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I think this was inevitable the minute we had the combination of sufficient bandwidth and decent quality audio compression. From there on it was a perfect sto

by bborud 13y ago

I think this was inevitable the minute we had the combination of sufficient bandwidth and decent quality audio compression. From there on it was a perfect storm of the music industry not understanding what was about to happen, the manufacturers of players not getting it right and everyone being greedy and trying to make off with the whole cake. Fast forward one generation of kids who are now grown-ups and you have an entire generation of music listeners who will not pay ... whatever CDs used to cost where you live. The toothpaste is not going back in the tube. The time when David Gilmour could make living sitting on his fat arse is over. He will just have to accept that, and the sooner he realizes that the good old days are not coming back, the sooner he can do something productive. Like cultivate new ways to raise revenue.

k-mcgrady 13y ago
>> "From there on it was a perfect storm of the music industry not understanding what was about to happen" I think the problem is that these huge shifts are happening so often that it's difficult for the industry to keep up. First we had piracy, then after a while legal downloads were introduced with iTunes. Now only a few years later the entire industry has been changed again due to YouTube, Spotify etc. For an industry as huge as the music industry, adjusting to these shifts quickly is difficult. Once everyone finally figures out how to make money through streaming something else will have come along.
anigbrowl 13y ago
the music industry not understanding what was about to happen I think the music industry understood it moderately well and didn't like it; the small independent labels understood it especially well, because their bottom lines shrivelled away to nothing without them having the capital or market clout to create an alternative. The time when David Gilmour could make living sitting on his fat arse is over. Right...all musicians are exactly like David Gilmour or whatever former star you consider to be an overpaid has-been...even if they never actually got rich or famous, they should pay the price of his arrogance. /facepalm
- bborud 13y ago
  If you see music from an economic standpoint: there is an abundance of music being made and distributed today. And the cost of making a professional sounding recording, and bringing it to a large audience, has plummeted to where it is within the means of anyone with a bit of talent to make, and distribute, music. Merely recording music isn't "special" anymore. Anyone can do that. There is a sense of entitlement that is out of sync with reality here. The world has changed. Whining about it isn't going to change that.
- ace_of_spades 13y ago
  I actually think he has a valid point. The world changed. There was a time where people made a fortune by digging for gold, then the world changed and now it's really hard to make a living by digging for gold. You can cry and say how unfair it is but that's not going to change anything. Musicians today have to make a living through concerts, merchandising or whatnot. I personally think that this is actually a good development. The web allows musicians to cut out music labels and without much investment reach a large audience, increasing chances of building a fan base and making money from concerts, etc.

by bborud 13y ago

k-mcgrady 13y ago

>> "From there on it was a perfect storm of the music industry not understanding what was about to happen" I think the problem is that these huge shifts are happening so often that it's difficult for the industry to keep up. First we had piracy, then after a while legal downloads were introduced with iTunes. Now only a few years later the entire industry has been changed again due to YouTube, Spotify etc. For an industry as huge as the music industry, adjusting to these shifts quickly is difficult. Once everyone finally figures out how to make money through streaming something else will have come along.

anigbrowl 13y ago

the music industry not understanding what was about to happen I think the music industry understood it moderately well and didn't like it; the small independent labels understood it especially well, because their bottom lines shrivelled away to nothing without them having the capital or market clout to create an alternative. The time when David Gilmour could make living sitting on his fat arse is over. Right...all musicians are exactly like David Gilmour or whatever former star you consider to be an overpaid has-been...even if they never actually got rich or famous, they should pay the price of his arrogance. /facepalm

bborud 13y ago
If you see music from an economic standpoint: there is an abundance of music being made and distributed today. And the cost of making a professional sounding recording, and bringing it to a large audience, has plummeted to where it is within the means of anyone with a bit of talent to make, and distribute, music. Merely recording music isn't "special" anymore. Anyone can do that. There is a sense of entitlement that is out of sync with reality here. The world has changed. Whining about it isn't going to change that.
ace_of_spades 13y ago
I actually think he has a valid point. The world changed. There was a time where people made a fortune by digging for gold, then the world changed and now it's really hard to make a living by digging for gold. You can cry and say how unfair it is but that's not going to change anything. Musicians today have to make a living through concerts, merchandising or whatnot. I personally think that this is actually a good development. The web allows musicians to cut out music labels and without much investment reach a large audience, increasing chances of building a fan base and making money from concerts, etc.