SXSW: Lou Reed attacks MP3s, praises 'Bourne'
In a broad keynote at the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas, Velvet Underground leader Lou Reed took MP3s to task, and had some words of advice to those artists looking for a deal. Yet the Thursday morning Q&A session, moderated by music producer Hal Willner, was more a showcase for Reed's dry sarcasm than it was a look into a legendary musician's perspective on an ever-evolving music business.
"Technology is taking us backward," Reed said, referring to the poor sound quality of MP3 files. "It's making it easier to make things worse. ... I don't know what the answer is. People [have] to demand a higher standard. Or the other view is to say you're being elitist, and only the people who can afford [high-quality stereo equipment] can get it."
While the SXSW keynote speech rarely presses an artist with tough questions, Willner strayed from asking any follow-ups, and instead relied largely on questions submitted by fans via the SXSW website. But even Willner looked slightly embarrassed to be asking Reed what instrument he's always wanted to play but never learned (the sax, for those wondering).
As approximately 1,500 artists descended upon SXSW, the vast majority are relying on an MP3 or MySpace stream to garner some sort of attention. Indeed, even as the sound quality may have declined, it has created an atmosphere in which artists such as preppie indie-rockers Vampire Weekend are arriving in town not amid a bevy of hype, but instead a top-20 album. Such a feat for an indie band would have been nearly unheard of as recently as five years ago, and what access to such tools could have meant to Reed's career weren't suggested.
"Here's a movie the size of a postage stamp," Reed said. "Here's a song that sounds like a pin drop. ... The trade-off is that you have a lot available, but it sounds bad." Yet Reed still had a sense of humor about the topic at hand, noting that those who are interested in preserving sound quality are starting to look more like "zoo animals."
The majority of the conversation focused on Reed's recently released Julian Schnabel-directed concert film "Berlin," documenting five New York performances of the experimental record. Reed, who noted that "The Bourne Ultimatitum" is one of his favorite films, took the crowd to task for not showing up at the SXSW premiere the day before, and dryly noted that the "Berlin" concerts did not visit "music biz town" Los Angeles. Yet it was not asked if this was due to Reed's inability to find a venue or a promoter willing to stage it, or simply a decision not to tour the U.S.
But Reed seemed to be having fun playing with a crowd. When a cellphone apparently went off near the stage, Reed said, "What does turn off your cellphone mean in Texas? Howdy? Shove it up your cow?"
Talking about the beginnings of the Velvet Underground, Reed urged artists not to overplay. He noted that the Velvet Underground had a "fine system," in which no member was allowed to play blues or R&B licks since it wasn't true to the band's roots.
"This is going to be city," Reed said of the Velvet Underground's mission. "This is going to be pure."
Reed also cautioned artists against ever giving up their publishing rights, should they still be interested in signing to a label in today's climate. Reed said he was involved in an 11-year lawsuit to get control of his publishing rights, and "Berlin" was used as evidence against him, a symbol that he is not equipped to manage his own career.
"Suppose you do want to be on a label," Reed said, "be it for distribution, to be seen, to be separate, whatever it is -- they're always going to say they want the publishing. You always say no. ... But people want to sign, so they say yes. If they don't want you without the publishing, don't sign."
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(Photo: Jack Plunkett / AP)
