Crux
During the holidays, a friend mentions that he is currently managing so many bands that he thinks he ought to start his own label, to which I joked that maybe he should. He then casually asks me to help him out, saying he's seriously thinking about doing it. Heck, I'm game!
I feel that this year will be the crux of whatever the future will bring the music industry. In fact, the seeds that have been planted when the mp3 format came out started to sprout huge limbs up the topsoil last year. Check out Prince's breakthrough marketing, Radiohead's high profile internet adventure, and Trent Reznor's marketing experiment with a relatively unknown rap artist. All these produced varying results: Prince was highly successful with his venture, Radiohead would not disclose the numbers, although the high ticket price of their 2008 tours would point to In Rainbows' sales' inability to subsidize their other ventures (purely speculative, mind you.) And Reznor's model was dissapointing (Well. for him anyway. Saul's reaction to Reznor's view of the situation is hilarious.'King of emo'! ) In any case, while it may be early to tell the impact all these will have on the industry as a whole, they are indicative of the fast downward spiral the industry , as we know it, is going into. By my own estimate, major labels may only last a couple more more years, given the current trends. Even as they scramble to get in on the digital game, it may very well be too late to dam this river. Sadly too, that major labels and radio stations are interconnected so that radio stations may soon be obsolete as a source of new music.
David Byrne offers up some advice and alternatives.
I think the whole thing is exciting. Yes, I was bitching about it before, but it's only because I'm fairly used to conventions. Plus I really love radio. But now that I've researched on things as I prepare to help my friend out in starting a label, I realized that there are no rules anymore! Basically, if you're starting in the industry as an artist and/or music company, the whole landscape is your playground! In fact, any idiot with a computer can now take a share of the market. Does this mean we'll get more bad music? Heck no. Regardless of how many Jackass movies become successes, I still believe in humanity's sense of good taste. In this great interview with Josh Homme, he sums it all up for me:
"There’s so many bands today... What labels have done is let anyone in the door, try to throw it all up against the wall, and stick to what sticks. But they don’t know who they’re selling their shit to, you know? So instead of making it tougher to get in the door and having some quality control… ’cause they don’t know what quality is, they’re looking to somebody else, saying ‘is this good?’ ‘Yes, it is.’ So I say fuckin’ start the first fire with their kindling."
Oh look, they're already inventing a portable internet radio!
I feel that this year will be the crux of whatever the future will bring the music industry. In fact, the seeds that have been planted when the mp3 format came out started to sprout huge limbs up the topsoil last year. Check out Prince's breakthrough marketing, Radiohead's high profile internet adventure, and Trent Reznor's marketing experiment with a relatively unknown rap artist. All these produced varying results: Prince was highly successful with his venture, Radiohead would not disclose the numbers, although the high ticket price of their 2008 tours would point to In Rainbows' sales' inability to subsidize their other ventures (purely speculative, mind you.) And Reznor's model was dissapointing (Well. for him anyway. Saul's reaction to Reznor's view of the situation is hilarious.'King of emo'! ) In any case, while it may be early to tell the impact all these will have on the industry as a whole, they are indicative of the fast downward spiral the industry , as we know it, is going into. By my own estimate, major labels may only last a couple more more years, given the current trends. Even as they scramble to get in on the digital game, it may very well be too late to dam this river. Sadly too, that major labels and radio stations are interconnected so that radio stations may soon be obsolete as a source of new music.
David Byrne offers up some advice and alternatives.
I think the whole thing is exciting. Yes, I was bitching about it before, but it's only because I'm fairly used to conventions. Plus I really love radio. But now that I've researched on things as I prepare to help my friend out in starting a label, I realized that there are no rules anymore! Basically, if you're starting in the industry as an artist and/or music company, the whole landscape is your playground! In fact, any idiot with a computer can now take a share of the market. Does this mean we'll get more bad music? Heck no. Regardless of how many Jackass movies become successes, I still believe in humanity's sense of good taste. In this great interview with Josh Homme, he sums it all up for me:
"There’s so many bands today... What labels have done is let anyone in the door, try to throw it all up against the wall, and stick to what sticks. But they don’t know who they’re selling their shit to, you know? So instead of making it tougher to get in the door and having some quality control… ’cause they don’t know what quality is, they’re looking to somebody else, saying ‘is this good?’ ‘Yes, it is.’ So I say fuckin’ start the first fire with their kindling."
Oh look, they're already inventing a portable internet radio!