six misconceptions about the future of music.
I had a great conversation with a friend from school today, and the following misconceptions about the future of music came to mind:
- Piracy has ruined the business for everyone except the massive acts. Actually, the massive acts were generally the only ones making lots of money (for the recording industry). Piracy has cut back on that, so labels can no longer offset the losses from other projects with the massive income from a few hit records.
- The label system / the recording industry is dead. No way in hell. What's dead is that entire engine existing to create recorded music, and make money off recorded music. What's coming is a label system that focuses on it's ability to break acts, broker cross promotions, and generate income from it's network of merchandising partners.
- Independent artists will suffer. Independent artists always suffered, if we're defining independent as 'not a major act'. If we're defining independent as 'mainstream but angrier', please go read a different blog.
- 'Real Fans' will pay for music. Music, now that it is available in unrestricted (and infinitely copyable) digital files, isn't worth money. Real fans will pay for an experience, or a collectible, or a memory.
- Fans will pay for ease of use, or a simpler experience. Piracy is, for a notable segment of the population, easier than having a credit card. Therefore, piracy is not going to be trumped in terms of ease of use, or user experience.
- NIN / Radiohead / Livenation will figure it out. These entities are going to figure out how established names continue to make large amounts of money in a changing marketplace. But, this has no real bearing on discovering how to freshly establish names, and then make large amounts of money, in this new marketplace.
Keep this in mind while you consider how to change this industry.
2 comments:
Not really an argument against point 5, but a slight variation:
Fans will pay for peace of mind, i.e. knowing that the file you're downloading is actually the really real file that exists, and not, like, TubGirl. Also, lack of viruses and higher quality feeds are a consideration as well.
I would also like the ability to have my music backed up, as I keep wiping out my harddrive. Notably Apple fails at this, since after you download something, they record that you bought it, but don't allow you to d/l it again for no reason.
Fail.
Eb-Clectic sez: Apple sucks!!!!!!!!!
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