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IT’S 2013. WHAT DOES YOUR MUSIC EXPERIENCE LOOK LIKE?
 As you walk into a music store, a mommelier—a kind of waiter of music—greets you. “Hi! Want to learn about music, form a band,upload a song or catch a private showing of the reformed Goldenhorse?”It’s music retail without the commoditised transactionality of today’smusic stores. The music customer of 2013 wants an experience. “I’d liketo learn, thanks,” you say. “How about Kiwi music of the 1970s? I wantan iconic personalised track list.”The usual small artists are coming into the store, uploading theirnew tracks and talking about their work. This isn’t music retailing, it’s acelebration of music. This is where good vinyl stores started—part cafe,part youth camp, part speakers’ corner. Welcome back to the future.This store has elements of today’s music retail, plus elements of arecording studio, like the roadside studios that launched the careersof Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash in the 1950s.You can simply buy music—but why would you?You’re here to co-create, to participate in the work of others, both recognised artists and average joes. In fact,that line between consumer and producer doesn’t meanmuch anymore. Everyone has something to offer.This is the world that Gen C is waiting to co-create. Unlikeany generation before it, Generation C is growing as people of 
In 2006
Idealog 
introduced Generation C, the creative,connected generation that is remaking the way we buy,sell and communicate. Now
Jake Pearce
and
Simon Young
look at the impact Gen C is having on the music industry—and what it portends for the rest of us
e
e
changesch
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idealog.co.nz
 
idealog 
march/april 2008
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all ags discov nw, btt ways o doing things.Why dos it loo li this? In mdia, msic and pon havalways ld th way, so it’s a sl indicato o oth indstis.Th ponogaphic indsty was th st to ta th cama sioslyin th lat 1800s, whil th msic indsty piond th s o thIntnt aond podct distibtion.Bt this vision fows om th nat o Gnation C—digitalnativs, popl connctd in a digital wold. Gn C is dnd by anattitd, not a dmogaphic.Most popl who tal abot Gnation C miss th point. Thytal abot what Gn C dos—Channls, Clbity, Commnitis,Cation and Co-Cation, ath than th ndlying div: thatGnation C want th contol to ma thi own clt, aththan hav socity manact i o thm.That’s why this vision o th t ists. Thy will co-catpodcts with companis, so th t o msic tail loos li acoss btwn a holiday shop, dcational acility, msic stdioand caé.In th t, th individal will otn hav th choic to do a‘mico-joint vnt’ with companis. In act, it’s alady happning.As w’ll s, Vodaon is alady doing joint vnts with itscstoms in th aa o mobil vido. Bt li most companis,Vodaon dosn’t gt Gn C lly whn it coms to msic. It thinsth answ is to host big msic stivals, ais awanss and pshsals. That’s not wh this is going; it’s only pat o th answ.Msic has always bn th innovato wh oths hav ollowd.Gn C will div a nw wav o mating that will loo tistic,bt also loo bac to a tim bo commoditisd mass podction.Don’t bliv s? Chc th aly waning signals o yosl.
A taste of the future
 Jly 2007: a tai plls p at a ca dalship. Thy’d said th placwas had to nd, bt a ca dalship? Annabl Yons mas hway thogh th woshop, along a dingy ally to a mtal doo,minimistically dcoatd with a logo: V2.Yons is in London pitching Vovo (pononcd Vo-v-o) toowns o cod labls, inclding V2. Vovo lts atists lag andsmall connct with digitally-savvy adincs woldwid by lasingtacs as mobil phon ing tons. Vovo’s bsinss modl isctivly a joint vnt btwn thmslvs and all th littl gys.Sinc its incption in Fbay 2007, Vovo, basd in Wllingtonhas connctd local, indpndnt atists with thi listningcommnitis. Now, Yons is in London to invit th big shots toth paty.On this jony, som wold wlcom th nw possibilitis.Oths ... wll. “Th’s on w’ll call Chicn Littl,” says Yonsdiplomatically. “Thy nw th sy was alling, bt thy didn’t havany statgy to tap into th digital mat.”Yo can’t ally blam th cod indsty. Thy’v had it sogood, o so long, that it’s had to alis thy no long havcontol. On its 25th bithday, th CD is almost dad as a omatand sals o digital downloads, whil gowing, a a om maingp th dinc. Bt whil incom is shining, consmption is“ballistic”, accoding to Chali Clmntson, Vodaon NZ’s hado nttainmnt and mdia.Tchnology is pat o th poblm o cod labls—and it’sndobtdly pat o th soltion. Th tobl is that th msicstablishmnt is ating on tchnology, whil ignoing th dpcltal shit that has tan plac.In 2001, msic sals ll by v pcnt. That’s also th ya l-shaing sit Napst was closd down. In thi boo
Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a VolunteerSales Force
, Bn McConnll and Jaci Hba ma a lin btwnth two. Napst had distibtd  sampls, which convtd tohigh sals. Th msic indsty missd th pow o a co-cativbsinss modls and discovd what happns whn yo movthm—both companis and th consm a ht.Whn labls and tails complain, thatn and cajolagainst downloading, thy tat downloading as an abation,as somthing that only naghty o calss popl do. Thy don’tsm to ndstand that tchnology has nabld a nw dom andconvninc. Thy don’t sm to ndstand Gnation C.As Ja wot in
Idealog #3
, Gnation C wants to b incontol. Why? Bcas ovwhlming choic—as wittn abot inChis Andson’s
The Long Tail 
—mans Gn C popl potntiallyhav vything, bt is having nothing that’s tly thi own.Pvios gnations cold aliat with claly-cognisd tibalgops: ocs, pns, disco as. Th lins hav bld o
BY THe TIMe LABeLS AWOke TO THe POSSIBILITIeS OF ONLINe, THeY’DALreADY IGNOreD, FOuGHT, VICTIMISeD AND ALIeNATeD THeIrCuSTOMerS. “THe CONSuMer JuST GOT PISSeD OFF. THeY CreATeDSIx YeArS OF kIDS WHO kNeW NOTHING BuT Free MuSIC”
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