It's been a scary time for the music industry and really there has been only one problem plaguing them, how to get people to pay for the music they release.
And as has been true since the advent of file sharing, the music industry can't seem to find an answer. Because there isn't an answer, at least there isn't one answer any more. From sheet music to CDs were more or less consistent in format, sure there was cassettes and albums, but it was the same essential concept. And it was only two, if you include 8 Track three, formats. And distribution remained constant.
Today music formats and distribution are all over the place, there is no middle, there is only fringe and the record business is still looking for one size fits all where none existent.
Look at music listeners this way:
1. The casual older listener, sticks with oldies on the radio and picks up the occasional Tony Bennet release on CD.
2. The casual 25 – 54, happy with XM or on line Pandora. Picks up music on Itunes.
3. The music fan, made for Pandora and variants. Picks Up Music On Itunes
4. The serious fan, serviced by Spotify.
5. The younger fan uses Youtube.
6. The younger serious fan uses Spotify.
7. The one band fanatic -joins social media clubs and the bands websites.
How do you service these people?
I mean, how do you make real money? Apps, as Jack Phillips reported here a couple of days ago, is one solution. But it requires too much from the consumer . I can see the "Little Monsters" approving, or even bothering, with it, but if a song only works with an app to work it, it isn't going far.
Muse and Music has been suggesting band make their own websites with a paywall, a sort of reality show online where the bands existent is open to constant updates and interrogations. This would be perfect for, say, All Time Low, a band of a certain size with a young audience. It is a smart way to live a bands music.
The Labels themselves are playing with opening up their vaults for music streaming at a monthly fee. It isn't a bad idea but , not unlike the band website concept, it is specialized.
Advertising sponsored albums, kickstarter campaigns, free live recordings, paid live recordings, tee shirts, fanclubs, meet and greets with paid purchase, super box sets that include the earliest demos and commentary… everything is all over the place.
But all of them require too much from the listener. We want to consume music, we are too busy working in our own lives to want to work on some pop bands.
Maybe the future is advertisement sponsored music on youtube…