Music is changing. The way its created, the way its presented, and the way we listen and watch it. Its happening now -- the foundations are being built for a music business that we as consumers won't see for another year or two, but trust me, it's happening. Not bad. Not good. Just evolution.1. You won't "own" music anymore. There'll be no need. You'll access cloud music for a small fee, and your library will be endless. The idea of buying & owning music from an artist will be gone.
2. Albums are gone. The only remnants of the album will lay in nostalgia - where artists put out albums for creative reasons. But they will be penalized financially by the market. Artists will put out singles almost in constant flow - because the market will reward that activity. Think of these major bands putting out a song a month instead of an album per year.
3. Calls to Action will become normal - as the ticketing & music business team up with peripheral industries to push product, which will support the artist. The cliche is true: "if you are not paying for the product, your are the product." Good example -- you really surprised that you need to sign up for a Citibank card in order to get preferred tickets to JayZ? Well done LiveNation, for working a smooth payment deal. Citibank gets tons of new customers, and the artist just has to give them some tickets, and then get paid. Genius. Did you even realize that when you went to signup?
4. Creativity will flourish. If a song sucks, no more hanging onto it. It will disappear just as quick as it was posted, because it won't be supported by views/listens online, and that will be the ultimate indicator. The power of what gets played, rewarded, and seen as good truly will lie with the masses.
5. The live performance will become ALL POWERFUL. Artists will find ways to monetize this more, and to make this their special sauce. Every single artist will live stream their performance nightly as technological obstacles are removed (as they are). Imagine watching live shows in your home theatre with your big huge sound system, in the comfort of your own home. Can't replace the live experience? Of course. But look at the NFL if you think it can't be done.
6. Record Labels will get weaker and weaker. They already are losing distribution control, and now more and more they are losing content control. What is their use? Big production studios? nope. Big marketing plans? nope. Im still trying to figure out what they are good for. Let me know...
7. There will be a company called IROCKE, and when it's worldwide, you'll remember this blog. It is an opportunity I have taken to develop a niche in this new marketplace with a friend and partner. We are building the platform, and I truly think it will be a large part in changing the face of music. More to come as we develop, but keep your ear to the ground.
Is music better off? worse off? Neither. It is. Just like a good song or a good artist, there is constant evolution, change, and untraveled paths that this thing called music has been trudging down since the beginning of time. Music is in a growth, a rebirth, and I think on the other side of this period we will have emerged in a new golden era. Get your headphones on, and sit back.
3 comments:
A very interesting perspective and forecast on where music is going. And actually, where it is at.....Spotify, Grooveshark, TurntableFM, etc are proving your point and artists that can't garner plays or views will not succeed. DIY, local clubs, social media, technology will continue to shape the scene. Talent, good melodies, killer hooks, great lyrics will lead to views, listens and cause others to share our favorite artists, bands, songs. And as always, it comes down to one thing......a good song is a good song!
Can't wait to hear more about your iRocke concept!? Thanks
iRocke? are you doing something with Apple?
Interesting thoughts and I agree - except I think a lot of good music will get overlooked because they don't have that first-listen appeal. Malcolm Gladwell uses the example of the band Keane in his book "Blink." Keane didn't do well in focus-groups or during initial debut because their type of music requires a more thoughtful listen. If you don't like Keane that may be a bad example, but I think the point is made.
And while I am no purist, I do sort of miss albums...so many good songs that never get radio play but help tell the story of the album as a whole. For example, Sheryl Crow isn't my favorite artist by a long shot, nor is any one of her songs my favorite song, but she makes really good albums...if that makes sense.
The flip side to that is the "Friday" girl that gets a gazillion hits on YouTube simply because it is so terrible. She made money and has a new single and video coming out. Yikes.
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