Well, we’ve come to, as those wacky Traveling Wilburys would say, the End of the Line. Onward to 2008.
When I think back to this past year, it ain’t very pretty: Iraq and steroids. ‘Way too many presidential primary debates; too-high gasoline prices, and too many scandals, from Washington to Hollywood, from politics to sports and entertainment.
In the music biz, all the talk was about how the landscape was changing. The record industry continued in free-fall and went after people who dared to download and share music off their computers. Artists—the ones who could afford to, anyway—bypassed record labels and sold their music via Starbucks and Wal-Mart, or gave it away (Prince), or, as Radiohead did for awhile, let fans decide how much (or little) to pay.
But that landscape has been shifting for more than a decade now, ever since personal computers got big enough to hold music, and got a way, through the Internet, to grab music.
A dozen or so years ago, when I was editing a radio and recording biz trade magazine, the industry foresaw a time when record buyers would no longer go to record shops to purchase conventional albums. They’d go to a kiosk and use a high-speed computer and printing system to order customized albums, selecting tracks from various artists—or from a single artist.
Little did the industry know that the home computer would become so powerful, so quickly, that many music fans—especially younger ones, hip not only to music, but to technology—would have no need for such a kiosk, or for record stores at all.
People seeking entertainment have more options than ever. They don’t need conventional television or radio; or newspapers or magazines, as traditional media operators have learned. YouTube and myspace; instant movie downloads on Netflix; entire television shows on networks ranging from ABC to TV Land. Kids—and grownups—can post their own songs and performances online, and, playing videogames, can be their own guitar heroes and rock bands.
It’s a wonder to me that people still read at all, and that they go online seeking out music sites and blogs. Look at you. Who would’ve thought that a person looking for scribblings about music would come to TV Land? Yet, here you are, and here I am.
And, of course, there are many others. Whether you want views on the music industry from pros, or rants and raves from music critics, or self-promotional postings (of tour diaries and mp.3s of their music), or amateur—but sometimes amusing—blogs by fans, there’s something for you on line.
In future blogs, I’ll review several of the best sites. This week, I’d recommend Steve Meyer’s “DISK&DAT,” which has been around for five years. Which may explain the slightly dated name of the blog. (It’s at www.freewebs.com/stevemeyer.) But Meyer, a long-time record exec, does an excellent job on several levels. He provides a one-stop shop for industry news, so you instantly feel like an insider. He offers music charts and TV ratings, and links you to a wide range of other entertainment sites, from internet radio to the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. A few blogs ago, I addressed the issue of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, whose nominations and inductions are puzzling (if not infuriating) to many. The Hit Paraders offer an alternative.
Meyer, with his three decades-plus in the music industry, also offers commentary, occasionally dipping into nostalgia, as he recalls working with the Beatles or Bob Seger at Capitol Records, but more often providing a personal, I’ve-been-there perspective on on the news, on artists, and on trends.
There are many other ex- and current execs, managers and producers out there, venting their wrath on the music industry – and on artists – and what they’re doing wrong. I’ll point you to them, too. But Steve Meyer’s is a more balanced set of views. A little of disc, and a little of DAT.
What do you think about Big Record Companies suing poor college kids for downloads?
It looks like they are furious because their gravy train has dried up. The genie is out of the bottle and has been for a long time.
There are better and cheaper ways to buy music legally now that everything has changed. The market will even out and the free for all will eventually stop. Lowering the boom on a few examples is just being a big fat bully and not doing any one any good. They will never reap the same ridiculous profits at everyone else's expense like they had for decades and ruining a few financial lives only makes them look worse.
They have to find a new way to survive or die like the dinosaurs they are.