The INDUSTRY - a discussion. off/on topic

[silence_of_stone]

Ya know, this subject may have been beat to death on this forum, I am not sure, but here goes. If this post falls flat then thats cool, but I am really interested in other peoples thoughts, opinions, and basic musings and rants on this controversial subject...

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

I am a very famous recording artist many of you know, (he's lying) but I like to get down and see what the little people are thinking. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
I am not even sure how to lead this off. I dont want this to turn into a bitch session from a bunch of bitter artists who can't seem to get that almighty "record contract", but I dont want it to be a prissy discussion on how to present your demo package to the a&r guys either and all the "how to get signed". I suppose that I would like to see a frank discussion on the music industry in general, the future, the present, and past.
I have my opinions and thoughts, and up until now, have only been able to relate to the few mates I have close to me that are also musicians and music people. But here is a very large gathering of lots of folks who all have something in common.
OK here goes... my opinion of course. I used to try and try and try to find that Holy Grail of music... the CONTRACT!! Oh boy am I kinda glad right now it didnt happen the way I wanted i to when i was in my early twenties - hindsight is 20/20. (I might be dead now if I would have gotten what I wanted given my propensity to parties and helicopter rides).
My experience with the industry was actually a pretty bitter one actually - especially with the major labels, but hey - I tried and tried to get them to screw me and they wouldnt!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
I tried briefly to start my own indy label, but just lost more money than a man could lose in Vegas. Its tough...
**where is the industry going?
**Have the majors shot themselves in the foot by fighting p2p transfers? (remember when we were happy with vinyl, and suddenly we had to buy our whole album collection over again because THEY changed the format!!)
**Are the majors going down...is the internet killing it or are they killing themselves?
**Is it really the interenet that has their sales down or are they just putting out a bunch of forgettable music??
** Is radio in the back pocket of the industry?
AND
** Is Pro-Tools and other technology finally leveling the playing field for the DIY musicians? If it is, then whats next.

Ok pundits... lets have at it. If this topic bores you then post to it and make it better. i really would like to see a LOT of different takes on this.

[who]

Here's my thoughts:

1) I hate hearing people whine about how music is today (i.e. not being original, too compressed, blah, blah, blah). Personally, I think technology is allowing people to make some of the most interesting and creative music ever made.

2) The distribution model of the past sucks, but hopefully that will change soon. My hope lies in the internet.

[Calvin]

1. Where is the Industry going?

Well I am not a major part of any music industry but I think It is very much heading in the right direction. As it's sales are droping off It is slowly starting to change. I hope that the industry will stop putting all of it's efforts into putting out the best single and more into putting out a good albume. I also would like to see labels be a little bit more realistic. Instead of making it so that the labels main money makers are the few artists that go platinum, start promoting the little guys more and stop letting bands spend months and months in a recording studio. They waste so much money it isn't even funny. If they just had the stuff together most bands can go in and spend less than 2 weeks in the studio and have amazing albums. Mastering engineers are more and more begging the lables to let them do a dynamic master instead of a squashed to death loud mix. This is also really good.

2. Peer 2 Peer.

I like my p2p software. But I also don't over do it. I get 1 or 2 songs off a album. While I think the majors have a right to not want kids to go out and download tons and tons, I think that they should have embraced the change and made their own. People will be willing to pay a monthly fee for stuff like this but you just need to have a better way of providing it. People aren't paying for singles any more. Not when they can download them. They should have just found another way to make a profit from it.

3. Are the Majors going down?

No I don't think so. Sure they will have to rewrite their business plan but they will always be there. I think that the only thing that is happening is that now more than ever the Independant labels have a chance to also put out good music. This can't hurt anyone. It really is a win win situation for independant lable to come out. They can each have their own brand of music and if a artist gets big enought they can be bought out by the majors. No one really gets screwed by the artist moving up just as long as the lable has a contract with them that states how much money it would take to buy them out.

4. Radio - owned by the industry?

Yup. it sure is. The very few stations that are trully allowed to play whatever they want are the college stations. All major stations are being payed off to play their music. Maybe not directly but if they give them loads of free cd's, thats basically the same thing. Any DJ can take a box of those cd's to a used cd store and sell them off for 4 or 5 bucks and make a quick profit. If you are willing to do a little research you can read about how the radio used to be run by the mob for the industry till it got to be to big of a problem and the industry blew the whistle on the whole thing.

There is also a story of a band that the label decided right away was going to be a big hit. They were going to make them a hit. The only problem was that they couldn't get the radio stations to play them. So they decided to pay for the advertising time and during that time have the radio stations play that band. This went on for a week till people started calling in and requesting the band. That band went on to become a big hit and is called Limp Bisket.

