form on the streets. So, while you might not see a full on atomic yellow pantsuit anytime soon, adding a few bright touches and keeping flowy-ness in mind for your wardrobe should keep you right on trend this summer.

-Rachel Vincent

*Photos courtesy of Yannis Vlamos, Monica Feudi and Marcus Tondo vis Go.Runway.com

In this day and age, originality is hard to come by. Fighting over who did what first and who was a copycat has always been a concern in music. The term “you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all” applies here. The only way to stake your claim in this competitive, originality-deprived industry is through pure creativity. While many have attempted to update the outdated, most have failed. However, these three artists have successfully sampled and remixed familiar tunes in their up-to-date repertoire.

Gregg Michael Gillis, the musician and mastermind of Girl Talk, is best known for creating mash-ups, such as ‘90s dance music mixed with recent rap and pop. He mish-mashes several beats and lyrics that transform into an electrifying synergy and the combination of seemingly VIDEO contradictory genres align to make an entirely new song. His recent album, All Day, which he offered as a free download on his official website, heralds his unique style. In this video Gillis offers insight into his creative process and how two beats dissolve into one “entity.”

Lupe Fiasco, born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, garnered attention in the hip-hop community through his Kanye West remixes. His charttopping debut single “Kick, Push” put him on the map in 2005. He was described by Jay-Z as VIDEO “a breath of fresh air.” Undoubtedly, the Chicago native christened hip-hop with a new sound and style. His new single, “The Show Goes On,” samples Modest Mouse’s “Float On.” With the exception of borrowing Modest Mouse’s chorus and guitar chords, Lupe makes the song his own.

His most recent album Lasers debuted on March 8, but if you have yet to discover it, here is his most recent music video: Depending on the vocals, female or male, the perspective of a song’s message and emotional impact changes. Case in point: British singer and songwriter Adele’s most recent album, 21, features a cover of The Cure’s pop hit “Lovesong.” The VIDEO 22-year-old blues singer grew into her talent at a mere 4 years-old and claims that a major influence were the Spice Girls. Adele describes her music as “heart-broken soul.” Her slower-paced, acoustic interpretation makes just as much of an impact in 2011 as it did when The Cure’s single was released in 1989. Take a listen and feel your heart break.

-Camelle Dumo *Photos Courtesy of GlowJangles, dennis and Julio Enriquez via Flickr

*photo courtesy of Lancashire County Council

From Katy Perry to Rihanna, today’s new and upcoming artists continue to challenge and spice up the boundaries of the entertainment industry.

Jessie J is no exception. Born in Redbridge, UK as Jessica Ellen Cornidge, Jessie J isthe only member of her family to embrace her vocal abilities and dreams. “My family is very creative, but no one in my family sings... I was the only one who put my life to a melody.”

These days, this 22-year-old is no amateur to the brutal world of singing and songwriting. Jessie J’s resume is infused with songs she’s written for artists such as Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. Additionally, she’s responsible for co-writing the smash hit “Party in the USA” for Miley Cyrus.

Needless to say, she’s the perfect candidate to challenge the entertainment giant. Jessie J’s free rock star spirit translates into songs such as “Price Tag” featuring B.O.B, where she sings about the frustrating role that money plays in the world and how we should enjoy the simple pleasures in life:“Why is everybody so obsessed? Money can’t buy us happiness. Can we all slow down and enjoy right now.”

This British artist also shows versatility in her music with songs such as “Do it like a Dude,” where a catchy beat and raunchy lyrics captivate listeners to sing along and enjoy the brutal honesty that lingers within it.

The combination of her rhinestone-encrusted lips in the “Do it Like a Dude” music video and her strong personality can easily throw her into a group with popular artists such as Lady Gaga, whereas her more edgy sentimental side can be related to Pink. But this young star is easily in a category of her own and is quickly demanding the limelight one smash hit at a time.

-Olivia Krawczyk Price Tag ft. B.O.B.

AUDIO

Do It Like A Dude

AUDIO

the music industry skyrocketed his career as a music producer. However, it still wasn’t enough. Bernstein craved for more.

“I kept reading about them and their popularity in the Liverpool newspapers, and I thought to myself, I just have to have them.”

Sid Bernstein may not have been the first person to notice The Beatles’ tidal wave of success, but he was certainly the man responsible for the Beatlemania that still lingers in the United States today.

Born in 1918 in the Harlem vicinity of New York, Bernstein grew accustomed to the popular beats flowing in and out of the heart of the entertainment industry, New York City. After creating a music promotion company, he successfully exposed and brought minority artists such as Tito Puente and Ray Charles into mainstream music. Tearing down the racial walls within

Then, he heard

THE BEATLES. AUDIO

Bernstein knew that his sparked interest in this young, foreign band could potentially lead to success. What he didn’t realize is that this very spark cemented one of the most influential entertainment giants known today.

Driven only by gut instinct, Bernstein decided to utilize his connections and cold called the then-manager of The Beatles, Brian Epstein. Epstein was flattered by the extreme interest Bernstein expressed over a phone call but was hesitant, “I don’t know if we’ll sell any tickets, I don’t want to go unless we sell a hit record.”

Bound and determined to convince Epstein otherwise, Bernstein dropped The Beatles’ singles at numerous radio stations in the United States; and after only one year of constant promotions, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” sold over 2.6 million copies in the United States alone. Finally, after an excruciating wait, Bernstein witnessed The Beatles perform on February 12, 1964 at Carnegie Hall during the Ed Sullivan Show-- the very stage that launched the careers of Elvis, Ray Charles and The Rolling Stones.

Bernstein said, “The boys were just excited to play.

They couldn’t wait to go back to Liverpool pool and tell their friends all about it. They thought American girls were very pretty and wondered where they could meet some.”

