[kj] OT: Music industry - decline in CD sales

[Brendan Quinn]

Do we have many people who work in the music industry on the list? I wanted
to voice an opinion about the decline in CD sales. 

 

I read these articles all the time, on tech sites and general news, about
the *terrible* decline in CD sales revenue and how it's affecting Sony and
Time Warner and Geffen and all the other music companies. And then I get
into the comments section, and the thing that strikes me is.people seem to
take the problem seriously. But I can't really see a problem?

 

Haven't we all been bitching about record companies since the day dot?
Artists and consumers alike? Aren't they the toll-booth between legitimate
artists and people who would benefit from their art? Don't they artificially
ratchet up the prices to consumers and down the prices to the artists,
didn't they charge more for CDs than cassettes despite cassettes costing
more to make (50% premium is the price I remember paying in the late 80s /
early 90s in NZ, $30+ vs $20). Don't they develop these shit Britney Spears
and boy bands that have no artistic merit whatsoever and pollute our youth
with mediocrity and perpetuate these negative stereotypes? Didn't we have to
pay a small fortune to change the media format of our collections from
records or cassettes to CDs, despite having - surely, already purchased the
rights to the content? Why are they complaining that we're getting a free
ride in the current conversion? Haven't the artists been complaining about
being ass-raped by these guys ever since Motown records, or before?

 

Okay, so piracy is illegal, a whole generation is getting stuff for free and
artists are losing out. But are they really? Are they artists that tour?
Because while my CD spend has all but dried up to a flaccid husk of its
previous self, my gig spend has at least compensated, probably moreso, esp
considering I have more disposable cash than when I was a destitute student
and buying CDs. And if it's a tough 5-10+ year transition into the digital
age.well if we do away with the record company tax / toll-booth that sits in
between artists and their audience - who cares? What did these guys do
anyway? Did they scout talent that now won't come to light? Ever heard of
the internet? If I can hear about fucking ThumbMan (which admittedly
brightened my life for a good 45 seconds), then I'm pretty sure I'll her
about the next Radiohead without Subpop telling me all about it. 

 

To me the main loss is the kids who are getting all this music for free and
therefore fail to appreciate what it's like to work a shit job and save up
for a few weeks to get the latest Led Zep or to flesh out their Sabbath
collection, walk home with a record burning a hole in their bag, and then
listen to it the whole way through while looking at the artwork and smoking
some oregano their mates sold them as hash and having the single best day of
their lives until the lose their virginity, but I digress..

 

People losing jobs isn't nice to see, but that's a whole different debate.

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