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Four long decades have seen so many break-ups, retirements, disagreements, falling-outs and reunions that it’s hard to keep track.
Given the dizzying history and interpersonal complexities, we can only consider it a small miracle that Fleetwood Mac 2013 consists of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. Only the retired singer / songwriter Christine McVie (ex-wife of John) is absent from the iconic Rumours-era line-up. The others will all be taking to the O2 Dublin stage in September.
The remaining quartet was also responsible for the ‘Extended Play’ EP released earlier this year - the first new Fleetwood Mac material in a decade. The reviews were reserved but respectful, determining it was solid ‘three star’ material; not another Tusk or Rumours (one of the best selling records of all time - estimates of around 40 million sales - and a perpetual presence on ‘best albums of all times’ lists).
Six studio albums followed Rumours but none could repeat it’s phenomenal success. The band name alone ensured several subsequent releases went Platinum. Whatever about the others, Rumours’ staggering sales alone exemplifies the fact that the band were, and continue to be, one of the biggest beneficiaries of the traditional record sales model. Behind the scenes, however, the band continues to experiment in surprising ways.
Extended Play was released digitally and independently, through LMJS (Lindsey, Mick, John, Stevie) Productions rather than their long-term label Warner Bros, and in June, the band signed a ‘first-of-its-kind’ deal with American radio conglomerate Clear Channel. The deal was dubbed a “direct performing rights partnership” - effectively a deal between the company and the band to ensure the band receives fixed revenue from any airplay of their new songs on both digital & broadcast radio. Although performance royalties are typically paid to artists in other countries, it is only now beginning to be implemented in the US through Fleetwood Mac and a handful of indie labels.
While many artists have spoken up about the battle for digital royalties, Fleetwood Mac have managed to forge a deal that is seemingly satisfactory to both themselves and Clear Channel (who operate 850 US radio stations) - bypassing the record labels who traditionally act as intermediaries.
Bob Pittman, CEO of Clear Channel calls Fleetwood Mac “the perfect band for radio... Reaching an agreement with them is the clearest sign yet that this kind of revenue-sharing model represents the industry’s future – it is a win-win-win, for artists, fans and the music business.”
The band’s longtime manager Irving Azoff - who, tellingly, is a member of the Clear Channel board of directors - says that the band “has consistently pushed the envelope. It’s fitting that a group that’s played such an integral role in radio and music history would be the first band to take such a major step - helping the music industry create a sustainable digital marketplace so it can thrive for decades to come.”
As significant as the deal is, it is currently only for one band on one service. While Clear Channel (and its digital offshoot iHeartMusic) is a major player in the US, it is international streaming services like Spotify that are really causing contention. The arguments against such services are many: that they pay artists a pittance, that they suit ‘catalogue’ material more than new releases, that establishing or independent artists are getting lost in the crowd (the latter point recently receiving a lot of media attention after Thom Yorke pulled his solo material from Spotify in solidarity with neglected new talent). Indeed, Spotify don’t even deal directly with artists.
On the other hand, the most common argument for such services is that the traditional model is gone and isn’t coming back, and it’s better to start establishing a model where the artist is paid something instead of nothing. It’s an acceptable compromise between the various interests that is proving difficult to achieve.
Cellist Zoë Keating publicly released details of her earnings, revealing that less than 5% of her digital income comes from streaming services compared to paid downloads. But she remains level-headed about streaming. In her public Google spreadsheet, Keating writes, “I think Spotify is awesome as a listening platform. In my opinion artists should view it as a discovery service rather than a source of income.” However, she also points out “I've said multiple times what my issue with Spotify is: fairness. I care about making the playing field level for all recording artists: signed or unsigned.”
Certainly, this is where the Fleetwood Mac arrangement proves both more and less progressive than it might initially appear. On one hand, the fact that it signals a service provider making a direct deal with an ‘unsigned’ artist is a promising development. If such a model is adapted further, all categories of musicians might find themselves in a more favourable position. Then again, new artists aren’t Fleetwood Mac, and probably don’t have the privilege of their manager being on the board of directors of an influential company.
Will the Fleetwood Mac deal prove to be a trendsetter? Is it a mere aberration in an endless battle between commerce, art and digitisation? Can we cynically dismiss it as an old-fashioned deal from an old-fashioned band? On that last point, maybe not: Fleetwood Mac, well into their fifth decade, are still going their own way. Let’s hope others follow.
This article originally appeared in Newstalk Magazine for iPad in August, for more details go here.