That very year, screams of American girls were so loud that they had to cancel their tour in the states in August of 1964. The Beatles went on to triumph over 12 of the 100 songs on the Hot 100 Billboard charts. *Photos courtesy of Photo Giddy and Photo Gallery via Flickr.com

*Photo courtesy of petercruise via Flickr

Lady Gaga

A list like this couldn’t begin with any artist other than Lady Gaga. Worn throughout her “Monster Ball” concerts, this outfit can still be seen until the tour’s conclusion in May. As a fashion icon on and off the stage with countless shocking moments, what sets this costume apart from the rest is the size. This white outfit, filled to the brim with a mixture of sharp objects, feathers and wings, is one of the largest costumes that Gaga has ever worn; in fact, it is so large that it is one of the few outfits in which she doesn’t dance.

*Photo courtesy of danorbit via Flickr

Madonna

In her “Sticky and Sweet” tour, which began in August of 2009, Madonna once again showed the world that her style will never change. Tight and sheer was her leotard of choice as she “vogued” on stage for cheering crowds. There are not many women that can flawlessly pull off the same look for over 25 years.

Somehow, Madonna has managed to pull this great feat off and for that alone, she is a style icon.

*Photo courtesy of Stig Nyga

Matisyahu

Although not ne dresser offstage, Mat to have his own se performing on stage. considered a reggae to see him in a t-sh with his boxers hang Jew, Matisyahu can suit with tzitzis (the his pants that are rela a yamaka, as seen per back in 2006. Perhaps after him, we wouldn’t boxer shorts.

aard via Flickr

ecessarily an iconic tisyahu has managed ense of style while Although he can be rapper, don’t expect hirt and baggy pants ging out. A Hasidic be found wearing a e strings you see on ated to Judaism) and rforming at a concert s if more rappers took t have to see so many

*Photo courtesy of yuichi.sakuraba via Flickr

The Black Eyed Peas

Often dressing in futuristic, almost alien, outfits, The Black Eyed Peas’ 2009 “E.N.D.” tour was no different. Fergie could be seen in her head to toe silver body suit and platforms while will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo were wearing justas-extreme glittering blazers and jackets emblazoned with spikes. As always, the Black Eyed Peas do not disappoint with their attire.

*Photo courtesy of petercruise via Flickr

Britney Spears

No fashion icon list can be complete without America’s early millennium pop princess. Not only can she sing, but now she can put on a “Circus” - her appropriately named 2009 tour where she played every part needed for the ultimate, risqué circus.

Throughout her concert, she acts as many different characters, all wearing outfits that are typical Britney. Her ringleader outfit, however, gives the circus a new name. With her knee high stiletto boots, netted stockings and bright red ringleader tuxedo jacket, Britney became the sexiest ringleader of all time.

-Sarah Lorsch

W

hy is everyone in love with Glee?

Because it's happy and gay as can be!

Merging musical vibrato, cheeky television and quite possibly your favorite song of all-time, FOX’s Glee is a perfect recipe for world-domination. The proof? The recent conquering of a Billboard Hot 100 record with the most chart entries at one time.

To put it into perspective, that's even more than Elvis and James Brown.

The musical dramedy about a high school glee club has made stars out of Lea Michele, Dianna Agron and Chris Colfer (to name a few). Accurate in their illustration of teen bullying and other youth driven issues (a musical Degrassi in a sense), Glee also acts as a platform that showcases music from new artists and re-invigorates the record careers of the once popular. It’s an example of the everchanging nature of the music industry, bringing in lucrative cash to record companies rarely seen since the post-Napster era. Licensing is immediately understood to any recording artists hoping to make a dime in today’s industry. Through licensing, artists can make money, and in this mediadriven millennium there's huge value in

letting someone else sing your song.

Aside from the profit the program is generating in the current music market, it reminds us why we love music so much in the first place.

The trend towards the Top 40 tunes certainly helps the show in terms of relevance. When the show debuted in May 2009, the best selling digital single for the program's first season was a version of Journey's classic "Don't Stop Believin'" which added up to 1 million total sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Who doesn't want to be brought back to the days when Journey reigned?

Or, when Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine" was played at your high school dance.

Albeit, if you weren't there for those m a g i c

moments the first time around, tween viewers are introduced to the pop standards of the previous decade. This explains its 18-49 demographic, and the show’s push toward pop and diversity in genres is a targeted move to keep those viewers happy.

So, now that Glee has become the saga that it is, they can pretty much do whatever the hell they want - and make it cool. In the early stages of production, Coldplay and Bryan Adams were noted to turn down an offer to license their songs to the first season. They have since changed their minds. Oh, the power of Glee.

-Alexz Johnson

*Photo courtesy of Gudlyf via Flickr.com

The Tipping Point

H

a boiling point is often reached where a small movement of taste can spread to an entire population in a short amount of time.

First, those called connectors are in the line of duty to bring the world together. To trigger such an outcome, they have an extraordinary knack for making acquaintances and friends. While the average person is capable of maintaining approximately 150 social relationships at a time, connectors have the natural ability to sustain upward of 200 such

relationships. So, they not only make the friends, but have the ability to keep in touch with all of them at the same time.

Then there are those deemed to be mavens, the select few on whom people are dependent for new information. A maven typically has a courteous attitude and will often provide aid to those seeking it. They are essentially collectors and eager distributors of valuable knowledge. This is where the phrase “word vomit” may be used due to the mavens’ propensity to interject their opinions in any situation. This is a welcomed “word vomit,” though, because the information they provide tends to be refreshingly useful.

Salesmen take up the final position. They are the people that are able to effortlessly disarm and persuade others, controlling others’ desires for foreign fads as if pulling the strings of their lives like a puppeteer. They have a specific charisma that allows them to spark, negotiate and seal deals. Whether it is an actual salesman on the television screen with an echo in his voice or a friend in law school who can make even the most faulty arguments sound valid, the world appears to be more and more vulnerable to the pitches of those whose gift is to influence.

