Jun 18 2009
Who’s killing the music industry? The music industry!
You gotta feel sorry for those poor music execs, those poor men and woman who at the moment are riding around on their luxury yachts, driving around in their Ferrari’s and living the high life in Beverly Hills. And why do I feel sorry for these people? Because soon and I’m talking very soon they’ll be lucky if they can afford a budget cruise from your local travel agent. Music sales are slumping, music isn’t nearly as profitable as it once was. Even the one hit wonders who could once live comfortably for the rest of their lives from a single smash hit now wouldn’t see a jolt in their bank accounts.
And who’s to blame……well you already know from the title. To all you music execs out there WAKE UP!
For everyone reading this please see this as an open letter to the music industry and for all of you in the music industry read on and begin to cry in to your lobster.
You think piracy is killing the music industry, you think cheap download sales are diluting the talent coming out there. Well it’s not, it’s you Mr Producer.I’m going to say something that may be very popular with some, well I think most but you’re not going to like it Mr Timberland, Mr Most or Mr Rubin and that is……..one day all music will be FREE!
You read that right free. It’ll cost nothing, nada, zip.
The moment digital music distribution graced our desktops was the day music died! That’s what you’ve been trying to tell us but in fact it was the day music was reborn, reformed, reinvented!
Now I’m not so ignorant to think that piracy isn’t wrong. It is stealing and does put good, honest, hard working people out of their jobs. But if any business could turn the negatives of piracy in to positives it’s the music industry.
Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Why is the industry hemmoraging money? Because everyone is taking too much of it!
Are all you music business execs listening? Stop taking so much profit! Wanna be able to cover the costs of your next stars big album, then break even or listen to this…make a profit. How about you all go on minimum pay? $7 an hour sounds good, how about it, ok boost it up to $9 I’m feeling generous. Now you tell me how much money you would save if you did that.
I know what you are all thinking. ARE YOU NUTS! Well….no actually makes sense doesn’t it?
And besides what’s wrong with taking a massive pay cut? I thought you were so concerned about the industry, about the integrity of the music business.
We all know all your concerned about is your next million. Well say goodbye to those millions because the next millionaires in the music business are the artists on the stage. Technology is moving at such a pace that every talented musician will be able to produce entire albums in their bedrooms. Start selling your houses exec’s because you’ve just lost your jobs.
I know what you’re saying, they need professional equipment to produce a professional album, and they need a distributor to get their music out there need us more than we need them…..WRONG! Technology is getting cheaper and once you guys realise that music CD’s are only useful as coasters then all these future Coldplay’s need is a digital distributer such as iTunes who will one day soon realise they could make a fortune by finding their own artists (seriously guys where are your heads at)
What’s stopping them, what’s stopping iTunes bypassing all you guys and buying direct from the 18 year who could have the next Thriller on his laptop. That’s right nothing and that is what you should be very, very worried about.
ITunes, Amazon, Spotify they are the next EMI, Sony and Warner music group.
And don’t even get me started on your lame excuses for advertising, “they need advertising to get their music out there, they need music videos. They need their name on every single music magazine out their” Well no! They don’t.
Music has always been and will from now always be about the music. Look at some of the most expensive music videos ever produced, only a handful, wait not even handfuls are attached to good songs so how does it help? It doesn’t. Of course artists will need videos to get their music out there but if their song is good enough It’ll still get out there. And the way people hear about music is changing every day, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter these are the new advertising streams because I think we would rather be recommended by a friend then by a music reviewer who is simply trying to sound a hell of a lot smarter than he really is.
Now after this HUGE rant I’m not saying get rid of your labels but you need to realise that piracy is not destroying you but it’s going to filter out the lame, talentless and fake artists who need entire teams to write for them and to make them sound slightly decent and replace them with real music makers who can do it all, write, perform and produce their music all on their own and all they ask in return? An audience to play in front of! And that is the only place you’re going to get money from. From The crowds that come out to see them perform.
Music may never be as profitable as it once was, but you have to accept that you must find cheaper simpler ways of finding the artists you’re looking for. You will not be millionaires for long simple as that. You no longer have control on how we get are music or what music is cool.
We are the music we listen to and we are the people who will let you give it to us
You are our servants and we will tell you how we want it!
