HATE: the internet is full of it. Technology is amplifying it. And if you grow large enough, you'll get plenty of it. But how do you effectively deal with it as an artist, without letting it interfere with your creativity and fan connectivity?
That was one of several topics debated at the Scion Music(less) Music Conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday, a small get-together of 
managers, artists, producers, supervisors, and everyone in-between. And one thing was clear: technology has totally amplified the level of hate being directed at artists and their work. "There's definitely a lot of hate on Twitter," legendary hip-hop producer Prince Paul shared. "There's suddenly a mass amount of people on the internet talking about you."
But isn't that just the point? Paul is one of those rare artists that people actually talk (or Twitter, comment, or IM) about, which is more than most can say. "I'm hated by many in my genre, and that makes me feel successful," said Dwid Hellion of Holy Terror Records and the band Integrity.
And let's face it, the haters are the most vocal, and tend to drown out those that truly appreciate. "People only have the courage to do it on the internet," said Seth Bogart, a self-described 'flamboyant entertainer' in the group Hunx and His Punx. "It's coming from people who are on the internet 17 hours a day."
So just tune it out and go back to that happy place? Not so fast: Paul pointed to the critical role that hate plays in the development of artists - and the tests it puts on creative resolve. Indeed, this producer thanked hate for giving him an edge, while pointing to negativity as a natural reaction to cutting-edge, experimental music. "Every record that I made was not a popular type of record, whether it be De La Soul or horrorcore," Paul said. "If it wasn't for hating I wouldn't be where I am now."
There's another flipside. Because the same platforms that are amplifying hate are also enabling lots of collaboration and constructive feedback. Look no further than SoundCloud, which enables pinpointed feedback and instant collaboration, often of the constructive variety.
Then, there's just honesty in the form of negative feedback, which can be immensely valuable - if the artist can take it. "That's not hating, that's having an opinion," said Sacha Jenkins, music editor at Vibe. Think you can you handle that?
/paul, reporting from Scion Music(less) at the Hollywood Renaissance.
Comments Closed
Alex Trup @ Evocative Records Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Hopefully, for every bit of hate there's 10 times more love and as this proportion increases, it's definitely easier to brush off. If you're not creating polarised opinions about your music, maybe your music is just bland.
I think to some extent, while technology has allowed artists to get closer to their fans, I would still strongly suggest that a trusted handler/manager be the one checking all the social media stuff and highlighting the things that are important and/or worth responding to. I think depending on the artist, any negativity (even if unfounded) can definitely throw them off their creativity. That's not to say they need to be sheltered, just that it's a question of what's really important - should they be in the studio making great music, or watching their Twitter feed and YouTube comments?
HaterJoe Wednesday, September 28, 2011
This is the worst article I've ever read!!!!
YOU SUCK!!!
B Thursday, September 29, 2011
Heh.
MDTI Thursday, September 29, 2011
When haters are mainly driven by jealouse people, it can be a small success to have them hate you ;-)
With maturity, and when you are doing things the best you can and the way you want to, haters can be a driver of creativity and perservance rather than a source of discouragment.
@YataForLuda Friday, September 30, 2011
Yata for Luda
Dear Drum Corps Planet, xoxo!!
@djChorizoFunk Tuesday, October 04, 2011
DJ Chorizo Funk
Hey Haters! let me live!
OUR SPONSORS
© 2011 All Rights Reserved
Follow Us