The Future of the Music Industry

[BassBomber414]

The music industry is constantly changing.Prior to the mid sixties the money was in song writing ,publishing sheet music and selling on copyrights to other bands.For example Bob Dylan was originally given a contract because his recording company wanted to recycle his songs to other acts on the same label like Peter Paul and Mary .

The Beatles, originally a covers band , lead the way by later writing much of their own material.

After Sgt Pepper bands increasingly headed for the studio to make more complex music. Initially the new multi tracked music was rarely reproduced faithfully live,if it was played live at all.So we arrive at Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield and the era of studio recording domination.Many of the established Supergroups only played 'live' to promote a new album.

The music industry has had a fantastic run, especially with the rip - off prices of CD's in the UK and the massive back cataloging of albums that took place after CDs.

I originally bought a double album - Space Ritual - Hawkwind (1973) on vinyl,then on 8 track,then on vinyl again (scratched), then on CDs.
Now I've got it on my computer , ipod , DAB radio with SD card.Will I ever buy another copy ? No.Never.

Income from recording will go direct to bands from legal downloading on initial publication.CDs will continue to be pressed and continue to decline in sales.Live performances will , once again , provide big name groups with significant income.I was offered £1,500 in readies for my £75 Cream R.A.H. ticket in 2005. All of a sudden Led Zep reform, not a coincidence.
Smaller bands are playing live , running their own web sites,marketing mechandise ,podcasting , recording and mixing their own original and excellent music in home studios and selling CDs- a good example is The Pineapple Thief from Yeovil - check the site out. [url="http://www.pineapplethief.com/"]http://www.pineapplethief.com/[/url]

Edited April 17, 2008 by BassBomber414

[paul, the]

Is it quite sad that I think being a librarian would be the coolest thing ever?

[Linus27]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='176414' date='Apr 14 2008, 04:47 PM']My guess is that the bubble is set to burst as music ceases to be as important to future generations as it was to previous ones.[/quote]

This is a very good point and I have noticed this for a few years already. A lot of younger people who I meet are just not interested in music, not to the extent when I was younger and my sisters who are older than me were younger. They might latch on to one or two cool songs but they don't go out buying CD's or checking out new bands. The interest is just not there.

One thing that I think will happen in a much bigger way is live media will really take off. Say for example you want to go and see U2 in concert but you can't get the tickets to go and see them in person. Not a problem, you will be able to pay a fee and watch the concert, still live from multiple camera angles or as a complete broadcast package, either on your PC, media console or TV. I think in time, this will become main stream as the costs to do this will come down.

[paul, the]

Watching Grosse Point Blank last week I was thinking: What music would be played at my 10 year reunion?

The White Stripes?
The Dandy Warhols?
The Hives?
Muse?
Linkin Park?

Sigur Ros is the only popular modern band that I've found mildly interesting.

This site is quite good for seeing what people are listening to:
[url="http://www.gracenote.com/map/"]http://www.gracenote.com/map/[/url]

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='BassBomber414' post='178509' date='Apr 17 2008, 04:46 AM']The music industry is constantly changing.Prior to the mid sixties the money was in song writing ,publishing sheet music and selling on copyrights to other bands.For example Bob Dylan was originally given a contract because his recording company wanted to recycle his songs to other acts on the same label like Peter Paul and Mary .

The Beatles, originally a covers band , lead the way by later writing much of their own material.

After Sgt Pepper bands increasingly headed for the studio to make more complex music. Initially the new multi tracked music was rarely reproduced faithfully live,if it was played live at all.So we arrive at Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield and the era of studio recording domination.Many of the established Supergroups only played 'live' to promote a new album.

The music industry has had a fantastic run, especially with the rip - off prices of CD's in the UK and the massive back cataloging of albums that took place after CDs.

I originally bought a double album - Space Ritual - Hawkwind (1973) on vinyl,then on 8 track,then on vinyl again (scratched), then on CDs.
Now I've got it on my computer , ipod , DAB radio with SD card.Will I ever buy another copy ? No.Never.

Income from recording will go direct to bands from legal downloading on initial publication.CDs will continue to be pressed and continue to decline in sales.Live performances will , once again , provide big name groups with significant income.I was offered £1,500 in readies for my £75 Cream R.A.H. ticket in 2005. All of a sudden Led Zep reform, not a coincidence.
Smaller bands are playing live , running their own web sites,marketing mechandise ,podcasting , recording and mixing their own original and excellent music in home studios and selling CDs- a good example is The Pineapple Thief from Yeovil - check the site out. [url="http://www.pineapplethief.com/"]http://www.pineapplethief.com/[/url][/quote]
+1

Very well put indeed... I remember the Pineapple Thief from 6 or 7 years ago and they were good then.. I saw them a couple of times; once in Yeovil and once in London I think.. Very pleased to learn that they're still doing it and believing in what they have to offer. Great thing is that now they can reach people via their own means

[Mr_Nitro]

With the demise of some great venues (th tumbledown, and the astoria) will there be anywhere left to play in the future?.. So many venues are being closed down and turned into restaurants, or being knocked down for the new high speed rail link..