*Photo courtesy of Jalani Morgan via Flickr.com

ave you ever wondered how trends are born?

Actually, the idea that they are just born, that they just happen, is a misconception on its own. Trends are created through a process that many of us fail to recognize.

Though this process has been misunderstood in the past, many often find themselves filled with the need to blindly follow suit- especially when these cultural phenomenons descend from the holy leaders of the fashion and music worlds.

So, how do these powerful motivations to dress a certain way or listen to a new musician spread across national and cultural boundaries? No one knows for sure what makes a trend go from what’s popular on your block to a worldwide sensation, but there is at least one theory that seeks to describe the process.

The tipping point is a concept originally discovered and explained

by Canadian writer Malcolm Gladwell in his book by the same name.

Gladwell states that there are specific components that drive the change and popularity of cultural epidemics. These components consist of three types of people: connectors, mavens and salesmen.

When these people perform their given tasks,

own tipping point, especially when it comes to the countless different “fashion weeks” that take place in an endless amount of cities, from the states to many countries overseas.

Fashion weeks are periods in which the connectors are able to make their magic happen-- to draw their crowds.

The mavens also show up and learn about the latest styles and techniques, which they will pass on to those back home. Furthermore, everyone who attends is already interested in fashion, which makes the salesman’s job much easier. Lines from L.A.M.B. to Chanel and Vera Wang would not be where they are today without such resources.

This is because fashion week is the pot in which the water starts to boil and eventually overflow to the rest of the world.

Beyond the realms of fashion and music, there are other popular products that do not have any intrinsic qualities that make the reason for their attractiveness obvious. Why do people find the concept of drinking coffee out of a Starbucks recyclable cup to be more appealing than making their own blend in the comfort of their home? How did taurine-enhanced energy drinks break into this market so quickly? There is a pattern, and you are encouraged to look for it in your day-to-day life.

-Ani Mikaelian

*Photo courtesy of Speakers Connect via Flickr.com

Music is definitely one of the elements of culture that use these factors of change-- people who connect, inform, and influence-- to create an environment where one is likely to adopt a given new sound. Without a tipping point in music, it would be impossible to decide which bands should score a spot on the Coachella lineup or earn a Grammy this year.

In the end, the artists that win or are booked in such cases come down to the ones who reach that tipping point and move from minor to major stardom.

You may only see mainstream artists benefiting from the concept, but consider how other groups are discovered. They are found soon after reaching their boiling point, or due to businessmen recognizing their potential to reach it soon. What has occurred to make the pot overflow, or to make the label execs recognize potential success, is the presence of a certain number of audience members.

In such an audience size, there statistically must be several members of each of the tipping point’s three elements, meaning the potential to grow indefinitely can be found within the present group of listeners.

It’s not exactly brain science, but there is a bond between the likes of music and fashion; one tends to influence the other. Fashion has its very

*Photo courtesy of EIU via Flickr.com

T

he music making process is much like the construction of a house.

This house-- the song-- is made up of sturdy shingles and colorful shutters that are akin to certain vocals and instruments. These elements have to coordinate in order for the overall aesthetic to flow. Of course, every household has a head who runs the show, and this one can be found with the red hat and the blueprints for the frame-- the music producer.

In the past, we have had the pleasure of recognizing the monumental figure of the producer due to thank you speeches and credits given in the back cover of an album. However, rarely do we take into consideration the role he or she plays in helping an artist achieve success. It is often difficult to determine where a producer’s influence ends and a performer begins, as both factors depend on one another.

The producer has a certain bill of tasks, while artists have a list to complete of their own.

Not many are aware of the job description belonging to the music producer. He or she is the guiding light through the creation of an album. The responsibilities of producers consist of assembling ideas for a project, coaching the artist, and supervising the process of mixing and mastering.

Comparing the work of a record producer to the likes of a film director is fairly accurate.

Whether it be steering the ship to the next potential box-office hit or to the top of the radio charts, both crucially chaperone their handiwork as it’s being prepared. But, music producers don’t always have the luxury of basking in their pièce de résistance because they are the head of household, and the attention is typically drawn to the bratty child, the needy artist.

Despite troubles in the past, record producers have acquired a certain glow over the course of time, so much so that many musicians today find themselves opting for a change of direction. From Lupe Fiasco to Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley, many artists find themselves intrigued with the pursuit and perceived benefits of being on the opposite end of the recording room. They always bring what they’ve learned back to their original work when returning to the performer’s shoes, too.

Singer-songwriter Dave Melillo recently made the transition into producing records and has since worked with an eclectic variety of sounds, including female vocalist Leslie Mosier, alternative rock band Set It Off, and hip-hop artist Chad.

“When I work with other musicians, it is because I really believe in what they’re doing and

I want to be part of their success,” Melillo had to say about his recent accomplishments. “Producing has made me a better musician by offering me opportunities to work with a variety of musicians and giving me a different perspective on what goes into creating an album.”

Much like any other artistic representation, there is the inevitable aspect of change that comes around like clockwork. Today, producers are perceived differently than they were in the 90s or anytime before that decade simply due to the amount of appreciation shown from the performers, as well as the amount of valuable musicianship they contribute to modern pop.

Through this and many other avenues, producers have found a way to step through a barrier most of us hadn’t recognized before. The role of a producer has started to draw attention away from the population of performers. A glow of limelight has been unleashed and producers are slowly but swiftly taking their rightful place at center-stage.

-Ani Mikaelian

W

e’ve seem to hit critical mass of talent-uncovering reality shows, and yet every so often for all the dozens of singing, dancing winners whose fame amounts to a blip or two on the cultural radar, someone emerges unexpectedly and wonderfully to show us that maybe American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance shouldn’t go the way of the Gong Show just yet.

