Is the recording industry finished?

mr_angry

Let's look into the future, say, 20 years or so. Do you see a need for the recording industry to exist. Given the advent of the Internet, and all its associated technologies, I think its feasable that artists and bands could promote themselves and deal in their music without any need for a record deal. After all, what does a record deal actually do for a band?

1) It gives them money to record their music in the first place.

Ok, admittedly, this is the first, and most difficult hurdle to overcome. How do you create recordings of a reasonable standard without the backing of a record company. Well, frankly, your basic day out in the recording studio isn't as expensive as it once was. Many bands now make their first few CDs themselves in local studios, out of their own pocket. Plus, home recording equipment is dropping in price all the time, and with the number of homes with computers spiralling upwards all the time, this can only become more attractive to consumers. In 20 years time, with prices of consumer electronics capable of achieving this dropping all the time, it only seems more and more likely.

2) Getting their music on radio.

Another potentially difficult hurdle. In order for this to continue with some kind of order, its necessary for a fairly massive shift to occur in the workings of both radio stations and the industry. Who filters the good from the bad, and decides what gets the airplay? At the moment, stations largely play what the industry suggests to them. What is needed in order for this to succeed, is an organisation that filters this music, virtually free of charge. Not an easy task.

3) Distributing copies of the music.

No problem whatsoever, even with existing technologies. CD burners, Internet sites, P2P networks... its all there already, if you want to distribute your music.

4) Gigging / Concerts

Frankly, for artists / bands who have reached the level of ticketed events, it should be no problem to deal exclusively with fans through the Internet, thus cutting out the middlemen of both Ticketmaster, and the record company.


Have I left anything out? Do you think there will be a need for the recording industry in the future?

Doctor J

I can see it surviving. Cretins like Robbie Williams have opened the gates for record companies to acquire cash from the likes of gigs and merchandise, which previously were exclusively the artist's form of revenue. This sort of thing will become the norm in all contracts soon enough. The record company will own the artist, not just the artists recordings.

While the internet provides an avenue for artists to sell themselves, having the greatest music in the world doesn't mean a thing unless you can expose others to it. As long as MTV etc and radio stations use playlists which are pretty much bought by the record companies there is very little scope for an unknown band to get large scale exposure. Even with gigs, the support acts are generally farmed from the main acts label. There is no scope for unknown bands to land big gigs without cosying up to promoters and labels. In fact, I think it's only a matter of time before the labels, promoters and ticketmaster all get real cosy with each other (if they're not doing so already).

At the end of the day, it's up to Joe Punter to support their local bands. Buy the demos, go to the gigs. Record labels don't invest in bands anymore, they want a quick fix, hence TV readymade superstars and boy/girl band. It's not about music, it's money. Most folks couldn't be arsed seeking out a Dublin band's demo, they'd rather go to HMV etc and feed the beast.

projectmayhem

there was similar uproar when recordable cassetes came out. probably not quite as hyped as MP3, but it was still there. as soon as the industry embraced them all was well with the world again.

i think the itunes/ipod idea will be the way of the future, but HMV etc. will still exist because there's still a massive market for cd's..

mr_angry

Of course, thats the likely outcome. But the advent of this kind of technology is bringing the power somewhat back towards the band themselves. At the moment, its the record lables that hold all the aces - they decide who goes where, who does what, and who gets listened to. However, there's a lot of potential for that to change, given the advent of this kind of technology.

Executive Steve

vinyl will survive. theres no motivation for the dance music industry to move away from a non piratable medium... [at least non pirateable within the bounds of economy - you could press up 5000 bootleg copies of a tune but to knock up one single one its waaay to expensive...] plenty of people are using burnt cds or final scratch to play unreleased stuff or to make travelling abroad for a gig less of a source of back complaints etc but theyre all substitutes for the typical medium on which the music is sold and marketed. the dawn of the cd made policing copyright that bit harder since there is no degradation of quality over time like with a tape.

the musicians union in the forties had an anti vinyl campaign back when the first clubs started putting on nights with just a record player in dancehalls, they had a hissy fit when "home taping is killing music" in the eighties.... fact is theres always going to be several types of consumers of music, the people for whom music is just entertainment and the people for whom music is something more... the people for whom its just entertainment are quite happy with robbie williams, they are quite happy to pay 50 euro to go see him. as for the resat of us we have to realise that if we burn someones cd they will charge more to see them because they have to make their oney back.

Civilian_Target

Hate to say the same but I think the music industry will live it out. Interestingly, just how much does it cost to get on MTV these days, I remember Bruce Dickinson at Iron Maiden saying pretty much "MTV won't play us because apparantly we're too old" but you can be sure there's more of an element to it than that. How much does it cost to get on MTV do you think, and how much to get to the top of their chart?

Of course some bands still get to the top the old fashioned way, take the Distillers, signed with an indie label, sold loads of copies of their first 2 albums, moved to a big record company, got plugged on MTV etc. and made it big. But the big record labels seem to have no interest in finding talent anymore. There's some stonking bands around in Belfast, at least 2 of whom are much better than any of that ****e you hear on MTV2 and who have been kicking around for 6 months+ but no-one seems to have signed them.... One of life's mysteries.