[ahpook]

[quote name='paul, the' post='178957' date='Apr 17 2008, 03:45 PM']Is it quite sad that I think being a librarian would be the coolest thing ever?[/quote]

prolly not as sad as actually being one

[Linus27]

[quote name='Mr_Nitro' post='179243' date='Apr 17 2008, 08:28 PM']With the demise of some great venues (th tumbledown, and the astoria) will there be anywhere left to play in the future?.. So many venues are being closed down and turned into restaurants, or being knocked down for the new high speed rail link.. [/quote]

Also the West End Centre is still on shakey ground. I think the Star in Guildford is still going strong for now.

[budget bassist]

I think as long as people want to listen to music, the music industry will boom, someone has to produce it right?
I think soon enough it will be literally impossible to illegally download music though and a lot more people will start paying to download it. I know some people in the music industry and they're pushing for music to start being released on USB memory sticks a lot more but i hope it doesn't go that way. that would make CDs obsolete and would make it hard to find decent CD players... plus a USB stick collection just doesn't look good like a good CD collection does.

Also i think it's pretty sad that the astoria is being demolished... That place was pretty famous. I know it's not really related much but one of the pubs in hucknall where i live is being closed down. That's pretty sad because that means my band has nowhere to practice and that pub is where all the local alternative bands have always played. I know it's not a big venue but it's a really important place to a lot of the people that live here, not to mention it leaves a few of my friends without an income, the barstaff, the manager and the guy that organises and promotes the gigs there, all friends of mine.

Edited April 17, 2008 by budget bassist

[Mr_Nitro]

I had the same thing with the tumbledown.. all the staff were good mates of mine, I worked there myself for 7 years! It will be sadly missed....

[Bass_In_Yer_Face]

What always annoys me about the record industry is that it's way to stop piracy is not to reduce the price of cd's so there is no need to do it but to put the price up. if albums were £5 each, nobody would need to pirate anything.

Personally I'd love to see something new come along soon just like glam/punk/ new wave/house/grunge/brit pop..etc but don't think Simon Cowell will allow it

[Terra]

This is awesome guys! Thanks so much, you've done so well I've got a special treat for you!

See my next topic for question 2

[Kaiu]

The industry is adapting, albeit not as successfully as they would like. In most cases the major labels are only offering 360 degree deals to new bands, where they take a slice of merchandise, ticket sales and record sales. IMO the live scene will carry on as normal as long as bands don't have to hike ticket prices because labels are taking a big slice.

It's ridiculous, we are signed to a major label, and the money they spend is stupid. They still send bands first class, book flights at the last minute instead of booking in advance and saving money. With a little extra care they could save themselves alot of money. Alot of the employees are still living in the 80's and 90's, billing large amounts to their company accounts in the name of the artist. I know it's not going to amount to the number of illegal downloads etc but it's a start.

ed

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='Kaiu' post='180944' date='Apr 20 2008, 11:48 AM']It's ridiculous, we are signed to a major label, and the money they spend is stupid. They still send bands first class, book flights at the last minute instead of booking in advance and saving money. With a little extra care they could save themselves alot of money. Alot of the employees are still living in the 80's and 90's, billing large amounts to their company accounts in the name of the artist. I know it's not going to amount to the number of illegal downloads etc but it's a start.

ed[/quote]
That's absolutely true and it was definitely that way last time I was working in artist management in 2002.. You'd think it'd be better now since the changing landscape of the industry and the way that music is 'acquired' by punters has hit record companies so that sales are at an all time low!

But in typical music biz fashion, it's still obviously being run by freeloaders and idiots most of the time! Will they never learn?

[Linus27]

When I was in a band that was signed, we would make an effort ourselves to save money as we knew at the end of the day, it would bite us in the arse and cost us money. We had the chance to fly to Seatle and record our first album with the guy who produced Pearl Jam's first album. For a newly signed band, this was a very tempting and exciting prospect but in the end we said, its not needed, it would cost way to much and we ended up going to a studio in Wales where the Stereophonics record. No doubt saving us a ton of money. Just the thought of shipping us and our equipment over to the States for a few months was very scary.

