Written by one of my oldest and bestest amigos.
The Music Industry is Dead
The Grammys show you how pompous and ass backwards the remnants of a once collossal industry is. First, there have been digital bandits since the late 90s ever since mp3 technology erupted. Secondly is a lot of music isn’t even represented at the Grammys. Most of DJ culture and electronic producers are too busy sweating in their bedroom studios to even bother. And every big pop song this year stole from this culture. I say stole because no one is “influenced” anymore. Because if they were they would be paying those producers big money to produce pop hits. But they don’t. They simply steal the inspiration. The big pundits will be hoping that the needle is moved this week with the sale of CDs or digital downloads. But most consumers when they hear something they enjoy will simply steal it just like these artists steal others ideas. We live in a borrowed culture. Ever since sampling culture took off and producers felt they didn’t need to clear a song’s publishing people simply felt it was okay to not pay for music. And thus, the once mighty industry is gone. Dead, over. No need for a marketing exec since anyone can upload their song to Soundcloud. If you have enough buzz on your music you an simply sell direct through iTunes, Spotify or a dozen niche stores and collect the money without a mob middleman. No one needs a Clive Davis as an A&R person anymore. You can crowdsource on your Facebook community what single you should release next. I remember when I worked at The Orchard (my last gig in the industry at a digital distribution company) that I pushed social networking techniques to help grow the company. The suits there opted for old media tactics and that’s exactly the attitude that has led to the industry’s demise. Lack of innovation kills every industry. Who wants to discover and buy music like it’s 1999 when it’s already 2011 and we’re discovering, consuming and sharing in ways that the turtle corporate suits can’t control? And what about the rest of the globe? They count too. The world can have its Bieber. I’ll stick with the bandit producers across the globe sweating it in their studios and doing it for real. Just like most real musicians have been doing without the need of an official industry ever since recorded music was invented. - G
