The Musers — 2024-10-23
The Musers — 1310 The Ticket, Dallas | Wednesday, October 23, 2024
📋 Segments This Day
- Thad Cockrell
🎙️ Early Show Analysis
Segments in this portion:
- Musical Musers (Thad Cockrell) [00:00:01]: George Dunham’s turn to present a musical story, featuring artist Thad Cockrell and his song “Swinging” that became Jimmy Fallon’s favorite after he heard it in a hardware store during COVID shutdowns. Includes interview with Cockrell about his new album “The Kid” which is only available for direct purchase from the artist.
Guests or interviews:
- Thad Cockrell [00:03:29]: Nashville-based musician interviewed about his viral song “Swinging” and his new album “The Kid.” Discussed how Jimmy Fallon discovered his music, leading to appearances on The Tonight Show and Today Show, and his decision to bypass streaming platforms to sell his new album directly to fans.
Funny moments, Gordo bits, or memorable quotes:
- George’s awkward phrasing [00:03:43]: George says “like Jimmy Fallon, I love swinging” then immediately realizes how it sounds and tells the producers “you cannot use that as a drop” because the show uses such phrases as audio clips later.
Summary:
This portion of The Musers featured George Dunham’s Musical Musers segment, sponsored by Globe Life Insurance and Mullin & Mullin Injury Law Firm. George told the story of musician Thad Cockrell, whose song “Swinging” was discovered by Jimmy Fallon in a hardware store during the COVID pandemic. Fallon’s love for the song led to Cockrell appearing on The Tonight Show and Today Show, resulting in the most-streamed song in the world at one point.
George interviewed Thad Cockrell via phone from Nashville about his experience with sudden fame and his new album “The Kid.” Cockrell explained that despite having a massive hit, he didn’t receive much financial benefit due to how streaming platforms like Spotify compensate artists. This led him to take an unconventional approach with his new album, selling it directly to fans rather than making it available on streaming services.
The interview focused on Cockrell’s business philosophy that “without scarcity, there’s no value” and his belief that music should be valued as art rather than consumed as a free commodity. He discussed putting a mortgage on his house to fund the two-year project and his hope that fans will show up to support artists directly. The segment included a humorous moment when George made an unintentionally suggestive comment about “loving swinging” and quickly warned the producers not to use it as a drop.
⏰ Mid-Show Analysis
Based on the transcript provided, I can only analyze what appears to be a single interview segment:
Segments in this portion:
- Interview with musician Thad Cockrell (06:17-10:28) – Discussion about his unconventional approach to selling his album directly to fans for $100 instead of using streaming services
Guests or special visitors:
- Thad Cockrell (06:17-10:28) – Musician discussing his alternative album distribution strategy, bypassing streaming services like Spotify to sell directly to fans
Pop culture, music, or non-sports topics discussed:
- Music industry economics (06:17-10:28) – Thad Cockrell explains his $100 album kit strategy as an alternative to streaming services
- Spotify criticism (07:16-07:38) – Discussion of the “rigged system” of Spotify and how it doesn’t compensate artists fairly
- Jimmy Fallon mention (08:14-08:19) – Cockrell credits Fallon for being generous and helping launch his current success
- Artist compensation issues (09:11-09:37) – Discussion about how there’s more money in music than ever, but less going to the actual artists
Summary
This portion of The Musers features an interview with musician Thad Cockrell, who is taking an unconventional approach to album distribution by selling his music directly to fans for $100 rather than using traditional streaming platforms. Cockrell explains that a record label president advised him against putting his music on Spotify, warning that poor streaming numbers could hurt his career prospects permanently.
The conversation reveals Cockrell’s philosophy about allowing fans to “show up” for artists in meaningful ways, including his plan to release a bonus country album as a thank-you gift to purchasers on Thanksgiving. He emphasizes the importance of properly compensating musicians, noting that while the music industry generates more revenue than ever before, artists receive less of it than in the past.
The interview concludes with Cockrell sharing impressive results from his experiment, revealing that his two-week pre-sale period generated more income than his previous 13 years combined on Spotify, despite having had major successes including Super Bowl commercials and a number one iTunes hit with “Swinging.” The segment demonstrates how artists are finding creative ways to bypass traditional industry structures and connect directly with their audience.
🏁 Final Hour Analysis
Segments in this portion:
- Interview with musician Thad Copperell [00:10:31-00:13:17] – Discussion about his independent music release strategy and platform to help other artists bypass traditional record industry models
Sports topics discussed:
- Brief mention of NFL and Kansas City Chiefs [00:12:02-00:12:32] – Thad Copperell mentioned being a Chiefs fan and discussion of Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid success, plus sympathetic comments about Cowboys fans deserving success
How the show wrapped up:
The show concluded with the Thad Copperell interview ending around [00:12:39], followed by hosts discussing his innovative approach to music distribution and the current state of the music industry through [00:13:17]
Final notable quotes or moments:
- Thad Copperell on his platform: “I’m building a platform, a tech platform, that will allow other artists to do what I’m doing because if I solve a problem just for me, I believe the problem is wasted on me.” [00:10:42]
- Host’s endorsement: “Congratulations because it is a masterpiece… I’m buying it. I hope some other people will too.” [00:11:17]
- On music industry economics: “They used to tour to sell albums. Now you put an album out so you have a reason to tour because you can’t make money.” [00:13:05]
Summary:
This final portion of The Musers was dominated by an interview with musician Thad Copperell, who has developed an innovative approach to music distribution by bypassing streaming platforms and selling directly to consumers. The conversation focused on his success with this model and his plans to create a platform that other artists can use to achieve similar independence from traditional record industry structures.
The interview wrapped up with brief NFL discussion, as Copperell mentioned being a Chiefs fan, leading to talk about Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid’s success. The hosts showed sympathy for Cowboys fans, noting it’s been a long time since Dallas had similar success. Copperell graciously expressed hope that Cowboys fans would eventually experience what Chiefs fans are enjoying.
After the interview concluded, the hosts reflected on Copperell’s strategy of creating scarcity to drive demand and discussed the broader problems with the current music industry model. They noted how the economics have completely flipped – artists used to tour to promote album sales, but now release albums primarily to justify touring since streaming pays so little that concert tickets have become the primary revenue source.
Analysis generated from archived transcripts. Hosts: Gordon Keith (Gordo), George Dunham, Craig Miller, Mike Rhyner, Donovan Lewis (Junior). Station: 1310 The Ticket, Dallas, TX.
