Top Ten Reasons Why the Music Industry is Failing

I give him a lot of credit. He's made quite a bit of money with absolutely no support from any traditional mainstream sources. You won't ever hear NOFX on the radio, you didn't see them on MTV even back when that dumb channel played music, and they've never changed their sound or stopped making music. They're just a good band, and he's a smart enough business man to start a label and have it thrive.

I'm no NOFX fan. They're a tight band, and I'd rather listen to them then, say, Fallout Boy (thank god no one's ever made me chose at gunpoint). I just don't like pop-punk. But I like Fat Mike's business model...seems pretty smart to me....and I'm glad he's out there doing what he does. BUT it is a business, and part of the "industry". People take industry to mean the Biebers Gagas and Cyruses of the world, but it's really just anyone making a buck off music. And who knows if Fat Mike would still be doing what his thing if it didn't rake in some $. That's the point I'm spinelessly pussyfooting around. :D
 
I'm no NOFX fan. They're a tight band, and I'd rather listen to them then, say, Fallout Boy (thank god no one's ever made me chose at gunpoint). I just don't like pop-punk. But I like Fat Mike's business model...seems pretty smart to me....and I'm glad he's out there doing what he does. BUT it is a business, and part of the "industry". People take industry to mean the Biebers Gagas and Cyruses of the world, but it's really just anyone making a buck off music. And who knows if Fat Mike would still be doing what his thing if it didn't rake it some $. That's the point I'm spinelessly pussyfooting around. :D

One thing he did recently is kind of kicked the big names off his label so he doesn't have to give them huge advances. Like The Descendents. They're too big and command too much money. Lol. So he keeps the little guys around, doesn't pay them much, but takes them out on huge tours so they can make their own way. I saw NOFX live about 2 years ago, and there were like 5 opening bands - all Fat Wreck bands. He has made millions doing that stuff. He's a rare case though. Especially in punk music. No one makes money with punk. I have to assume NOFX would still be kicking even without his personal success. They plodded along for a long time before anything good happened to them.
 
The music world has lost it's luster because people aren't that into it anymore. .

ding ding ding we have a winner.

Music simply isn't as important anymore. There's far too many other leisure activities nowadays and VERY many people simply play music as background to whatever they're doing.

Used to be you'd sit down and listen to an entire record and read the cover and really pay attention to it.
Not many people do that anymore.

Used to be music was a major social media of it's day where lots of people got their social commentary (4 dead in Ohio) but now we have social medi that does that.

people's relationship and uses for music have changed and it's simply a part of culture and society changing as more and more things that aren't music grab people's interest.
 
One thing he did recently is kind of kicked the big names off his label so he doesn't have to give them huge advances. Like The Descendents. They're too big and command too much money. Lol. So he keeps the little guys around, doesn't pay them much, but takes them out on huge tours so they can make their own way. I saw NOFX live about 2 years ago, and there were like 5 opening bands - all Fat Wreck bands. He has made millions doing that stuff. He's a rare case though. Especially in punk music. No one makes money with punk. I have to assume NOFX would still be kicking even without his personal success. They plodded along for a long time before anything good happened to them.

Yeah maybe they would, I don't know. Also I love the Melvins, and they had a few albums out on Atlantic in the 90s before they got dropped (still soldiering on, btw). And they're GREAT albums! But for a few years there, they were a major label band- industry tools! AC/DC, the Ramones, Dead Boys, Stooges, the Clash...bands I know you like...all on big labels. Tons of great shit got subsidized by the majors and, at the time, it affected indie bands too, and punk bands- they put more effort in cuz those incentives were there. Now, with what's happened to big labels, stuff like this is the future of music:

DEAD-GAMES-RECORDS

Follow the links to where you can hear sound samples. No well-everyone's-taste-is-subjective bullshit about it. It. Just. Sucks.
Is there good shit out there? Sure there is, but it's getting harder and harder to find. Big labels are businesses with better things to do then dig through all that crap when they can just sign the next disposable cash cow. So I think- democratization of music = good for the individual, very bad for music. But who am I? Just a loudmouth schmuck who wouldn't be here if not for computers, the internet etc.

/rant
 
Yeah maybe they would, I don't know. Also I love the Melvins, and they had a few albums out on Atlantic in the 90s before they got dropped (still soldiering on, btw). And they're GREAT albums! But for a few years there, they were a major label band- industry tools! AC/DC, the Ramones, Dead Boys, Stooges, the Clash...bands I know you like...all on big labels. Tons of great shit got subsidized by the majors and, at the time, it affected indie bands too, and punk bands- they put more effort in cuz those incentives were there. Now, with what's happened to big labels, stuff like this is the future of music:

DEAD-GAMES-RECORDS

Follow the links to where you can hear sound samples. No well-everyone's-taste-is-subjective bullshit about it. It. Just. Sucks.
Is there good shit out there? Sure there is, but it's getting harder and harder to find. Big labels are businesses with better things to do then dig through all that crap when they can just sign the next disposable cash cow. So I think- democratization of music = good for the individual, very bad for music. But who am I? Just a loudmouth schmuck who wouldn't be here if not for computers, the internet etc.

