“a hit is a hit is a hit is a hit”
does the classic phase: “a hit is a hit” hold up in today’s digital music paradigm?
The hit song has been the music industry’s way to define music as both a cultural and commercial powerhouse. Music companies aim to try to exploit the potential of both of these, knowing that they can’t go full commercial without cultural connections but not go too cultural and relinquish their ability to garner money.
But are all hits the same? Through asset class analysis (ugh, an upsetting term, to be honest), the essential delineation between hits claims that some songs/recordings (or collection of songs/recordings in the case of a catalog) don’t function the same. Their future anticipated value can drastically change based on a myriad of factors: genre (pop vs. country), platform performance (some genres do better on streaming/synchronization than others), age of the composition (for the purpose of termination rights in the US), nature of ownership (how many people/entities have a financial stake in a composition). So while Sandstorm by Darude & Send My Love (To Your New Lover) by Adele are both “hits,” differences in genre, platform performance dynamics, and ownership throw these songs in radically different directions regarding their “value.”
As a quick primer, I distinguish between song/recording because, truthfully, they are very different things (song: the unique combination of melody and lyrics + recording: capturing a specific performance of a song). A recording is nothing without the song, and songs need to be recorded to be heard.
Especially when looking at a hit, I think it is a fun exercise to think, would the same song be a “hit” if it were first performed by another person? Labels and publishers are forever entwined in a complicated dance of deriving and delivering hits. Personally, I would argue that a hit composition is a hit regardless of the performance. ~ BUT ~ I think you put a cap on its success if the wrong performer takes the first crack at it. As the record industry goes, they pour gasoline where there is a spark, but if there is no flame, they’ll take their flammable liquid elsewhere (even if the only thing it needs is time, labels always seem to be short on that very thing).
I left the term “value” undefined. Because value means something to everyone. Especially when introducing the dynamics of cultural value vs. commerical value. Things with significant cultural value aren’t easily commoditized, and, if it is commoditized, chances are…it ain’t “it”. Which I’ll conclude isn’t a bad thing. This train of thought isn’t to demonize or point to one over the other, I aim to expose the threads underlying the debates and eventual creation of culture goods.
Are all hits created equal? Or do you think there is a reason some do better than others? How would you define value?
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