6 ms·

If record companies can’t adapt to this new world, they will die out; and without advances, so will the futures of many talented bands. I think there is a bit

If record companies can’t adapt to this new world, they will die out; and without advances, so will the futures of many talented bands. I think there is a bit of a double-standard here. While digital music technology is disabling the ability for record companies to make money using their current model, it is enabling musicians to do more of what the record companies used to provide. A talented musician today can record, edit and mix an album using computers and software that can be obtained for free or less(1). They can then distribute and promote a single world-wide and make the album available in both electronic and physical formats with small or no up-front cost and no ongoing risk (excess inventory, etc.). As this article points out, videos can be made for small amounts of money and distributed world-wide (as long as you haven't already sold your right to do so) to promote the band and the album as well. There certainly are things that are still hard to do without a record company behind you but a significant amount of the risk these companies used to incur (namely studio time, marketing and distribution) are now all within the reach of anyone with talent and ambition. Essentially musicians (and to an extent, novelists and filmmakers) are enjoying the position that software developers have enjoyed for decades. That is to say, it is not easy, or common, to see "rock stars" emerge from this process but with the reduced overhead it allows, it is possible to "make art your day-job" with a much smaller fan/customer base than it would be if you had to foot the bill for an entire studio and all of the other musicians that come with it. So I believe, that to imply that the demise of record companies (as we know them) will be anything but a net gain for good music, is a dubious assumption. (1)Many companies now pay to have computers capable of these tasks disposed of so you may even get paid to acquire the hardware, and there have been open-source applications capable of multitrack digital recording for years.

mattmanser 17y ago
I completely disagree, the total number of amazing indie games, for example, can be written on the back of a matchbox. The total number of paid for by publishers games numbers in the hundreds each year. The number of amazing movies paid for by studios? Compared to the two or three indie films I can even think of in my entire lifetime. It is delusional to believe that one person can have the skills to create great music, market that music, perform PR for the band and manage themselves. Those kind of people are so few and far between that if you want to bet the future of music on them that then we're in for a rough period musically speaking. Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for these types of artists (Amanda Palmer is one that immediately springs to mind whose music I love). But if it makes you feel better about the impending financing disaster approaching music by telling yourself that anyone can become a jack-of-all-trades you're just plain wrong.
- axod 17y ago
  >> " then we're in for a rough period musically speaking." Come now. Recorded music is a very very recent invention. There was absolutely fantastic music before, there'll be absolutely fantastic music after. I don't think it's useful to compare music to movies or games. The effort and range of skills required is completely different. Also as I say, music has been around since forever. Movies and games are a more modern invention.
  - mattmanser 17y ago
    Recorded music is a very very recent invention. And that recorded music has meant a massive decline in paid live bands. So you can't get paid for gigging. So how are you going to get your 10,000 hours in like the beatles? You don't get resident bands in bars and pubs anymore. I don't think it's useful to compare music to movies or games. The effort and range of skills required is completely different. Aha, you think it's EASY don't you! Oh yes, anyone can be Nirvana if they grow their hair long huh? It's not, grow up. The pure fact there are so many people who wanted to be a rock star and never were is a testament to the difficulty. Also in the past movies = plays, games = Chess, backgammon, cards, etc. Plays cost money, chess boards cost money. And a poor person would never have had a chance to listen to Bach 300 years ago. All forms of entertainment have been around forever, the format changes with the times, but amazingly people always got paid. So what is your point exactly?
    - axod 17y ago
      Before recorded music, people just played music for fun, or were mainly employed by very rich people to play music. If we go back to that, I don't think music as such will suffer. People create music mainly because it's fun, not because they want to be rich. You certainly do get live bands in good pubs. Find a better pub. And yes, I think creating music is far far easier than creating a movie or a modern game, where you have to organize music, lighting, casting, voices, graphics, gameplay, camerwork etc etc
      - jasongullickson 17y ago

mattmanser 17y ago

I completely disagree, the total number of amazing indie games, for example, can be written on the back of a matchbox. The total number of paid for by publishers games numbers in the hundreds each year. The number of amazing movies paid for by studios? Compared to the two or three indie films I can even think of in my entire lifetime. It is delusional to believe that one person can have the skills to create great music, market that music, perform PR for the band and manage themselves. Those kind of people are so few and far between that if you want to bet the future of music on them that then we're in for a rough period musically speaking. Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for these types of artists (Amanda Palmer is one that immediately springs to mind whose music I love). But if it makes you feel better about the impending financing disaster approaching music by telling yourself that anyone can become a jack-of-all-trades you're just plain wrong.

axod 17y ago
>> " then we're in for a rough period musically speaking." Come now. Recorded music is a very very recent invention. There was absolutely fantastic music before, there'll be absolutely fantastic music after. I don't think it's useful to compare music to movies or games. The effort and range of skills required is completely different. Also as I say, music has been around since forever. Movies and games are a more modern invention.
- mattmanser 17y ago
  Recorded music is a very very recent invention. And that recorded music has meant a massive decline in paid live bands. So you can't get paid for gigging. So how are you going to get your 10,000 hours in like the beatles? You don't get resident bands in bars and pubs anymore. I don't think it's useful to compare music to movies or games. The effort and range of skills required is completely different. Aha, you think it's EASY don't you! Oh yes, anyone can be Nirvana if they grow their hair long huh? It's not, grow up. The pure fact there are so many people who wanted to be a rock star and never were is a testament to the difficulty. Also in the past movies = plays, games = Chess, backgammon, cards, etc. Plays cost money, chess boards cost money. And a poor person would never have had a chance to listen to Bach 300 years ago. All forms of entertainment have been around forever, the format changes with the times, but amazingly people always got paid. So what is your point exactly?
  - axod 17y ago
    Before recorded music, people just played music for fun, or were mainly employed by very rich people to play music. If we go back to that, I don't think music as such will suffer. People create music mainly because it's fun, not because they want to be rich. You certainly do get live bands in good pubs. Find a better pub. And yes, I think creating music is far far easier than creating a movie or a modern game, where you have to organize music, lighting, casting, voices, graphics, gameplay, camerwork etc etc
    - jasongullickson 17y ago