This is from an email Sandy debellis about how things are gonna change. No newspapers and books (both will be digital), stuff like that. They get some of it right, and one bit, about the death of industry in the States, terrifyingly accurate. HOWEVER, they were awful dumb about music:
6. Music. This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It’s the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is “catalog items,” meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, “Appetite for Self-Destruction” by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, “Before the Music Dies.”
Why is the death of the music industry sad or happy or anything? How does EMI’s bankruptsy effect me? Anybody who reads this blog might figure, as I do, that this is something of a golden age for music. The pop charts are excellent. The rock bands, of all types, are first rate. Metal has never been better. Dance has never even come close to where it is. There is always a band to see at nearly every imaginable level.
And.
We have never been closer to the artists. Sure, being friends with an Amanda Palmer may well be a day dream, being friends with Sweet Soubrette is a distinct possibility. The walls in music are tumbling down and the divining line between amateur and pro is disappearing.
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