Washed Out: Homespun Music Seals Record Industry Fate
It’s what Trent Reznor’s been trying to do. It’s what Radiohead is getting close to doing. It’s what a 26 year-old guy making synthpop tracks out of his bedroom at his parents’ home in rural Georgia has done.
Prove that the world is flat. The music world, that is.
Ernest Greene, the sole musician of Washed Out, was just another Southern boy reflecting on the state of the economy after graduating from college, moving back into the parents’ house to save money. Oh, and turning out one of the most magical albums in years.
It doesn’t hurt that its artistic purity hasn’t been spoiled by six-figure producers, million-dollar equipment, and a soul pact with the recording industry.
One of my favorite tracks on the Life of Leisure EP is “Feel it all around.” It’s got this haunting, 80’s energy that makes you want to spend the weekend curled up watching Sixteen Candles, with the occasional intermission to go running slow motion through wispy blades of grass.
Check it out on iTunes. Close your eyes. Feel something.
Since Greene just finished his album and released it about a week ago, he hasn’t had a lot of spare time to produce YouTube videos for his sparkling gems. But in a move that seems almost prescient, fans of Washed Out are stitching the music to animatics, static photos, and screen savers and posting them to YouTube. Hard to tell where “customers own the brand” stops and crowdsourcing begins.
This video for the song “New Theory” is a little rudimentary, but give a few weeks and I bet we’ll start to see these fan videos increasing in production value and complexity.
Like this one from filmmaker Chase Heavener found on Vimeo:
It’s exciting to think of the future… the intersection of independently-released musical genius and the passionate creativity fans add to it. Considering there’s no RIAA standing between the fan and the art, it allows for real engagement. And that’s where the magic begins. Consumers fleeing an over-commercialized world would rather see a raw, genuine take on the music, experiencing it through the eyes of an everyman as opposed to watching a multi-million dollar MTV creation. Call it the exponential result of reality TV.
Whoa.
The implications stretch way beyond music. How will increasing consumer creativity and active involvement change the future of advertising? Will the customer eventually own crowdsourcing outright? And will brands be willing to let go even more than they do now? Do they have a choice?
Maybe we should ask the recording industry how that all went for them. When a 26 year-old boy-next-door can whip out an epic album in a couple of months, and release it without mountains of red tape and industry bureaucracy, something compelling is on the horizon.
