Topic: The Death of the Music Industry

[IronDioPriest]

A devastating look at how transformative technology and consumer preferences have resulted in a downward spiral of the music industry. Several easy-to-understand charts and graphs depict the decline in very stark terms.

The REAL Death Of The Music Industry

    ...10 years ago the average American spent almost 3 times as much on recorded music products as they do today.

    26 years ago they spent almost twice as much as they do today.

What Happened?...

[ToddF]

This pretty much spells it out, I'll just copy/paste and reply

1) People won't pay for what they can get for free (downloading)

This is one I'll disagree with.  Where do you go to download anymore, except usenet, and how many people are usenet literate?  I would say very few.  The rest can track you back to your PC, and most DO know that!  Besides, the Eagles sold 7 million (I believe) with their last CD.  People will pay for music if it's worthy of being paid for.

2) Radio is so tightly playlisted that very little new and innovative gets through. It's still "pay to play" no matter what they say.

Bingo.  I NEVER listen to music radio anymore, which means I'll NEVER hear anything unintended.  That's not good for up and coming bands.

3) Satellite radio chops music into even smaller segments.

Yep. 

4) There is no longer a mass audience that resonds to good new music, even if it gets played.

See #2

5) There is a bigger variety of media competing for entertainment dollars.

True Dat

6) Concert ticket prices have made it cost prohibitive to be a fan.

Back in '82 I considered The Who expensive...at $17.  $100 to $300?  No thanks.

7) Big record companies mostly only release "sure thing" records by established artists.

Absolutely

8) Record companies are no longer in the artist development business.

See #7  Journey, Styx, Rush, REO, countless others slogged it out for years, before hitting it big,  Not anymore.

9) Aging baby boomers are just less interested in music than they used to be.

I doubt this one.

10) Very, very few people are making music that actually MATTERS in this bleak era.

Actually they are.  It's just you'll never know it exists.

[ToddF]

And 11, see the other post in this section.  That trash, who thinks compelling TV is mocking home schooling, has now charted the most singles in the rock era.  Forget Elvis, forget the Beatles.  These Glee kiddies singing other peoples' songs has passed them all.

You can't develop the lowest common denominator in music consumer, and have your industry thrive.

[IronDioPriest]

I don't even know WTF "Glee" is.

[Pandora]

Glee.

That skanky Griffin chick will be on the show soon, per another thread.

Remember Paul Potts?  He is the English singer that was on Britain's version of "Idol".  Did an operatic piece, for which he won, one we've probably heard bits of all of our lives, but the audience of mostly young, were overwhelmed by beautiful music done well.  It raises the hair on one's neck and engenders goose bumps.

Mnhawk is right in that what's being pushed is not beautiful and not inspiring; it's lowest common denominator, raucous, unharmonious, no-talent dreck.  Most older people have totally checked out of new music because to them, it's not music; it's very bad yodeling.

[Glock32]

I haven't listened to charted music since high school. And I don't have any gnawing sensation that I'm missing out.

I mostly listen to obscure groups that I would've never found if not for actively searching. I guess this reinforces point #2. I also listen to classical, and marvel at the aesthetic the West was capable of when it wasn't wracked with self-loathing and moral nihilism.

[charlesoakwood]

The music industry is operated by accountants and lawyers.
Music as an aesthetic product, whether country or Bach, cannot be controlled by these people and survive.  Technology can provide an avenue for new invention or an obstacle or distraction.  When the inventor (composer, performer, actor, screenwriter) learns how to overcome the monopoly cartel of accountants and lawyers and create an avenue to the public they will achieve success and we will again have quality *entertainment.

Music is not dead the marketplace is refusing to buy tripe.

*Art reflects culture.

[radioman]

Sorry to say, the philharmonic orchestras are becoming endangered as well.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra just voted this week to go on strike, and the City of Detroit is cancelling their season.

I believe that the symphony in Phoenix is also in trouble. I hear rumblings here in Houston, about their budget is not good either.

Things are tuff. Orchestras depend largely on big donars - big donars == sucessful big companies == who are being targeted and run out of town == therefore, the orchestras will suffer.

I believe firmly that the free market enterprise should determine the losers and winners, but when it comes to music, and especially classical music, opera, ballet, and even jazz music, the free market system fails miserably in determining who the losers and winners are.

I don't have the answer, but I can see a time in the future where chldren will grow up never knowing what classical music is, and I have a lot of friends that could care less. All their cultural entertainment is supplied by rappers, rockers, or country western, to hell with the rest.

Well, like I said, I don't have the answer.

[Glock32]

You could make the argument that it's all been downhill since Beethoven's 9th. I can't imagine a generation of (especially) Westerners being divorced from this rich heritage.

One my favorites is Mozart's 25th Symphony, whose allegro movements are in minor key. The Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods are each exceptional in their own right. By the time of the so called "Modern" period, you can hear the corrupting influence of progressives with their atonal, disharmonious, bleak mockery of the aesthete.

[radioman]

In the Netherlands, just in the past 2 months or so, their national symphony is also on the ropes, cut way back.

