Bob Almighty

Bob Marley isn't just worshipped by 16 year old boys and people who wear hemp clothes. He's considered a demi-god by cultures all around the world. 

• Rastafari: As the figurehead of the Rasafarian religion, many Rastafarians believe that Marley was a prophet as he succeeded in bringing the philosophy of Rastafari to worldwide consciousness.

 

• The Havasupai: The Havasupai are a Native American tribe that is located in Arizona, particularly the base of the Grand Canyon. Bob isn’t considered to be just any ordinary musician by the Havasupai. The Havasupai actually believe that Bob was the reincarnation of the legendary resistance fighter Chief Crazy Horse. It was prophesized that Crazy Horse would be reincarnated as a black man and that Bob was the fulfilment of said prophecy.

 

• The Hopi: A farming tribe of Native Americans from New Mexico. Reggae is the music that speaks for them and the preciousness of their heritage. To them, Bob Marley fulfilled a centuries-old prophecy.

 

• Nepal: Legend has it that Bob Marley visited Nepal in the 1970's. Today, just below the temple of the eternal flame in Muktinath is his shrine, The Bob Marley Restaurant, where he is said to have rested. Some Nepalese consider him the incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.

 

• Australian Aboriginals: The Aboriginal people of Australia burn a sacred flame to honour his memory in Sydney’s Victoria Park.

Axl Rose was always the black sheep of his family

One Hit Wonders

Now that we're in the age of Facebook/Twitter/Youtube it's so much easier to discover new music. But does that mean One Hit Wonders are becoming more common?

Have a look at the graph below. It's data from the US Billboard Hot 100 showing the trend of One Hit Wonders per decade. At first glance it would seem that the 60's was clearly the decade to be a flash in the pan. But that's not actually true.

As the next graph illustrates, the 60's may have had more One Hit Wonders but that was only because there was a higher number of songs moving in and out of the charts in that decade. This graph shows that the percentage of One Hit Wonders in the charts has actually increased in the past few decades.

So has this something to do with the internet age? I don't have a clue to be honest. Not really sure what my conclusions are! Just thought the graphs were interesting.

Spotify: Better than Nothing?

When Spotify first launched it was hailed as the saviour of the music industry. Music fans could now listen to whatever music they liked, as often as they liked and it was all completely legal. The recording artists would be paid each time their track was played. This money would come from visual and radio-style advertising along with subscription fees from premium users. The fans get what they want, the musicians get what they want, the advertisers get what they want and the pirates get nothing. Simple.

Well not quite. The thing is, this triangular business model is more isosceles than equilateral. The fans and advertisers do indeed get what they want but the reason they are both connected to Spotify is because of the music, and the makers of this music give a lot more than they get.

Granted, Spotify does introduce fans to new music which they may (or may not) go out and pay for, but with over 3 million members paying $5-10 a month you have to wonder why the people providing the product are getting such a tiny percentage of the profits.

Have a look at the infographic below to see how Spotify compares to other forms of revenue for artists.

This is what an artist’s Spotify statement looks like.