Christina Perri’s Jar of Hearts put her on the proverbial map, and though it is an almost too-perfect song for a modern dance routine, it stands beautifully on its own as well. With over 19 million views on the equally impassioned video for Jar of Hearts and a new album, Lovestrong. steadily garnering praise and proving that Perri’s voice can soar over wrenching lyrics as well as it can wrap around lighter, happier words, she seems poised for a success most Idol contestants dream of and fail to reach.

The Philly native says her intentions for her music are to “make people feel less broken and alone”, and from the response she’s doing quite a good job of it. The nomadic, tattooed, ever smiling Perri has quite a lot to say about life and love, and we were lucky enough to be able to talk to the release of her album Lovestrong. about love, heartbreak, and the power of picking yourself up and putting the pieces back together.

Cliché: When did your love for mu Christina: I think my love for m Christmas carols to everybody who did people and didn’t think anything of it. theater my whole life growing up and songs about all the boys that I was falli

Cliché: So, that’s also when you s Christina: Yes, that’s when I st and I just kind of went with it.

Cliché: Do you have a specific Christina: Not really. I fe at all. Like, I know with Jar of it, which is the only reason w someone else’s house, or driv

Cliché: Is there a particu Christina: I feel like w going to write a song today,” comes next is a song.

Cliché: You took a leave Christina: That was pre doing when I was nineteen. I h I ended up staying in seventee I got to spend time with my f for the rest of my life, but I c

Cliché: How and when d Christina: I was twent waank” about everything. I re he was like “Chris, you should place until you get money and my twenty first birthday and I in a row. I remember my neighb know what to do. I didn’t know the weird homesick stuff, I could just worked out.

Cliché: How did you go from y Christina: Well, I put a lot of really think too much about it as a

usic begin? music happened right when I was born. I think I was just always meant to do this. I was like three when I would sing dn’t even really want to listen. Then when I was six I sang at my holy communion in church in front of like four hundred . So, I think it’s just always been the thing in my life that has been constant, and has really been meant to be for me. I did then it wasn’t until I was fifteen that I fell in love, picked up a guitar, and taught myself how to play so that I could sing ing in and out of love with.

started writing songs? tarted writing songs and playing piano at the same time. I kind of went back and forth on a very minimal level of chords

c process when writing and composing songs? eel like I write songs differently every time. I feel like the ones that really stand out are the songs I can’t remember writing f Hearts I was sitting on my bed wearing this weird furry hat in my parent’s house in Philly because I made a video about why I remember doing that. Otherwise it just kind of comes through me. Like, on an airplane, or in my house, or at ving in the car. Anywhere.

ular mood that you are in when you write? Or is it just how you’re feeling during that specific moment? whenever I write a song, it is because I am overwhelmed with emotion. So, I’ve never woken up like “Oh I think I’m ” it’s more like I’m either really upset, or really happy, or really sad. I’m full to the brim with an emotion and then what

e of absence from Philadelphia’s school of arts and went to Italy. What was that experience like? etty bananas. I just decided that I didn’t know where I belonged. I just, didn’t love school and I didn’t know what I was have about a million family members there and hadn’t met any of them. So, I just bought a ticket and went to Italy and en towns. I ended up farming and making olive oil and wine and then vacationing, and working more. It was just crazy. family and figure out what I really wanted to do with my life. When I left I was like “Okay, I’d really love to stay in Italy can feel a pull back to America to get cracking on.... me.”

did you decide to move to Los Angeles? ty years old; it was a year after I got back from Italy. I left school again and I was working in a deli and I was just “waaaemember my big brother, who is a musician and a super awesome guy, he has an apartment, or had one here in LA and d just move out here” and he wasn’t in LA but his apartment was. He was like “I’m on tour but you can just stay at my d then you can get your own place” and I don’t know, he didn’t have to ask me twice. I was just like “Okay!” and I left on moved to LA with my guitar and suitcase and my “dream” and landed here. I knew no one. I cried for like twelve days bors were always knocking on my door like “Are you okay in there?” and I was like “I’m fine! I wanted to come!” I didn’t it was going to be that scary. I don’t know. What happened was, I just believed that I needed to be here so that even all d just feel something bigger was going to happen. So I stayed and got a waitressing job and met a bunch of people. It all

your early days of YouTube videos and working as a barista to scoring a record deal? f videos up on YouTube for a couple of years. It was just for me. It was like a video blog or a diary kind of thing. I didn’t big avenue to get discovered. But, what happened was my best friend on the planet and I.... It was this night last year before the Grammys and she was like “Please come over and play. I want to dance.” and I was like “Absolutely not. I’m exhausted. I’ve been barista-ing all day and I just want to go to bed,” and she was like “No. Please! I just broke up with this guy and I just want to dance.” and I was like “Fine. You’re my best friend.” So, I went over with my guitar and I sat in the corner of her living room and she moved all of her furniture and was just flailing around while I was playing a song called “Black and Blue” and apparently a guy she dated, tweeted the song of the video that she posted on YouTube. Somehow that got into an email to my manager, or soon to be manager, and he was like “Who is this person?” So I would say that putting my stuff out on YouTube was a great idea because it’s opened a whole bunch of doors that weren’t there. But then, what happened after that was that I went into the studio and I started working

my butt off on songs and recording and writing and then all of the sudden, again I met with luck and fate and preparation or whatever they say. That same best friend, the one who was dancing around the living room, grew up with a choreographer on “So You Think You Can Dance” and they were like “Hey, we need some music for the show” and my friend Keltie was like “Well, this is a demo, but it’s really good.” What happened next, is not suppose to happen. Everybody approved it. Producers 1, 2, 3 and the creator of the show were like “Yeah. That’s good,” and then all of a sudden this nonexistent, unsigned artist is sitting in the audience with my best friend and they are dancing to my song and then about forty-five minutes after it aired on TV. My entire life was different. I existed.

Cliché: Fans seem to really connect with you through your announcements and home videos where you sing your own songs, as well as covers. Does it ever get overwhelming or intimidating to put yourself out there?

