Death Of An Industry Or End Of An Era?
EDUTAINMENT By MZ on August 18, 2009 at 12:23 pm
According to the New York Times, the image above spells the end of the music industry. It visualizes the value of units shipped for various mediums since 1973 in billions of dollars. Based on their calculations, they give the industry ten more years before it completely falls apart.
But Andrew Dubber see’s it differently.
I don’t know about you, but I was around in 1973. I wasn’t very old, but I was old enough to be aware of music. It had been around long before I had. And even though the graph would have been tiny – at least in comparison to the uncharacteristically massive spike in CD sales around 1999 – there was no crisis in the music business then.
My guess, in fact, was that there was opportunity. In 1973, the small numbers meant that people who sought to do new and interesting things were able to do those new and interesting things. Less was at stake (at least, in aggregate) and so people took risks.
New and innovative kinds of music flourished in the margins. Funk, disco, punk, psychedelic, metal, and reggae all started to emerge as significant forces from that decade. Lots of tiny labels did amazing and sometimes incredibly profitable things. Risk-takers were sometimes massively rewarded. Those who kicked at the edges often flourished.
Skip forward to 1999 – ten years ago now – and you witness the height of corporatism in the recorded music business. A world of a few stars selling millions of copies of safe and frequently dull music. But most importantly, the business people who were teens in 1973 were able to take the music they loved from their youth and turn it into a multi-billion dollar industry.
Since Hip-Hop was one of the innovative kinds of music to flourish in the margins of the late ’70s, I prefer Andrew’s line of thinking for two reasons. First of all, music existed before the boom of record sales and it will continue to be here well after the current model fades away. Also, back catalog sales helped to inflate these sale numbers as numerous people bought Dark Side Of The Moon on Vinyl, Casette, CD, SACD & etc. At some point people are going to say enough is enough & that point is now.
Secondly, we’re seeing the effects of a new distribution model level the playing field. Newcomers like U-N-I & The Kid Daytona feel comfortable enough to put their music out for free & let the music speak for itself. Hell, even Yung Joc released his latest album for free after not liking the support he was receiving from his label. Sure it flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but that line of thinking led to the same 10-15 songs being played in a continuous loop on the radio. It led to commercial viability being placed ahead of artistic credibility.
As someone who has a general love of music, I’m ready for things to shook up a bit. Lord knows Hip-Hop (& music in general) needs a breath of fresh air and if this brings it, I welcome it with open arms. Because in reality, the music industry isn’t going anywhere. Roles are being redefined & power shifts will occur. It’s just the fact that the people who’ve held the reins for the last 30-40 years have no clue what’s around the bend.
And it scares the shit out them.
You’re Looking At It Wrong [New Music Strategies]
Posted in EDUTAINMENT, GENERAL, SMOKE BREAK, THE NEW MODEL — Tags: Andrew Dubber, New Music Strategies, New York Times
Tweet This
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
24 Comments
good read.
i think it will continue to live as long as people who put out GOOD music are properly marketed. you gotta think, people are growing tired of the same formula being beat to death.
preach.
i think it will continue to live as long as people who put out GOOD music are properly marketed. you gotta think, people are growing tired of the same formula being beat to death.
================================
You would think so. I think people have been so conditioned to formulas that they don’t quite know how to accept something that strays off the beaten path. Artists included.
Listeners have more power now. Im glad the big labels are floundering. Let them die is what I say, for how they did Aretha, Ray, Michael and Ice T!
The music is free, now we gotta make it speak to the powerful instead of all the self-snitching and Stuart Smalley Im-good-enough motivational swag surfin HAHAHA!!Good insights,MZ!
That diagram looks like the legend to a slave ship.
well put mz
Great post.
Those who love to create will stick around. There are those who record, and those who record AND perform. Those who want to make a living off of music better be willing to sacrifice some time and be willing to tour and live on the road.
end of an industry, death of an era
The future of music lays within two distinct formats:-
1) Liquid Sounds which they can inject directly into your nutsack
2) MP5 which are delivered by pink flamingos inside of white towels.
