By SN
Friday January 25, 2008
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The Guardian – January 20, 2008:
Imagine the outcry if people working in a factory were told that the cost of the products they were making would be deducted from their wages, which anyway would only be paid if the company managed to sell the products. Or that they would have to work for the company for a minimum of 10 years and, at the company’s discretion, could be transferred to any other company at any time.
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Recently, the Wall Street Journal investigated the industry and concluded that ‘for all the 21st-century glitz that surrounds it, the popular music business is distinctly medieval in character: the last form of indentured servitude.’
As long as the major record companies controlled the industry, artists had to accept these conditions. But the majors’ grip on things has almost gone. For years they saw it coming but did little to change things. Now each week brings them more gloom. CD sales are down on last year, which were down on the year before, and the year before that.
For 50 years the major labels have thought of themselves as guardians of the music industry; in fact they’ve been its bouncers. Getting into the club used to be highly desirable. Now it doesn’t matter any more.
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For Kindle and with free ePub version. Only $9.49 Great reading.
Here is what Gary Shapiro CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said: Dvorak's writing sings with insight and clarity. Whether or not you agree with John's views, he will get you thinking and is never boring. These essays are worth the read!
Excellent article. Worth reading all the way through. The article only goes back to the early 60’s but the music business (and later the movie business) has been making billions in spite of itself forever.
Publishers of sheet music fought the player piano and the phonograph. Then promptly made millions on both.
The movie business fought television then made billions putting their movies on tv.
The music business fought the cassette tape tooth and nail then made billions selling them to consumers anxious to play their music in the car.
The movie studios fought the VCR with everything they had. They then made billions in rental fees and video sales.
Now both industries think they are going to put the internet genie back in the bottle. This time they may not be lucky enough to profit from their greed and stupidity. The record companies are going down hard and just about everyone except for a few middle aged, pony tailed, snakeskin booted, Porsche drivng douchebags in LA and New York.
I think that the lowest pit of hell is being reserved for the RIAA and the record company executives. Evil incarnate. No compassion for their customers OR the people they represent. I just hope they die fast. Not painlessly, just fast. I’m ready for music to come back.
I really enjoyed following this article to the source. Eyes wide open here, it reminds me of the surprisingly lucid letter reportedly from Courtney Love in 2000(?) addressing the industry. Would make a great movie… now, who’s gonna produce it?
Kudos to #1, 2, 3 for getting past the photo to read the article. Me, not so lucky.
Article? There’s an article?
I’m struck by how similar this is to the writers strike in Hollywood at the moment.
Something about the “creative class” wanting to make money nonetheless is at the heart of this.
No one stops you from playing a guitar or writing a story. Its only when you want to get paid for it that “middle men” get involved.
Kinda like growing food or anything else? Wheat is just an ingredient in the box. The product is the advertising on the box.
Again, great photo choice for the article. She goes by either Sandra LaRosa or more popularly, Sandy Summers, Brazilian and a porn star.(google her if you want to see her with out the stars and stripes!)
I just know these things!!!
This reminds me of an article Dvorak wrote a couple of years back called “93 Cents or Die!”. Every once in a while John hits it right on the head. There would be no internet problem if the music industry was fair and reasonable to it’s customers and performers. CD’s cost too much and the music being produced and promoted these days is mostly crap. We simply don’t want it.
A long time ago the music industry stopped being a market driven industry and tried instead to drive the market. It hasn’t worked and this is what they get.
So basically this article comes to saying that the days of big business bullying around musicians 9or making shit bands and forcing them on the public) is over because you can promote yourself online (or promote the venues you go to online), start up a studio with conservative means, and still make a decent living. How 2002. But still important none the less.
Go Kart has defeated the Corporate Giant. As it were…
Canned music sucks internet music rocks.
#7 – I just know these things!!!
And you should be proud.
#8 – the music being produced and promoted these days is mostly crap.
Defend that.
Because aside from being wholly subjective, its also just grumpy old man bullshit.
Some of the greatest music ever created is being made right now.
Now, recording standards fell dramatically and has made a lot of a good music sound bad due to crappy recordings, all compressed to shit… but even that seems to be getting better again.
By the way, I just stumbled over a funny picture of a volume knob that seemed like an appropriate pic to share here. 🙂
Hey I thought CD sales were going up because of all that illegal downloading? Now you’re telling me that CD sales have dropped! There goes that talking point. In fact, the record companies are losing money because of illegal downloads.
#13, OFTLO, that’s great! They just didn’t have room for the transuranic elements. Darn!
On CM:
“Can The RIAA Be This Clueless” Dept. — Let’s Get The Music Reviewers!
http://cagematch.dvorak.org/index.php/topic,3407.0.html
I think the key word is “promoted.” I agree that there is plenty of great music being produced today, but none of it is being promoted. All the current music industry seems to care about is promoting vapid crap. At least in the old days they used to promote quality music along with the vapid crap.
Not even close. Read up on some history.
OhForTheLoveOf, you can’t be serious! What about this? “Bruce Springsteen should be very happy. He has the No. 1 album, a possible Grammy for Best Album of the Year for “Magic,” an album full of singles and a sold-out concert tour.
Alas, there’s a hitch: Radio will not play “Magic.” In fact, sources tell me that Clear Channel has sent an edict to its classic rock stations not to play tracks from “Magic.” But it’s OK to play old Springsteen tracks such as “Dancing in the Dark,” “Born to Run” and “Born in the USA.”
Just no new songs by Springsteen, even though it’s likely many radio listeners already own the album and would like to hear it mixed in with the junk offered on radio.
Why? One theory, says a longtime rock insider, “is that the audience knows those songs. Of course, they’ll never know these songs if no one plays them. … Clear Channel seems to have sent a clear message to other radio outlets that at age 58, Springsteen simply is too old to be played on rock stations. This completely absurd notion is one of many ways Clear Channel has done more to destroy the music business than downloading over the last 10 years. It’s certainly what’s helped create satellite radio, where Springsteen is a staple and even has his own channel on Sirius.
It’s not just Springsteen. There is no sign at major radio stations of new albums by John Fogerty or Annie Lennox, either. The same stations that should be playing Santana’s new singles with Chad Kroeger or Tina Turner are avoiding them, too.”
Like I said, promoting, producing, and pushing Crap on an unwanting general public.
#17 – I have no argument with your take…
You know SN, I may be hit and miss in agreeing with you on various topics, but I can’t ever think of a time that I have disagreed with you on issues related to the RIAA and the music industry.
#17 I think the key word is “promoted.”
Promoted, or Payola? Is payola still done in this day in age?
#21
Yeah, but now it’s called “marketing”.