Christina: I feel like while my life is crazy and moving super fast, the communication I have with everyone who comes to my Facebook and Twitter and to my YouTube channel, even the people that write me emails, are really what makes it all worth it. It is such a collaborative thing. I wouldn’t want to be doing all of this crazy stuff if I didn’t have communication with these people. I’m just stoked that I get to be me and do all my dorky stuff. You know, my covers and the things that I post, it’s just so cool to get to be me and to have that back and forth with people. I mean, people are like “I love that! That song made me feel better! This boy in the fourth grade broke my heart and I was like “Who do you think you are?” and I’m like yes!” That just feeds my soul.

Cliché: Yes, you seem to have a lot of support on your website and your YouTube channel, fans are just so happy to hear everything that you have going on.

Christina: It’s amazing.

Cliché: So, why do you think that so many people instantly fell in love with the song “Jar of Hearts” when it aired on So You Think You Can Dance?

Christina: I think there was this combination of art that happened. There were seven other songs on that show that night, but I think it was the perfect combination of dancing and the dancers themselves, the choreography, the song, the platform. Everything combined into the right place at the right time type of thing. Also, the song couldn’t be more authentic. For me. It’s not like you listen to Jar of Hearts and you’re like “That girl is full of crap.

She didn’t get her heart broken!” It’s like, “Woah. I feel bad for her.” or “What an asshole!” So, I feel like it was just a combination of things, but they all made people feel. I think when you make somebody feel something, you can’t fake it. All of the sudden, Jar of Hearts connected with all the people that heard it because they felt something. From there, it just kind of blew up.

Cliché: What was it like performing it for the first time live on So You Think You Can Dance? What kind of thoughts were running through your head?

Christina: When I performed on So You Think You Can Dance it was only my second time playing the song in its entirety. It was my first “real” performance because I had played coffee houses and in my living room on YouTube, but you know it’s not the same as national television. So, I wasn’t thinking. I think my big thing that I do and continue to do every single day is to not think because I would just scare myself so badly. Some of the stuff I have done has just been so nerve-wracking and so if I don’t think and I’m just like “Go! Do!” and then I’m like “Okay!” , I’m in the moment. So, I remember being at So You Think You Can Dance wearing my amazing Marc Jacobs dress and everybody being like “Uh” and their faces were more nervous than mine, you know? I was just like “Why is everyone so nervous?” because I was just so present. I just didn’t think and then I remember I went out on stage and there was a moment when I looked out and there were the dancers and my string players and then the audience, and I was in like a spaceship, I don’t know if you remember, but the set looked like a spaceship and I was like “Where am I?” and then I was like “Go away!” because I didn’t want to be present anymore then. I went to some other planet and performed it and didn’t think. That’s my trick.

Cliché: There’s definitely a theme throughout the album. Do you think the songs on your album are one big story or are they a bunch of little stories?

Christina: I sat back and I looked at it and I wouldn’t title the album until it was close to the deadline because I just wanted this piece of art to be something and I wanted to figure out what the songs are together. They are all about love because that is what inspires me. But, they are all about strength in some way. Whether it is getting over somebody, or seeking revenge. Whether it’s not feeling so lonely, or feeling so heartbroken, or sad. It’s all about feeling and it’s up and down. I’ve got some really upbeat songs and some really super creepy sad ones. I just feel like it’s an experience, which is what I’ve always dreamed of for an album. So, I feel like the songs kind of title the album, which is Lovestrong.

Cliché: Your songs aren’t only about love, but also about dealing with a broken heart and sadness. What was it like recording such honest lyrics?

Christina: You know, it’s so funny. Recording the album is what I say was the best thirty-three days of my life and the worst thirty-three days of my life. I had the whole spectrum. I obviously had so much fun singing and playing guitar and playing piano and harmonizing, just all that stuff. But, at the same time I didn’t realize that every time I went into the vocal booth... I’m not singing songs about the sun shining on a beach and having a great day.

I’m really digging in. If I didn’t mentally go back to 2007 or 2008 or four months ago when I was extremely lonely, sitting in my car crying; if I didn’t go there then you wouldn’t believe the songs. So, I wanted to rip open all my wounds and feel all of those feelings again to experience that time again, and then stitch it back up and put it out into the world.

Cliché: So, with such open and honest lyrics, do you think that your songs act as a form of therapy for yourself?

Or are you hoping you share it with others so that it will act as therapy for someone else?

Christina: Yes. I want all of these songs to make people feel something. So, for me it definitely makes me feel better. Every time that I sing Jar of Hearts, I get over it a little bit more. Every time I sing any of the songs, I feel better. I feel like that will hopefully happen to the listeners and they will just feel better and less alone. Feeling less heart broken and stronger. So, as long as I make the listeners feel something then I feel like I have achieved my purpose.

Cliché: Do you have a personal favorite song from the album?

Christina: Oh! That’s so hard! I have a different favorite every day. I think that right now my favorite on Lovestrong is “Tragedy.” It is my oldest song on the album. I wrote it when I was seventeen. It came out so wonderful, I think. There’s a violin and it’s this “anthemic” song with this group vocal at the end and it ends the album. I think it’s the perfect ending. Right now, it’s my favorite but I bet it will change.

[INSERT AUDIO “TRAGEDY.MP3 HERE]

AUDIO

Cliché: Do you get stage fright at all?

Christina: Absolutely. I would say that a few hours prior to every performance my stomach just tightens and I’m like “Ohhhh” until the show is over. But, I got hard on myself a little bit about stage fright and I realized that if I wasn’t so nervous that maybe I wouldn’t be so passionate. So, I kind of have embraced the nervous stomach “I’m going to barf ” feeling because then I go out on stage and I just explode and have the best time ever. So, I think they go hand in hand.

Cliché: So, what do you have in store for the future?

