Ze Frank At Code/Media

Who?

I had no idea myself!

Greetings from Laguna Niguel, where the easterners would move if they caught today's sunset and sixty plus degree weather. That's right, I'm here at the Code/Media Conference at the Ritz Carlton, where Walt Mossberg, Kara Swisher and the rest of the refugees from the "Wall Street Journal" have come to make money for themselves. That's the mantra of the internet...DIY until the big boys take over and it all solidifies.

I just sat through a presentation by Mark Thompson, CEO of the "New York Times," and it made me want to puke. The problem is these people are so inside their own businesses they can't see the big picture. The "Times" lays off people and lets stars go all the while being flummoxed by the digital age. They should be doubling down and triumphing like Amazon, employing a scorched-earth policy, eliminating all competitors, instead they keep falling on their sword. Unlike BuzzFeed.

No, not the site, the movie studio.

Huh? Who knew BuzzFeed had a movie studio?

Started with two people, now it's got 160 and a four acre campus. It's run by Ze Frank.

I Googled him while he spoke. Turns out he went to Brown and studied science. That's what they don't tell you, you have to be smart and well-rounded to win. Of course there are exceptions, but those who learn how to analyze and scope the entire landscape win in the end.

So BuzzFeed makes fifty movies a week. 5,000 so far. You wouldn't even know you saw them, or who made them, they're all over YouTube and Facebook and it's all about playing and learning and/or making money.

That's what Ze said. You do. You learn or make money. If neither happens, you never do it again.

And there's no bitching allowed.

Ever notice that bitching has taken over the music business narrative? That all we hear are complaints? No wonder the public shies away, no wonder people don't want to go in it, we're our own worst enemy, constantly decrying tech and the public and anybody else who refuses to allow us to do it the way we used to in the pre-internet era.

Of course it's hard to write a great song. No one cares about a good song. But the truth is access is easier than ever, allowing you to experiment until you get traction.

That's right, put it up on YouTube and see if it sticks. And if it doesn't, do it again. And again. And again. And again.

Failure is the route to success. How do you find out what resonates if you don't even try?

Of course tech has infiltrated the means of production in music. People love being able to make it at home. They just hate that everyone won't listen and pay them millions.

So BuzzFeed doesn't do it like the old studios. There's no separation of functions. Because the younger generation knows how to do everything. They know how to write, shoot and edit. You just set them free. And this is another reason the music business sucks, it's run by old men who want to keep doing it the old way. If you turned over the business to the under thirties it would be much better, make them the heads of labels... Because when you have a blank slate, nothing is off limits, nothing is off the table.

But one thing that bugs me about the interviews so far is the extreme emphasis on money. Does it scale... How can you have a valuation like Snapchat...

That's what separates the artists from the businessmen, the artists don't think this way. If you're focusing on money, you're not a real artist. Creation comes first, cash second. If you need money that badly get a real job.

And it's funny those in attendance are all dressed up.

Then again, people dress up in the music business now too.

It's all DRESS FOR SUCCESS! Image is everything. Substance is irrelevant. Make a good impression, kiss people's butts...

This guy Ze Frank created a whole movie studio out of whole cloth. And he knows it's not like Warner or Paramount, he's doing something different, for the stream. Furthermore he knows it's about virality. Subscribers are a fraction of those who see clips, commenters even smaller. We have so much data but know so little about those consuming our wares.

So what I can tell you is if you're in the creation business you've got to be an optimist. You've got to see the new tools as an opportunity, not a deterrent. You've got to know there's no center and no cohesion. You're building your own network, none of the old ones reaches everybody. If you want someone to rescue you you're toast. Kind of like the "New York Times"... If you're trying to save what once was, if you're looking through the lens of your preconceptions, you're doomed.

It's a whole new world. Everybody is multitalented with numerous skills. But in music one person sings, another writes and another plays and/or produces. Is that a recipe for success?

No success is about capturing lightning in a bottle. Lorde at home recording off the grid.

It's about throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks.

Which is why Tom Petty and the rest of the has-beens have got it all wrong, polishing turd albums over years that get a month's worth of publicity and a weekend's worth of play. That's not how you do it anymore. Now you create, marketing is passe, it's too slow, too old school. It's about doing as opposed to selling. It's about finding out who you are, reacting to the reception as opposed to trying to get the public to conform.

There's not one public, there are many.

And the best and the brightest, those with insight and gumption, are triumphing.

If you're complaining, you're losing.

Like the music business.

http://recode.net/events/code-media/


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