/rant

There was a time when being signed to a label was an actual goal. Back in the 70s and 80s, and even the early 90s, it was the only way. Bands had to be signed or they went nowhere. I think that some of those labels believed in their bands, and some were just trying to get on the gravy train by signing everything within a certain scene. Either way, they did give us some great music. Now, every fucker on the block has a band, gear is cheap and easy to get, technology has made it relatively simple to make your own album, and the internet has made the entire world your audience. It's no wonder things are the way they are. Maybe the labels force feeding the public wasn't such a bad thing back then. Now that they've lost control, look where we are. Ultimately, I don't care though. I don't care what's hot and trendy right now. I don't care what some shmoe does in his basement with Cubase LE and a bunch of cracked plug-ins. Katy Perry selling ten million singles doesn't affect me or my music. Some nobody on some nothing wannabe label isn't taking anything away from me. I'm the same either way. I had/have no shot in the "industry" or otherwise, so I just do what I do and have fun with it.
 
ding ding ding we have a winner.

Music simply isn't as important anymore. There's far too many other leisure activities nowadays and VERY many people simply play music as background to whatever they're doing.

Used to be you'd sit down and listen to an entire record and read the cover and really pay attention to it.
Not many people do that anymore.

Used to be music was a major social media of it's day where lots of people got their social commentary (4 dead in Ohio) but now we have social medi that does that.

people's relationship and uses for music have changed and it's simply a part of culture and society changing as more and more things that aren't music grab people's interest.

Yup, the music buying public has a short enough attention span already and now it is stretched even further with video games, internet, etc.
 
Yup, the music buying public has a short enough attention span already and now it is stretched even further with video games, internet, etc.

My kids are into that mess. They're pretty good at computer animation stuff. They have these little tablets that they use to "draw" into the computer and animate it. I wouldn't say they have a short attention span though. They'll spend literally 8 hours on 3 seconds of animation. Lol.
 
My kids are into that mess. They're pretty good at computer animation stuff. They have these little tablets that they use to "draw" into the computer and animate it. I wouldn't say they have a short attention span though. They'll spend literally 8 hours on 3 seconds of animation. Lol.

If I remember correctly, your girls are tweeners. They'll acquire their short attention span soon enough. :)

But that's cool about the animation bit. My son was doing that also at that age. Pretty cool.
 
If I remember correctly, your girls are tweeners. They'll acquire their short attention span soon enough. :)

But that's cool about the animation bit. My son was doing that also at that age. Pretty cool.

Yeah I've been trying to get one of them to make me an animated video for one of my songs, but that's like pulling teeth. :laughings:
 
Yeah I've been trying to get one of them to make me an animated video for one of my songs, but that's like pulling teeth. :laughings:

That's a LOT OF WORK. I want to do a stop animation video, but it would take months.
 
Ultimately, I don't care though. I don't care what's hot and trendy right now. I don't care what some shmoe does in his basement with Cubase LE and a bunch of cracked plug-ins. Katy Perry selling ten million singles doesn't affect me or my music. Some nobody on some nothing wannabe label isn't taking anything away from me. I'm the same either way. I had/have no shot in the "industry" or otherwise, so I just do what I do and have fun with it.

Sure. As a fan, though, I wish there was more out there right now to get excited about. That part bums me out a little.
 
Some guy I was jamming with a year ago made a video with his iPhone of just him playing all the instruments in a big space....edited it all together so it looked like a full band. Apparently it only took a couple hours. I've thought of doing something like that....maybe putting a little more time into it, etc.
 
Sure. As a fan, though, I wish there was more out there right now to get excited about. That part bums me out a little.

Right, I get ya. I've come across some new, or new to me, stuff lately, and honestly, its mostly just luck. For example, I'll youtube or pandora something I haven't heard in forever, and it'll show you "related" stuff. I've found quite a few bands like that. I use Rhapsody a lot for streaming, and it does the same thing.
 
Some guy I was jamming with a year ago made a video with his iPhone of just him playing all the instruments in a big space....edited it all together so it looked like a full band. Apparently it only took a couple hours. I've thought of doing something like that....maybe putting a little more time into it, etc.

Yeah, the me playing everything as a band is something I'd like to do too, but really it's just not that important to me. I like my animated Greg rampaging through a Wal-Mart idea better. That's gonna take a ton of time for something that might get watched by maybe 6 people..
 
At first I agreed with the article. Then I thought about it for a minute.

I am discovering lots of bands out there I like, more than ever. Maybe the "industry" is failing. Who cares? There are a lot of people out there making good music. Go find it.

MP3s don't sound like ass to me - maybe my ear sucks lol.

Record companies are too big? What about the medium and small ones that are all over the place?

I do agree that things are a little formulaic at times, but there are certainly bands out there breaking the mold. They might not be on the radio though.

I don't think there is such a thing as "too many choices" with regard to music.

I don't think there is a lack of musicianship - unless you are focused on pop music - but was pop music ever musician-oriented? Having a background in classical music, I'd say hell no.
 
I am discovering lots of bands out there I like, more than ever. Maybe the "industry" is failing. Who cares?
I don't think there is a lack of musicianship - unless you are focused on pop music - but was pop music ever musician-oriented? Having a background in classical music, I'd say hell no.
Well, those of us that make our livings at it care.

As for the musicianship thing ...... I dunno. It probably depends on where you are I guess and it's hard to be up with everywhere.
Here in central Florida I've only seen a handful of what i'd call Louisiana caliber players. very few ..... really.

back in La. there's a lot of great players ........ anywhere in the lower half of the state has that big New Orleans influence.
So I imagine it's all in where you are.
Places with a strong music industry will have good players like always.

I don't seem to see as many good players as I used to but is that because there are fewer of them or is it because my standards have gotten higher as I've gotten better?

I think the lack of interest in hi fidelity has affected things. Not because MP3s sound so bad if they're a high rate. But if you really get into having a nice stereo system you HAVE to have music to play on it. One kinda drives the other.
Once you have 10,000 MP3s on your phone and listen to then thru earbuds or a small portable 'puter speaker it's just not being listened to for the same purpose.
 
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