Christina: Well, I just want to meet everybody who has been buying my music and listening to it and writing to me. I want to go to everybody’s hometowns and meet them and hug them and hear their stories about why their hearts feel better. I think in 2011 that’s going to be my goal. Just to meet everybody.

-Introduction by Rachel Vincent, Interview conducted by Melissa Darcey *Photos courtesy of Lani Lee

T

owards the late ‘90s, music videos nearly vanished from the entertainment scene as MTV replaced their 24-hour airings with raunchy reality television.

As much as people love watching celebrity hookups and teen mothers bawl, many have expressed their disappointment with MTV no longer being true “music television.” Just because videos were stripped away and are now only played at outlandish hours of the morning it doesn’t mean that viewers devalue them.

In more recent years, the way people gain

access to music has been expanded into more than just a purchase from iTunes. Illegal downloading is an increasingly common alternative, as are websites and online radio. But the popular media sharing site YouTube may just be the one alternative with the power to salvage this long-lost media.

The height of its role in the music industry can be measured by comparing it to Pandora, a frequently utilized online radio device. Pandora does have its perks - choose your favorite artist, and a playlist of related songs is generated for your listening pleasure. YouTube provides this

any time, and it is much easier than downloading.

This, along with the allure of music videos, is what is making YouTube kind of a big deal.

The music industry is responding to the spiking interest by employing the new “VEVO.�

Created in 2009, this website project was collaborated between Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media; syndicating music videos across the Internet, and also offering them through an iPhone app, Google TV and Android phones.

-Kailan Kalina

*Photos courtesy of Alex Osterwalder, Redsoul300 via Flickr.com

same convenience; however, searches can be more specific and upon finding a song, you are reeled into watching the video that accompanies it.

What element of music videos was so magnetic to its fans? There are many possibilities, not limited to the costumes, the dancing, sex appeal or whatever the underlying idea of the situation it presents. In the end, the names Micheal Jackson, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears are all that need to be mentioned.

The attraction to YouTube emanates from the opportunity to enjoy desired music for free at

*Photos courtesy of Oh Land Music

Every once in a while, an artist comes along who pushes the boundaries of musical expression and sweeps the world off its feet. Cue Nanna “Oh Land” Fabricius, the 25-year-old who hails from Copenhagen, Denmark, and her army of lights, drumsticks, and dozens of balloons.

It was no surprise that the daughter of an opera singer and composer went on to pursue such a promising career in the music world, a passion for performing arts pumping through her brain.

After studying ballet for ten years, an injury caused her to give up her dream of becoming a professional ballerina . Fabricius put her heart on the line to enchant the world in a whole other way: through music. This highly inventive singer/producer has since won the hearts of America with her surprising choice of background instruments, intimate lyrics and a curtain of blonde bangs.

Having spent much of her life and especially her childhood surrounded by stage performers and theater, Oh Land became determined to pair her music with something visually beautiful. She aims to use as many elements as possible in perfect combination to

awaken the senses of her audience and leave them spellbound.

“I want my music to feel like 2050 meets something really classic,” says Oh Land, “like meeting a stranger that feels as familiar as an old friend.”

The first time I came across her music video for “Sun of a Gun” I was completely hypnotized by the eerie field of lights and her robotic ringer snaps. This electropop single plays on the word “sun” as she expresses her need to break free of the orbit she follows around a former love. Another visual masterpiece would be her live video for “Wolf & I” where she cleverly uses a projector to cast her own face and the faces of wolves across a pool of white balloons at her feet.

Although, I’m sure Oh Land would have made a great ballerina, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thankful she picked up music instead. I’m certain all her fans could agree.

-Megan Portorreal

F

or some time now, Canada's indie music scene has been making its mark worldwide and probably packing your iPhone with tunes. It’s no surprise that Montreal’s Arcade Fire won album of the year at the 2011 Grammy’s. However, it was a surprise to many Americans who are submerged ear-deep in only what the radio decides to play.

Arcade Fire has set the bar high for every Canadian band that comes after them. But Toronto’s Sweet Thing is rising to the challenge. Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Sweet Thing is making its way to your table, and here's the appetizer to wet your pallet.

Sweet Thing consists of 5 dudes - Owen Carrier (vocals), Alex Winter (guitar), Nick Rose (vocals, guitar), Morgan Waters (Bass), and Tyler Kyte (drums). Classic "power-pop" melodies accentuated by soulful harmonies and dueling guitars, their music blurs the lines between Motown

soul and electric rock. Tambourines included, their music consists of foot stomping grooves that will make you want to dance (even if you don't want to dance). Plus, they're pretty cute, which doesn't hurt.

Doing it the old-fashioned way, playing shows since 2006 in their native Toronto, they've built an avid following and have been especially praised for their electric live show. The momentum that began in Toronto’s club scene secured the band a deal with EMI, and they recorded their debut record at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles with Rob Schnapf (Elliot Smith, Beck). You may recognize their second single, "Change of Seasons," featured in the 2010 film "Easy A," as well as "Vampire Diaries" and "Private Practice." Check out their video for “Change of Seasons” directed by the acclaimed Michael Maxxis.

*Photos courtesy of Jessica Earnshaw

Just about to head out on a cross-Canada tour with Down With Webster, I got the opportunity to ask Tyler from Sweet Thing a few questions.

CLICHE: What is your first memory of making music together?

TYLER KYTE: Nick put this band together for his parents’ 25th wedding anniversary.

We played everything from The Beatles, The Band, Neil Young and a couple of originals.

That was the first time we ever played together.

CLICHE: What is your writing process?

TK: It goes on a song by song basis. Sometimes one member of the band will write the song and other times it’s a group effort that is a result of banging our heads together in the rehearsal space.

CLICHE: What are your influences?

TK: We’re all big fans of pop music.

Beatles, Van Morrison, Michael Jackson, The Cars,

Weezer, and most other bands.