So, its easy for bands to take the piss but the record companies can and are just as bad but I guess you get it in all manner of industries.

[bassninja]

Remember the 'Home taping is killing music' ad print on inner sleeves of LPs in the 80s? (Jeez, I'm getting old...) Well it didn't.

I hope people will treat The Industry for what it has become. I have no wish to be part of it, having seen first hand what it can do to creative artists. However much I like some of their music, I now have the same feeling about Metallica as I do about Monster cables (see other posts on this forum) given their corporatist stance.

I mainly listen to bands that allow live taping & trading these days (non-profit o'course). For instance, grab some live (and band approved) Flecktones shows here:

[url="http://bt.etree.org/index.php?cat=26"]http://bt.etree.org/index.php?cat=26[/url]

and a choice of 105 approved 'Tones shows here:

[url="http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Aetree%20AND%20format%3Amp3%20AND%20creator%3A%22Bela%20Fleck%20and%20the%20Flecktones%22"]http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=co...20Flecktones%22[/url]

Some approved Victor Wooten here:

[url="http://bt.etree.org/?search=&cat=199"]http://bt.etree.org/?search=&cat=199[/url]

etc etc, you get the drift.

Many bands who can actually [i]play[/i] (unfortunately, mainly from the States it seems) have 'taper sections' at gigs where fans can put mics up, and a clear 'taper policy' on their websites. But a word of warning, watch the source: while some tapers get fantastic audience recordings, a SBD or DSBD source is sometimes best: a direct feed from the desk.

But remember what the Grateful Dead fan said when he ran out of acid: "[i]Hey, this band sucks...[/i]

[Paul Cooke]

[quote name='Kaiu' post='180944' date='Apr 20 2008, 11:48 AM']It's ridiculous, we are signed to a major label, and the money they spend is stupid. They still send bands first class, book flights at the last minute instead of booking in advance and saving money. With a little extra care they could save themselves alot of money.[/quote]

they do that because they can charge it to the Band's tab... it all comes back off the advance... basically, it's not their money they're spending...

[s_u_y_*]

[quote name='Linus27' post='180966' date='Apr 20 2008, 12:18 PM']When I was in a band that was signed, we would make an effort ourselves to save money as we knew at the end of the day, it would bite us in the arse and cost us money. We had the chance to fly to Seatle and record our first album with the guy who produced Pearl Jam's first album. For a newly signed band, this was a very tempting and exciting prospect but in the end we said, its not needed, it would cost way to much and we ended up going to a studio in Wales where the Stereophonics record. No doubt saving us a ton of money. Just the thought of shipping us and our equipment over to the States for a few months was very scary.

So, its easy for bands to take the piss but the record companies can and are just as bad but I guess you get it in all manner of industries.[/quote]

Wow... that took serious level headedness to do that. Me, I would have probably said, "When's the next flight?". It would have been an awesome experience though.

[timloudon]

A good place to look is on people's blogs, and online magazines. I've been in the same position as yourself recently, and there's only so much normal library research can do for you.

check out 'http://www.futureofmusicbook.com/', it's a good source with some interesting ideas. Also, check out publications like Rolling Stone or Q- anything really. Just make sure you click on all the relevant links you can, bookmarking along the way so you can reference them properly. It's easy to get lost on the internet this way.

[Kaiu]

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='181250' date='Apr 20 2008, 07:24 PM']they do that because they can charge it to the Band's tab... it all comes back off the advance... basically, it's not their money they're spending...[/quote]

Not when it's a promotional cost. The label pays for everything relating to instores, interviews, TV performances etc. Recoupable costs are Videos, Album.single recordings, tour support etc

That's how our deal is structured. It may not be the same in every case.

Edited April 21, 2008 by Kaiu

[chris_b]

[quote name='Kaiu' post='181603' date='Apr 21 2008, 10:24 AM']Not when it's a promotional cost. The label pays for everything relating to instores, interviews, TV performances etc. Recoupable costs are Videos, Album.single recordings, tour support etc

That's how our deal is structured. It may not be the same in every case.[/quote]
That surprises me. My experience is that any money a record company spends on you is a loan.

[SJA]

[url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr05/articles/thunder.htm"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr05/articles/thunder.htm[/url]

interesting interview with Thunder about recording and releasing records as an unsigned band.
Danny Bowes' belief that high street record shops will always exist as people need that "retail therapy" experience of visiting a shop is arguable-

I'm not sure whether record shops will be able to continue turning a profit on music sales- unless music becomes the loss leader and the profit's made off computer games, hardware, café services, mp3 player hardware, phones, clothes etc. sold instore.........