Impact of the Internet on Brazilian Music Industry
Marco Camargo talks about the internet revolution and how it changed the music industry. According to the Music Producer, there must be a higher accuracy on the internet on how to download music, communicating it to the music author, to the artist, to the musicians, to the conductors, like it used to be done when records were sold.
Interview with Marco Camargo, Music Producer at Rede Record
In your opinion, what solutions are there to sell musical talents?
Internet has globalised music: if you’re in Japan you can download Brazilian music. As a whole – and we are talking about multinational companies – the record industry is seeking for an answer in all continents. Brazil has no isolated answer.
People have to learn how to sell these talents that appear every day. There must be a higher accuracy on the internet on how to download music, communicating it to the music author, to the artist, to the musicians, to the conductors, like it used to be done when records were sold. If you sold x million records, every one of the above mentioned people had their percentage of the earnings.
On the internet that doesn’t happen: many of the music you download is free. I don’t think it’s beneficial that people give away free downloads: normally artists make these downloads available for free, because they are going, for example, to earn it back with concerts tickets. But how can it be beneficial if the artist is giving away his work and art? Would lawyers and physicians benefit from free consultations? In my opinion it’s not healthy for the musician or artist to make his work available free of charge.
Which are the characteristics of the Brazilian market compared to the European or the US market regarding this subject?
There is no difference. Internet has globalised music: if you’re in Japan you can download Brazilian music. As a whole – and we are talking about multinational companies – the record industry is seeking for an answer in all continents. Brazil has no isolated answer. What happens is that some countries have more income than others from this business due to specific artists: if you have a bigger pool of music and musicians, you’re going to have a bigger income.
A big difference between the Brazilian market and other countries markets is that our language, Portuguese, is very different from the English language that almost everyone understands. In Brazil our music is consumed internally. If you’re in the US, you can buy an English music but, in Brazil, due to the language, our music is made and consumed right here.
And is it exported?
Yes, as a foreign product. But it’s not exported has a native language. Of course there are other countries that speak Portuguese but they do it in a smaller scale. As Brazil is a big country with several million inhabitants, it’s beneficial to have the music written in Portuguese.
Isn’t that true that the French love Brazilian music?
Yes, of course. We also consume French music, Italian music and music in English. What I meant was that, in general terms, it’s more familiar worldwide to have music sang in English. We do have lots of countries consuming music sang in Portuguese, because the Portuguese language is melodic, pleasant and it has rhythm. Perhaps people don’t understand the content, but it’s very pleasant to ear, specially associated with a rythm like Samba.
Is it possible for a foreign investor to enter the musical industry here in Brazil?
Brazil today is a very strong country. We have a much centred economy and Brazilian people are earning better. That makes it possible for the Brazilians to go out and travel more: we know what’s going on outside and we also know that, if we had the culture we like to see in other countries, it would all be consumed. For example, if I go to Italy and eat wonderful Spaghetti and if I come back here and find the same wonderful Spaghetti on a supermarket, I’m going to consume it. That is also true for perfumes, jeans, shirts, music, music instruments, etc. It would be awesome to have all these great foreign things in our own back yard!
How do you overcome the challenges that you face every day in your area?
Every day is a normal day. Every day I’m going to receive good and bad music and I must select the best. Many times it’s necessary to search for the right music to fulfil Rede Record’s needs at some particular time: if there’s going to be an epic mini-series, I’m going to need epic music. It’s all about the needs of the corporation, but we are always going to prefer the best of the best. It’s obvious I’m not alone in this quest. I have many people working with me and helping out, because I like to listen to what people have to say.
Which are the current tendencies in Brazil?
What is very strong right now is Sertanejo (country music). In cattle fairs there are, sometimes, over 1 million people in the 3 or 4 days of its duration. These fairs aren’t held annually; we have more than 450 fairs where country music (Sertanejo) is played. It’s normal to find multinational fair stands with tractors, agricultural products, hats, boots, jeans and even soups: wherever you find 1 million people, you will also find a wide variety of products for every taste. The Brazilian people are very festive and they love music. On every weekend throughout the year there are festivities countrywide.
What is your overall vision for the industry in the future, having in mind what is happening on the internet?
I see no practical or immediate solution for the problem internet has caused us. We had an abrupt drop in sales, but we appear to be recovering.
Every time a certain music is played during a soap opera or on the radio, the artist earns money. The real problem is the internet with its free downloads but, if technology exists and if we’re using it, we cannot oppose it: we must learn how to profit from it.