The C-Word

My friend Joe Mardin (songwriter, musician, producer, recording artist), cringes when he hears the word “content” substituted for music. The implication is that music exists to fill space. (I’m sure he’s not the only one.)

In a digital marketplace which has made it possible for a dizzying amount of material to be continuously and constantly released the zeitgeist has embraced the c-word for its all-encompassing tech-friendly (but artless) appeal.

I wonder how Joe’s father, the late beloved Arif Mardin — producer of “She’s Gone” and “Jive Talkin’” and winner of countless GRAMMYs Awards — would feel about his body of work being described as content. Does Taylor Swift think of the 13 tracks on “Midnights” as content? Isn’t it belittling for someone of her stature?  

That said, what does it matter how well-known a song or artist is? Songs are written with love, sweat and tears. Why would referring to anyone’s 'babies’ as content be acceptable? As far as I’m concerned even the songs I’ve written that never charted (99.9% of them) still matter. So, I take the c-word personally.

Well, I have a theory: If we continue referring to music as content, we’re giving license and incentive to those it benefits should the language stick.

See…it’s widely known that music makers are under-compensated for the very work that allows the music industry to exist. And thrive! Thanks to the voices of organizations like SONA, we have made some progress in recent months — the Copyright Royalty Board agreed to raise mechanical royalty rates). But the 15.35% increase will only bump us $23 more per one million streams. Helpful, but not exactly a significant quality-of-life-changer. Clearly we need keep fighting. And we will.

Labels fault DSPs who point the fault back to the labels. The fact is they’re both at fault while creators take the hit. But maybe the labels and Tech companies feel justified in continuing to underpay us when they’re underpaying us for something many of us are complicit in calling content. 🙄 After all, they’re not stupid. They’re well aware that…

In the internet age content is king. But music means so much more.

Content is what we wind up writing when we don’t necessarily have anything to say.

Content is stuff in a suitcase.

Content is a table on the first page of a novel with the titles of all the chapters. 

Content often wants to sell us something. Subscribe to a newsletter.

But music is selfless. It wants to give. Connect. Change the world. 

Calling music content is degrading to our work and to us.

Now, I’m not saying that if we cease using the c-word we’ll suddenly prosper, but rather that continuing to give it cred is bad Karma. It puts a hex on our livelihood. The Universe hears us. 

Full disclosure — I had just had a gummy when this occurred to me. But to be fair after the gummy wore off it it still made sense. 🙃

The c-word should be reserved for marketing meetings where “SEO,” “branding strategies,” “views,” “meta,” “shares,” “likes,” “reach,” serve the goal of building a robust and engaging business…and not as it applies to a precious commodity. 

In a recent Rolling Stone article my SONA colleague Lauren Christy (who’s written hits for Avril Lavigne, Bebe Rexha, Korn, Iggy Azalea) says the non-performing songwriter who writes for recording artists eventually won’t exist anymore without further industry intervention to give us more equity. She suggests there might not be another Burt Bacharach or Diane Warren. 

Do you know how crazy that makes me? I’ve devoted my life to the service (and joy) of writing songs. I’ve supported myself on the craft, raised a daughter, traveled.  

In the same article an unidentified industry source concludes: without songwriters the industry won’t be thinking about the greater level of creativity…without the songwriting, at some point all this just becomes content.” 

Sigh. Exactly. 

I’m aware the devaluation of music isn’t happening because we’re calling music content. But it doesn’t help! 

So let’s stop. And if a friend outside the industry happens to use the c-word instead of “music” let them know it makes you cringe. Give them a chance to rethink it.

Content is the ingredients on a soup can. 

Music has a meaningful message.

Content is information.

Music is feeling.

Content is inanimate.

Music is life. 

❤️🎸

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