Music 1.0 is dead.

[sgrizzle]

quote:
Music exec: "Music 1.0 is dead."

By Nate Anderson | Published: February 26, 2008 - 11:59PM CT

Five hundred top members of the music business gathered today in New York to hear that "music 1.0 is dead." Ted Cohen, a former EMI exec who used the phrase, opened the Digital Music Forum East by pleading with the industry to be wildly creative with new business models but not to "be desperate" during this transitional period. But what is music transitioning to? No one seemed quite sure, except to say that it won't look much like the music business of the last several decades.

Consider the statements that were made today without controversy:

   * DRM on purchased music is dead
   * A utility pricing model or flat-rate fee for music might be the way to go
   * Ad-supported streaming music sites like iMeem are legitimate players
   * Indie music accounts for upwards of 30 percent of music sales
   * Napster isn't losing $70 million per quarter (and is breaking even)
   * The music business is a bastion of creativity and experimentation

Full Story:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080226-music-exec-music-1-0-is-dead.html

With DRM (copy protection and use limits) going away, I can imagine the RIAA will start fading away. I can't imagine they can live with the new methodology of "people can do what they want with their music."

[sgrizzle]

Why do artists need a record label or RIAA?

quote:
Nine Inch Nails Free Download Experiment Nets Over $1.6 million

Band leader Trent Reznor now encourages user-generated videos for Ghosts I-IV album.

By K.C. Jones
InformationWeek
March 14, 2008 02:53 PM

Nine Inch Nails raked in over $1.6 million on their new album in the first week it was sold on the band's Web site, and now the band is trying another experiment.

Ghosts I-IV, released March 2, sold all 2,500 copies of its $300 Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition on the first day. Sales of other packages, including partial album downloads, entire album downloads, hard copies of CDs, and a limited deluxe edition were also popular. In all, the band reported more than 780,000 downloads as of Wednesday. As part of an experiment in online music distribution, the band made the first nine tracks available for free and offered the entire 36-track album for $5.

"First of all, a sincere THANK YOU for the response to Ghosts," NIN front man Trent Reznor wrote in his blog Thursday. "We are all amazed at the reaction for what we assumed would be a quiet curiosity in the NIN catalogue. My faith in all of you has been restored"

Reznor encouraged fans to create videos to accompany tracks from the new album through YouTube. A panel of judges, including Reznor, will review the submissions and whittle them down to present those deemed the best during a virtual "film festival."

"This isn't a contest and you don't win elaborate prizes," Reznor explained. "It's meant to be an experiment in collaboration and a chance for us to interact beyond the typical one-way artist-to-fan relationship. We've discussed some interesting ways this could go, including multiple installments of the online 'film festivals,' to broadcast TV specials, to a one-time live performance of the entire Ghosts record with your visuals involved. It really depends on how this progresses and develops."

Fans interested in contributing can check out the official NIN YouTube channel and watch a video of Reznor explaining the plan. They can also watch the videos that have already been submitted (more than 30 in the first 24 hours) and view participation rules.

Amazon charged $38 to sell his album online, so Nine Inch Nails only made (NET) $15,999,962 in the first week.

[FOTD]

Glad I grew up in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's when music was brought to us by the best capitalism had to offer in great producers and wonderful distribution through labels and radio.
The computer industry has just dumbified the magic.

1,700 Bands, Rocking as the CD Industry Reels

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/15/arts/music/15aust.html?th&emc=th

South by Southwest, Shot by Shot

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/15/arts/music/15south.html?th&emc=th

1700? There are no more superstars..........

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

Glad I grew up in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's when music was brought to us by the best capitalism had to offer in great producers and wonderful distribution through labels and radio.
The computer industry has just dumbified the magic.

Computers didn't dumbify music, capitalism did. Prodcures quit caring about music and onyl care for money.

Guess who sells more:

[FOTD]

You missed my point. Computers did not dumbify the music. There's no more magic. We can agree that greed took over. Once music was an art form. Now, a fart forum....

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

You missed my point. Computers did not dumbify the music. There's no more magic. We can agree that greed took over. Once music was an art form. Now, a fart forum....

Largely yes. You used to be album to buy "a good album" and now you're lucky if two tracks on an album are good, even for an artist you like.

[tulsascoot]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

You missed my point. Computers did not dumbify the music. There's no more magic. We can agree that greed took over. Once music was an art form. Now, a fart forum....

Largely yes. You used to be album to buy "a good album" and now you're lucky if two tracks on an album are good, even for an artist you like.