Bottomline, the symphonies cannot make it on ticket sales. Here or Europe.

[Pandora]

In the Netherlands, just in the past 2 months or so, their national symphony is also on the ropes, cut way back.

Bottomline, the symphonies cannot make it on ticket sales. Here or Europe.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra has canceled the entire season because the orchestra members were not happy that they were to take a pay cut. I don't follow this in the details, but, as I understand it, the Detroit Symphony was long one of the better symphonies in the U.S. Well, revenues fell as Detroit deteriorated. Much of the money (the kind who give big bucks to symphonies) has evaporated or left town. Even the distant suburbs are packing up and moving elsewhere. The city itself is mostly black, hopelessly forlorn, and not at all interested in funding a symphony playing European music. The members of the symphony don't seem to understand this, so they have gone on strike and canceled the entire year's performances.

Closer to home, I have a similar story to relate. The Atlanta Ballet is incessantly trying to gain a large audience (and they are also well in the hole in regard to expenses vs. ticket sales). Well, last year, the powers that be in the Ballet had the great idea of hiring a local Rap artist (of whom there are many in Atlanta) to sing at a huge Atlanta Ballet production while the ballet company members performed Hip Hop maneuvers alongside some of the local hip hop dancers. The rap guy was named Big Boi. Well, the attendance was high, but apparently many of the attendees were local black high school and college students who were invited to attend more or less for free. The ballet dancers looked goofy doing hip hop. I was told by more than one member of the company that they could not understand the "unprofessional" behavior of their fellow hip hop dancers who more or less failed to show up for most of the rehearsals. They just wanted to do improv and be spontaneous.

Coinky-dink that I ran across this just now.

Auster's place

[charlesoakwood]

The foundations of "our" music, even country, are the classics.
Bach was the originator of figured bass which is the foundation of modern chord structure which has been used in popular music since the turn of the century late 19^th century.

It went straight from those guys into the church and from church to the street.

Culture gone to the dogs/music and the arts gone to the dogs.
Quality life with liberty are directly related as are sterility with regulation. 

As to Auster:
LBJ and the Great Society wiped out the black culture more effectively than if he'd used guns and gas.

[Pandora]

The foundations of "our" music, even country, are the classics.
Bach was the originator of figured bass which is the foundation of modern chord structure which has been used in popular music since the turn of the century late 19^th century.

It went straight from those guys into the church and from church to the street.

Culture gone to the dogs/music and the arts gone to the dogs.
Quality life with liberty are directly related as are sterility with regulation. 

As to Auster:
LBJ and the Great Society wiped out the black culture more effectively than if he'd used guns and gas.

Maybe you ought become better acquainted with Auster; he'd be the first to tell you that.

[ToddF]

Aren't orchestras pretty much 100% unionized?

There ya go.

And let's face it?  Do you really a new recording of Mozart's 25th, for $20, or are you happy buying a budget disc, of a 20 year old recording.  Back before e-music massively raised their prices (I then quit it), in order to get major label content, I would load up on all the budget label classical stuff they carried.  I just have no need for brand new recordings of 300 year old works.  Thereby a revenue stream that isn't there anymore for orchestras.

Now, I just browse

http://www.progarchives.com/

And if I'm lucky, I'll find it at Amazon for $7.99. 

[rickl]

Well, I hear Lady Gaga is doing pretty well.

/ducks, runs

[Glock32]

Well, I hear Lady Gaga is doing pretty well.

/ducks, runs

Doing pretty well at looking like that kid Paul from the Wonder Years in drag.

[ToddF]

Well, I hear Lady Gaga is doing pretty well.

/ducks, runs

Good thing about the stuff I listen to, now?  You won't ever see Rick Wakeman in any kind of crotchless outfit.

Just sayin' 

[Magnum]

One my favorites is Mozart's 25th Symphony, whose allegro movements are in minor key. The Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods are each exceptional in their own right. By the time of the so called "Modern" period, you can hear the corrupting influence of progressives with their atonal, disharmonious, bleak mockery of the aesthete.

Hey Glock,

Did you ever listen to this:

 MOZARTMANIA - WALDOS DE LOS RIOS - MOZART 13

Growing up it was one of my parents favorite's. I like it very much myself. In fact it too is one of my favorite "classical" albums.

It is rearranged by Waldo De Los Rios a Latin composer. It contains songs by Mozart arranged/performed with a Latin flavor.  

[Glock32]

I haven't heard that one, but I have heard one of his compositions that Rush Limbaugh plays from time to time. I can't even think of what it's called right off hand.

That reminds me of the "Hooked On" compilations that put classical pieces to a basic drum machine beat. The pop culture appeal of it may be an affront to purists, but I always liked them as a kid and credit them with sparking my interest in classical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17dP0QvjsOU

[rickl]

Check out the "smalin" YouTube channel.  It features a variety of classical pieces with graphic visualizations. Pretty neat.

Here's one:  [youtube ?Bach, Double Violin Concerto in D Minor, 1st mvt. BWV 1043]