CLICHE: Where were you when you first heard your song on the radio? What was it like?

TK: Driving from Victoria to Nanaimo we heard our first single “Dance Mother.” We blared it, high-fived and then moved on.

CLICHE: You’ve been touring for quite some time. For your next record, do you have an idea of where you’d like to take it musically?

TK: We’re going to take more changes, go bigger and rock harder.

CLICHE: What is the best and worst about touring?

TK: Both - the van.

CLICHE: Why is music important to you?

TK: Because it’s everything. It’s what we all grew up loving and [it’s what we] spend all our time and effort trying to do.

CLICHE: As a band, where do you want to be in 5 years?

TK: Hopefully we’ll be doing the same thing we’re doing now, playing shows, keeping busy, and writing music.

Check out more band info and tour dates at www.sweetthingmusic.com.

-Alexz Johnson

jazz’s

NOT-QUITE-NEW

ambassador

Wild as the wind is our love for musician Esperanza Spalding.

At 26-years-old, this bassist, composer and vocalist is spicing up the world of jazz with a voice that oozes both spunk and sophistication.

Combined with passionate instrumentals, she creates an enticing sound that snagged her the 2011 Grammy Award for Best New Artist last February-- but her strides in the music world began long before mainstream recognition.

Born into a financially-strained home in Portland, Oregon; Esperanza flourished into the woman she is today with guidance from her mother alone. Music sparked light into her life the moment she saw cellist Yo Yo Ma on the television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood when she was four. A year later, Spalding was playing the violin in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon. She was promoted to concertmaster when she was 15.

Esperanza then opened herself up to the wonders of the bass and dabbled in new styles beyond the classical domain; particularly blues and hip-hop. After earning her GED at 16, she became the youngest bass player in the music program at Portland State University, and then went to the Berklee College of Music. She studied there for three years and was appointed an instructor by the age of 20.

Her solo career launched in May 2008 with the debut of her album Esperanza. For 70 weeks straight, it was perched at the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart. The public took notice of this innate beauty’s killer sense of rhythm and vocal talents, as she appeared on several late-night and early-morning talk shows and radio programs.

Spalding has racked up a number of noteworthy awards, including 2009 JazzWeek Award for Record of the Year, and the Jazz Journalists Association’s 2009 Jazz Award for Up and Coming Artist of the Year. She was even featured in an ad campaign for Banana Republic, and was asked sincerely by President Obama himself to take the stage at the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 2009.

-Kailan Kalina *Photo Courtesy of Andrea Mancini via flickr.com

esperanza spalding Live at the White House

Performing “Winter Sun� on David Letterman

*Photo courtesy of jessicamelling via Flickr

You’re on your way to work. You want to listen to some music, but you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for; so, you hit the ever popular “seek” button and hope it makes the decision for you. First stop: “We Speak No Americano” by Yolanda Be Cool.

Second stop: “Stereo Love” by Edward Maya Feat. Vika Jigulina. You realize you like each option the seek button has to offer because you genuinely enjoy the cultural flavor every song brings to the table. Not only that, but you feel like you’ve heard these beats somewhere before even though the sounds are new.

“We Speak No Americano,” for example, was inspired by the 1956 Italian hit,“Tu Vu Fa L’Americano” by Renato Carosone. With a small modern twist, the familiar beats from the original song traveled to the ears of Australian band Yolanda Be Cool, and from there it was translated to the trendy hit we know today. Their smash hit can be heard blaring through radio speakers anywhere from the United States to Turkey, and it’s just a matter of time before a third revelation is inspired by this classic beat.

“Stereo Love” is another success story of a catchy beat that has people from all countries dancing the night away. Romanian musician Edward Maya is the musical genius responsible for the club hit, but he didn’t do it alone. Fusing the refrain from the song “Bayatilar” by Azerbaijani artist Eldar Manserov, Maya was able to craft this mystical techno hit, which dominated the charts in Romania, France, Finland, Spain, Sweden and Ireland. While its origins stem from the discreet land of Azerbaijani, Maya turned his song into a contagious and modern melody that threads in and out of ears worldwide.

The international globalization of music around the world is a never-ending cycle that opens our ears to new beats, new styles and new fusions that will mold the music of tomorrow. So say goodbye to the bubblegum pop and raunchy rap music, and say hello to the festive fun beats that traveled up from the past, in and out of numerous countries, and are waiting only a seek button away.

-Olivia Krawczyk

Picture two rooms at a house party. In one room, there is a huge speaker system, and the birthday girl is the only one who gets to pick the music. She’s playing the Spice Girls and charging a ten dollar cover to get into her room. In the second room, a bunch of people are dancing with headphones on. They brought their own music, and some of them are sharing earphones. This room is BYOB, so nobody spent more than they wanted to. A wide variety of music is being played, with some of them even listening to the Spice Girls. The first room represents the past of the music industry, where major labels have had all the power in determining what music is available. The second room represents the industry in its present and future form, where the industry is shifting toward the right-hand side of the graph.

The Long Tail is a term first coined

by Chris Anderson, the Editor-in-Chief of Wired magazine, in 2004. It’s a business model that predicts a change in the relationship between consumers and

producers. When applied to music, it resembles the second room at the house party in which consumers have access to a wider variety of music than they used to. This is because technology gives every artists the same potential to distribute their music as major label artists. According to this model and the distribution equality brought about by the Internet, there are more niche markets. So, individual superstars are less common, but artists all across the board are sharing the attention.

We spoke to Claude Zdanow, the founder of Stadium Red Studios in Harlem, New York City, to get his take on the current state of the music industry.

Stadium Red has been credited with eight Grammys in total, four in this year alone.

They’ve worked with artists ranging from Eminem and Drake to Yo Yo Ma and the Chicago Symphony. Zdanow believes that his studio’s success is partly due to how well his employees understand the changing world of music.