The future of music lays within two distinct formats:-
1) Liquid Sounds which they can inject directly into your nutsack
====================
The future?
I’ve been nutloading music for the past 6 months.
I live in a some what culturally lack luster enviroment and before I had steady acess to the internet my music taste was dicated by the local radio. Man I don’t even know how I was doing it. Even when my money was right I’d only buy recorders from popular artist.
Since then I’ve been turned on to all types of music and even If I don’t buy the album chances are without the internet I wouldn’t even have know these artist exsisted.
So even when I don’t buy an album I try to pay back a artist (who deserves to be paid back) by personally promoting his work. If I download a album that people aren’t up on and get one or two people out of the 30 I tell about it to buy it then its all to the G.
Besides music promotion is terrible these days and the industry only shows favor to proven winner. It makes me feel good that I’m helping the new guy and it makes me feel good to be current.
The new guy is why music isn’t dead and it’s also reason way people keep creating it.
The Carter III – Triple Platinum
COOL as fuck article.
This:
“New and innovative kinds of music flourished in the margins. Funk, disco, punk, psychedelic, metal, and reggae all started to emerge as significant forces from that decade. Lots of tiny labels did amazing and sometimes incredibly profitable things. Risk-takers were sometimes massively rewarded. Those who kicked at the edges often flourished.”
Maybe now some of us can come through
nah, musicians already practically have to live off tour money and sponsorships alone. all the free music will eventually evolve into “people used to pay for music?” As making albums will be simply a way of getting people to come to your shows. An advertisement if you will. Just a thought, i hope im wrong, but it could definitely happen.
Hear the good music argument all the time, My problem is it seems like the people who whine about the lack of “good music” seem to never support “good music”. Ghostface is a blog internet favorite, but his albums do nothing. Slaughterhouse has been getting blown left and right and they didn’t sell over 40k in the first week.
I know the music industry needs to change their ways and actually sign talent, but the consumer needs actually, consume the product that they like. Its fun say you don’t listen to music today, but I’m guess your hard drives and ipods tell a different story.
ok now that the music industry is dying how the fuck are new artists and artists of the future gonna even and/ or still gonna make some kind of money off of their music
I too am beginning to believe that the physical music will be a promotional tool for live performances as well as many other things, especially for the independent artist. When starting out as an indie artist you really have to build a loyal fan base who will support you in anything you do. You have to build a rapport with them and personalize your approach. I’m doing research and trying to figure out how this whole thing will work. I’m looking at what do people absolutely have to buy that they can’t get for free and why would they buy something that they can get for free. I do know that there is a big difference between having people who just like your music and actually having loyal fans. One of my goals is to figure out a business model for myself as well as other indie artists. Don’t be discouraged!
I think the emphasis here should be on the MUSIC INDUSTRY, being a greedy, corporate monster where the musicians, writters, and fans get screwed is definitely coming to an end. Thankfully technology allows musicians and writers to get together and then make music rather quickly and cheaply and then thanks to the net distribute it to the fans that don’t want to buy into the supreme marketing and control engine that is the industry. I lost faith after I had spent 100’s on cds that wouldn’t play 6-8 months later when the whole DRM crap happened and the players won’t play my disks, or they got all scratched or simply encountered audio degradation. like MOST greedy corporate engines running today I hope the music INDUSTRY falls apart, however music will ALWAYS be around.
DM
I wish people would realize that the “music industry” and the “record industry” are two completely different things. Even *if* people were to suddenly stop purchasing recorded music, does that mean that people would stop wanting to hear it? Or stop attending concerts and shows?
Music is dying because music today sucks. Rap in particular is repetitive and derivative, with two of the main draws of real music not there – musicianship and vocals. Country’s and “rock” isn’t much better. MTV sowed the seeds of real music’s death – the music didn’t matter, the video did. So “good looking” music was hashed down our throats while non photogenic, non dancing MUSICIANS and SINGERS couldn’t break through.
Video killed the radio star – or the music that made it based on the way it sounded, not looked. Won’t miss it either.