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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hmm..I wonder what is said about the movie biz… The funny thing about that quote is that it was sent to me by a friend who isn’t even in the music industry. Is it really that bad? I think, thankfully nowadays that it is less so. Much like the pioneers of old, both the music and movie industries have opened up to the independent movement. Independent music now makes up almost a quarter of the total market share. Music downloading revenue is now... a billion-dollar industry. The great thing about all of this is that because these opportunities are so unlimited, no one can monopolize them. The internet is accessible to everyone and you just need a connection to start a webcast or build a website. Remember when having a website made you “ohhhh, so professional”. That wasn’t that long ago…And now we have people building websites for their dogs. What is happening to the internet? I thought it was designed for porn. Either way, whether you use it as a tool or for your tool, it opens up the playing field for everyone and that is very good news for independent business. This usefulness also goes both ways, putting more power in the hands of the consumer as well. Musically speaking, without the dictatorship of the major labels, music is now discovered/sought out by the listener. The merit (and success) of the music is relative to people - *gasp* - WILLFULLY ENJOYING THE SONGS! For the last few decades the major labels have determined for us what sounds good. Within this brave new world of getting everything on demand, we no longer need the brainwashing. Now, we can find our own niche, create our own playlists and then share the entire experience (promote) with others by just clicking the mouse. It’s all really kinda like direct marketing… but hopefully without the skin care products or the Pink Cadillac. Anyway, that’s my business ramble for this month. I promise to go back to being the emotional, artistic being that I am next time. -Heath |