I have to disagree with that last statement. If you are buying CDs with only 1 or 2 good songs, you are listening to crappy music.

I rarely buy an album by a band that I like with any bad songs. Most of the bands that play good music are not on the radio, so if you look to the radio for music, you are missing the real talented people out there.

Examples of bands I am talking about:
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
The Flaming Lips
The Black Keys
Radiohead (although some will disagree on their latest disc)
Ben Harper
Jack Johnson.

The list could go on...

[Chicken Little]

Sheechya Wilco.

And Sigur Ros from Iceland,

And Vampire Weekend's album is terrific.

From time to time I've worried that that iTunes would kill-off LP.  But they keep coming.  Ya see, great bands have great songs...and plenty of them.  There's more out there than ever.  If you aren't finding it, just start asking.

[sgrizzle]

I listen to the radio, but not for innovative music. Note that many of the bands you listed are not major label groups, the kind that create these mostly crap albums.

[mrhaskellok]

quote: I listen to the radio, but not for innovative music. Note that many of the bands you listed are not major label groups, the kind that create these mostly crap albums.

Perhaps that is the story here.  "major" brands was a marketing plan to push titles and artists that was born from an era of gold albums and true rock stars.  Perhaps this is just an evolution in the way people view music...not necessarily bad.   Due to the accessibility of new artists and songs, major labels and their respective marketing won't work because it is not needed.  I love a couple of the artists he listed but did not know a couple of them at all.  I don't really care if they are major, I prefer artists whose music is easy to get(legally), for a reasonable price, and I enjoy.

[mrhaskellok]

I want to also add that I think the "album" mentality will go away more as more people search, pay for, and download there favorite songs.  Artists will work harder to make better songs to compete with the other "hit singles".

[we vs us]

Man, the radio is usually just crap. The Clear Channels of the world have worked hand in glove with the major labels to homogenize everything out there into the same old pop shiite.  And to rotate the same five songs all day long ad infinitum.  I'll be happy to see the internet bring the whole ossified, cynical enterprise down around their ears.  

I've had great success lately using the web to discover new bands.  These are the guys who can fill all (or at least most) of a CD with quality tunage vs. The Latest Pablum.  I know I probably skew more electronic and more rock than the posters here, but lately I've been enjoying "Boxer" by The National, "Boys and Girls in America," by The Hold Steady, and a series of Prodigy remixes by a Russian DJ called The Second Division.  Ooo, and I forgot.  If you like smart hip-hop (and I know EVERYONE here does), one of my favorite Chicago rap-guys Rhymefest completely remixes a series of Michael Jackson tracks on The Man In The Mirror.

I've been using Last.fm and Pandora to suggest similar artists to the ones I already like.  That's been a crucial tool for expanding my musical horizons.

And finally, if Itunes is too spendy for you, you should check out GoMusic, another site from our Russian friends.  Prices are around $2-$3 for whole albums; it's legal according to Russian copyright law (or so they say), but dealing with your conscience is all you.

[FOTD]

Sirius disorder in hear......

[tulsascoot]

quote:Originally posted by mrhaskellok

I want to also add that I think the "album" mentality will go away more as more people search, pay for, and download there favorite songs.  Artists will work harder to make better songs to compete with the other "hit singles".

This is where I disagree, again. My point was that the bands making the good albums don't make hit singles. You'll never hear a new Pearl Jam song on the radio, but their albums sell millions, and they pack out arenas worldwide.

Even in the electronic age, albums will continue. Artists with true passion and talent will create bodies of work that music lovers will always buy.

The hit singles will continue to be spewed out through the radio waves for people who don't really enjoy music, but use it for background noise.

[mrhaskellok]

quote: This is where I disagree, again. My point was that the bands making the good albums don't make hit singles. You'll never hear a new Pearl Jam song on the radio, but their albums sell millions, and they pack out arenas worldwide. Even in the electronic age, albums will continue. Artists with true passion and talent will create bodies of work that music lovers will always buy.

The hit singles will continue to be spewed out through the radio waves for people who don't really enjoy music, but use it for background noise.

I agree, and I didn't mean that albums would disappear altogether.  I am actually just describing my personal experience.  There are some groups and artists who has produced a couple good songs that I love to listen to but have not found others of theirs' to be as good.  So I am enjoying the ability to download certain songs that I enjoy without having to purchase the whole album.  For example, I enjoy Jeff Buckley's song Hallelujah , but don't know any of his other music.   Anyway, just my two cents.  

Sid