podcasts are going to kill cd's
With my newfound love of podcasts, which so far are mostly lightly-edited spoken word recordings around 15 minutes long, i kind of wonder about the future of "albums" as a means of music distribution. i think within a few years, more musicians are going to start going in the podcast direction, releasing free ep-length web audio "broadcasts" consisting of a slickly edited mix of songs and interview snippets, as a means of promoting tours and such. Or better yet, video podcasts.
already, cd's are beginning to be percieved as having no value, especially by the younger generation. (a 20-ish co-worker of mine told me he's NEVER bought a music cd, atleast not a new one, though he does regularly listen to an mp3 player). Try trading in cd's at a used cd store these days. you'd be lucky to get 25¢ for most of them. eventually, it'll get to the point where nobody under 40 is going to want to pay $15 for a cd. so musicians in the future will be forced to think of new ways to make money, like clever t-shirts and such.
another part of me thinks rock n' roll is a played-out medium on its death throes. "indie rock" today is becoming like jazz was in the 60's 70's, a niche thing for cultural elitists. and i challenge anyone to find some new rock that doesn't sound like it could've been recorded in some past decade. back in the 80's, there was a lot of rock music that actually sounded fresh and new, but not anymore.
contributing to the problem is the fact that there's TOO MANY bands out there releasing music, 100's of times as many as there were in the 80's. The selection of music, good or bad, is just too overwhelming. being a music fan is not fun anymore.
i think its all going to implode, and it'll be like the 1940's again, with the charts ruled by novelty acts and pleasant ringtone-ready instrumental dance tunes.
already, cd's are beginning to be percieved as having no value, especially by the younger generation. (a 20-ish co-worker of mine told me he's NEVER bought a music cd, atleast not a new one, though he does regularly listen to an mp3 player). Try trading in cd's at a used cd store these days. you'd be lucky to get 25¢ for most of them. eventually, it'll get to the point where nobody under 40 is going to want to pay $15 for a cd. so musicians in the future will be forced to think of new ways to make money, like clever t-shirts and such.
another part of me thinks rock n' roll is a played-out medium on its death throes. "indie rock" today is becoming like jazz was in the 60's 70's, a niche thing for cultural elitists. and i challenge anyone to find some new rock that doesn't sound like it could've been recorded in some past decade. back in the 80's, there was a lot of rock music that actually sounded fresh and new, but not anymore.
contributing to the problem is the fact that there's TOO MANY bands out there releasing music, 100's of times as many as there were in the 80's. The selection of music, good or bad, is just too overwhelming. being a music fan is not fun anymore.
i think its all going to implode, and it'll be like the 1940's again, with the charts ruled by novelty acts and pleasant ringtone-ready instrumental dance tunes.