Is the democracy of the music industry a complete failure?
In the 1980s I grew up. I grew up. This was the time with large brands, major tours, and big hair! Lot’s made of $$$$. Bands from the 1960s and early 1970s sang of how they were fucked, so that these bands from the 1980s raked in. Go back to see “Behind the Music” episodes of Billy Joel or John Fogarty. Bands, like promoters, agents, and record companies, getting fucked left and right. The position of the ruling class of the music industry was, “It’s hippies. Keep them doped up to make sure that they have a tonne of bands and that they are satisfied. You don’t know how to deal with money. Therefore, we’re just going to take control of it for them.” That’s so many musicians in the late 1960s and early 1970s finished penniless because the bell had faded in the ears of all.
Fortunately, trends changed at the end of the 1970s and in the 1980s with MTV, intelligent musicians, and a legacy of horror stories a decade before the rock artist dominated the world. The musicians from this field became some of the most prominent and commercially wealthy individuals in the world. Any artists from the 70s and 60s experienced great commercial success at that period. The music artist’s portrait. The very reverse to the current situation.
Then what happens to the fuck?
Kevin Day and even others like to rocket science for the present situation. Rock music passed over in the early 1990s. It seems to have been appropriate from a creative point of view. Grunge was a kind of reset button and although certain performance bands like Rage Against the Machine saw audiences assemble in the mosh pit, some musicians from this era were rather understated. Not all were gloomy levels, sadness, and shoe looks. Keep in mind that there are still many galvanizing forces when there has been a big shift in the country. The Vietnam War, Kennedy murder, psychedelic drug testing, and Watergate, for example, all went to the hippy cause. It wasn’t a consideration. Under this light, let us return to the “glory days” of the late seventies and eighties.
In the 80’s recording a song, mastering it, making a film, and promoting it was quite costly. Record publishers will spend thousands before they had published the single or album and without understanding what sort of investment gain they might expect. Why was it too costly? It requires a village to record a band, record video, and support it. Many of you who read this now have discovered this difficult path. In a minute, we’ll come back to that. Albums like Purple Rain and Born in the United States made sure it was finished and done correctly. It was not yet a guarantee of financial prosperity, but the records were quite good. The artist focused on composing fantastic songs. The band focused on performing this music live and in the studio perfectly. The video producer and his staff have given full attention to the video and the label people have worked tirelessly to get the song and the video played and promoted the tour. It’s been a successful model. It was very costly but it succeeded and brought a lot of financial and social resources to artists of that period. And everybody had a “better” concept…
Whiners Winy whiners…
So we’ve got this oiled rig, but some people were already unhappy. Many musicians thought the company was owned by big labels. The large bad companies squeezed the real musicians. A lot of people shouted “No fair!” That was their privilege. The war raged for 10 to 15 years and cleared the haze. The scheme of labels was gone. The musicians of the indie had won. The music industry was now totally “democratic.” We needed a “equal” scheme… and what do we guess? We have our wishes. The enterprise is totally egalitarian. In your house, you will record a perfect sound record. There are mastering facilities that can manage the record at really cheap prices or even do it yourself. Technology often allows making a video extremely cost-effective and quick, and HUNDREDS of advertisement services are practically targeted at independent musicians. The internet helps you to advertise yourself basically for free all day and night. All will be a rock star now!
Where are the Rock Stars???
Why isn’t Everybody a rock star with all this equipment and free promotion? If you read this as an artist, you’ve already found that while all of this democracy sounds good… I mean democracy HAS to be good? Why don’t I have the popularity I feel or even feel I deserve? The unsettling began to happen about 20 years ago. You’d only purchase a CD by your favorite artist and know that the only decent single you heard on the radio was the one. That’s Just what happened to the recording industry. The drive to do better, pay fewer, and get the return on investment faster, can contribute to albums being cranked with a good song rather than a good content worth an album. Fans started to be cynical. I am not thinking this up. I am not making this up. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, this became an important subject in the music press. Bands like Hootie and the Blowfish are about to release an album of great songs. They sold millions and they raced to make another mark in an attempt to double their success. The second album has been tanked. This was the case with many musicians of the period. You can’t pull a lure and turn it on. You’re going to lose ALL TIME!
The sales of albums have declined. Downloading the Internet increased. People were thinking “His last record was very weak. Hey. Why should I pay $14.99 on his CD just if I can get free of charge on the web?” Here I’m going to digress for a minute. Have you found $14.99 in the last sentence for a CD? In fact, it was a negotiated price for a CD at the time. Many CDs sold for 17.99 dollars, with others as big as 19.99 dollars. It’s difficult to imagine people wasting this sort of money on a CD these days whether they do purchase one at all. That’s how horrible things are. We have gotten where we are today to a mix of weakened materials, consumer disappointment, Internet loading, capital drying out, and more opportunities for people to invest their entertainment dollar in non-musical things.
Democracy at work!
So… quick forward and 2014. So, fast forward. The company is mostly segmented. Most of the music on the radio doesn’t translate well live even if you’re the original singer. And cover bands are fighting. Hip-hop and Country have always exceeded rock’s popularity. Now that all is democratic, the artist’s got so much on her mind. Her own record must be written, recorded, created, mixed, and mastered. Book your own shows, promote it yourself, record your own footage, and bring your own equipment. Any album companies are “labels.” They are just the business system the artist would create herself. There is a lot of democracy these days, but duty comes with freedom. That’s why not everyone is an indie feel. Very few will keep this philosophy of employment. It’s a slut who does all yourself. Remember that you must hold the lights on to feed yourself. Many people are all curious about how wide the company is. It’s open big. There is a lot of really original, fascinating, funny, captivating, and truly great music. Many musicians who even five years earlier did not find a venue are on tour and make a living there. Still, they tried to push their butt there. They went alongside other musicians and companies. They heard how much of their promotional expenses can be derived. They trade. They trade. You find a path. You’ve heard that it truly takes a village.