Cliché: Do you think the Long Tail theory

is true today?

Zdanow: It’s true, everything today is about access. Consumers are flooded with so much more content so much more quickly that it’s really given the opportunity for the whole industry to change. It’s not really about the sales of music anymore.

It’s not really about albums or whatever.

It’s about making connections with the consumer and consumers having access, but also having a brand that you then monetize, a brand that has value. The music itself is the marketing tool now.

Every song is a new commercial between TV shows, so it becomes about having a better commercial that will get you, as a brand, as the product you are trying to sell, noticed.

Cliché: Does this change the meaning

of success for the artist? And is it harder for one artist to get noticed with so many other artists getting noticed around them?

Zdanow: It’s not as cut and dry as it used to be. The old formula used to be: you make a great sounding record, you have a great song, and you take it to the record label.

The record label signs you; they develop you because they believe in you; they put lots of money behind you and then just hope you’re going to be the next big star.

You were either famous and had hit singles, or you didn’t. It’s not like that anymore.

A lot of people don’t realize that you can make a living off of music, like a normal job, without having to be a celebrity or a superstar. If you can have a thousand, two thousand engaged fans, people who support your stuff, you can make a living. You can go out and play shows and connect with these one to two thousand people that like you. You can sell the music to them, and you can do it all independently and be successful. You could have never done it in the past, but now you can be an independent artist and have a YouTube presence, and make money on ad revenue for putting out

videos that you filmed yourself with a $300 dollar camera from BestBuy, as you record yourself with your Mac laptop and you sell directly, independently, online through iTunes. There’s a whole other model for that indie artist.

On the flipside of things, for the major branches and superstars, it’s different now, too. The model no longer is that you can go and sign to a label and they spend money developing you and everything else. Basically… because now the tools are there for you to be able to be a go-getter and put together a great sounding project, labels don’t spend the development money on it anymore because it’s almost like they expect the people who are going to be really good, who have the potential to have big success, to kind of work for themselves.

You have this ability to create these great products and when you’re ready to put your music out there, it’s about having a different sound. It’s about having a niche, about being separated from the rest of the market.

From there it’s about capitalizing, and that’s what a lot of labels are doing now.

It’s the idea that, “Okay, Lady Gaga has a hit song. It doesn’t matter if she sells her album or the other ten songs. That one hit song has now connected her with a million fans, and now we have the email addresses of those fans, and we know their demographic because the Internet lets us do that. Now, let’s market to that one segment; let’s put her on tour in the segments where those people are; let’s sell products in those areas because we know they like Lady Gaga there.”

It’s created the ability to have a much more specific attack. Consumers can now connect on a regular basis with the band they like, and that band can directly market to them. So is it harder or easier now to break through? Yes, there’s more content out there now, and consumers have more in front of their faces, but there’s also more reach. As an artist you have more reach; and as a consumer, it’s easier to access people that, in the past, you would have never been able to access.

smaller artists is taking away from the attention that mainstream artists receive?

Do they become less of a marketable icon because there are so many alternative options?

Zdanow: It’s interesting to say, it’s debatable. Years ago, there was only a certain number of CDs you could have in a CD book. You could only have 12 tracks on a CD. Now, I can sit with my iPod and have 3,000 songs, and different playlists depending on how I’m feeling at the time of day. I can be exposed to all these different types of music and have more favorites. I don’t have to be obsessed with whatever is on the radio; I can be into multiple things.

It’s easier to have more music.

The distinction between major artists and indie artists is starting to blur, and there are now levels in between, where artists are making money in their own niches. But the artists at the very top of that spectrum are always going to be able to be huge and make tons of money. They can be in a TV show one day, have a clothing line tomorrow, and open a restaurant the next day.

Cliché: Do you think we’re going to keep

moving in this direction?

Zdanow: I feel like we’ve had this up and down cycle a little bit. Here’s a great example: When the iPod first came out it changed everything; it was about everything being smaller and smaller. Even before the iPod, you had the Mp3. But then technology caught up, and size [wasn’t a factor] because everything got as small as it could be. It stopped mattering if the Mp3 was big or small because we had so much hard drive space. So where could the market go next? How do we improve? Oh, quality.

Quality is coming back again. You see things like hdtracks.com, and all these websites about high-end music and highquality stuff. As consumers we need the best thing, so what’s happened is that people

are starting to care about how things sound again. Everything is moving towards this direction. I think we’re going to see a similar thing happen with artist exposure.

We’re going to have overexposure, seeing too much of an artist, and all of a sudden we’ll scale back a bit. There will be so many people trying to get access, and so many perfume lines and clothing lines that it’s going to revert back to not being about the most exposed, but about putting our brands on good products. Are we doing something different that’s also better?

Cliché: Then are things going to level

out for the mainstream artist and the indie artist?

Zdanow: I would think so. It’s hard to say where it’s going to level out, because who knows what the next big technological jolt is going to be. The whole industry is revolving around technology. It’s hard to say if it’s going to level out, but now what we’re already seeing and will continue see, with [major artists and indie artists], is that now people understand this exposure thing. [So now], whether you’re an indie artist or a major artist, having a goodsounding record really matters, because every kid on the street has a $300 set of headphones that actually sound pretty good.

If you’re an indie artist and you want to get into Lady Gaga’s part of the market, and her recording sounds really great, and you put your stuff up and it doesn’t sound as good, people are going to notice the difference and like the Lady Gaga record more. At the same time, if indie artists are putting out really good stuff, doing it independently for cheap, and they’re doing it because they care about quality, then Lady Gaga can’t just put out something that’s half-assed. They have to still care about making good quality stuff. So you’re going to have that balancing act, and then it will move on to the next big thing, the next big movement.

-Mario Weddell

*Photos courtesy of Claude Zdanow

Cliché: Do you think this exposure for

Did you think we’d let you leave so soon?

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