5. Is home recording studios leveling out the playing field for smaller artists?

While I don't think the field is quiet level yet I do think that it is amazing how good of music we can make now with very little. Pro-tools has given us a advantage that was never possible before. While there are still pro's, I think we are in a good place for making music. The home recording studios can replace the level where bands go in to record in big studios to send off to the majors. With the better sound that we are getting more and more people are realising that they don't need the huge studios to get that awesome sound. While there are still things that we can't do without lots of money and a several million dollar recording space, I think what we have is great.

[DDP]

personally, i could care less what the "industry" is doing. i don't need a "major label" deal or distribution. i just enjoy recording my songs in my private little studio whether anybody else wants to hear them or not.
i'm just very thankfull that the technology is to the point that i'll never ever have to walk into a "real" studio again. so many "real" studios around here (pac. north west) are really just a high tech joke. they may have fancy equipment, but they still have the dumb punk running it........... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Kris75]

The way I see it is this. SOCAN or ASCAP will soon be collecting royalties from P2P. The majors will then be ok with this, because they will throw in a clause that allows them to take some of this publishing money. MMMM, sounds good.

This scenario is good for EVERYBODY though and here is why. It will be completly accurate. So even the indie musician who gets downloads will get paid. Right now the sampling system that these agencies (ASCAP or SOCAN) use is quickly becoming outdated.
I don't know of very many people that bought even one cd this year, except for maybe the Jimmy Eat World disc, and why would people go and buy an albumn anymore. With taste changing at a rapid pace, as well as less and less well written commercial songs being put out, this has turned into more of a business than an art form. I am well aware that it has been this way for quite sometime, but it is more in our face now than it ever was before.
Just my 2 cents.
Kris. Peace.
www.universalmindmusic.com

[Calvin]

The only thing that I have really grown to disslike is how people keep putting out a cd, then 2 months later will put out a cd with a bonus albume or put out something that has extra features, just to try and get people to buy the same thing 3 times or try to get those very few sales of people that hold out or just burn it from their friend. Why would I buy a cd when if first comes out if I know that in a few months a whole new one is going to be released with new stuff on it?

[timmygrimm]

1) I hate hearing people whine about how music is today (i.e. not being original, too compressed, blah, blah, blah). Personally, I think technology is allowing people to make some of the most interesting and creative music ever made.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">i find the too compressed part to be very funny (and true (that people say that)). it's hilarious how someone can think that a studio effect is ruining music. take your favorite records, run them through a compressor (or listen to them on the radio). do they all of a sudden suck? (well maybe if it's a dbx blah blah instead of a urei, and it depends on the conversion method used of course (joke)). when i'm recording i sometimes reassure myself by thinking - it doesn't sound exactly how i planned, but if the music is good, it will come across.

i really hate listening to people bitch about the industry because it brings me down and puts me in an uncreative state. you can bitch about the music industry all you want, but it has brought you the greatest gift of your lives (all the music that you love). I personally have never seen a band I thought was extremely innovative and talented (and with good hair, of course) not get some sort of recognition. I have never had a major label deal (or any deal for that matter, i've played with a couple of signed acts) but I don't feel like I've been screwed. I do music because It's what I love to do. Being famous doesn't seem that f'ing great anyway. What's great is the feeling of playing music you love. If you are a good musician you can go play music you don't believe in and most likely make some money doing it, but you will probably be unhappy (that's what selling-out really means). Maybe you'll get some chicks and good coke, and if thats what you want then god bless you... 99% of major label acts aren't worth listening to.

btw when i say "you" i'm not addressing the person who wrote this thread.

my two drunk cents.

-tim

[dcarlson247]

Hey - Van Gogh lived on bread and coffee. He only sold one painting his whole life. I know there's that cutting off the ear thing but you know he was in love (for a couple minutes anyway).

You got to admire a guy like that.

I know you gotta make living. Sorry, I got distracted in some unrealistic idea about what making music is about. Silly me.
-----
Well one more stupid thought I guess while I'm at it. I love love the Dirk Hamilton lyric, "Because the dollar boys don't buy the best you can create, it makes you no less guilty for the garbage that you make."

Oh sorry - once again I've slipped into a totally stupid over-idealistic idea about music...

[TooLoud]

Click here...

[silence_of_stone]

yup I see that now. I dont peruse the Mac forums much but I am sure that some of us PC guys would like to chime in.
That was a very interesting thread though, but I kinda want to hear what my mates here on the PC forum have to say too!! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]