What happens next?

[sserendipity]

It seems that these days, I'm being inundated with high quality music - multi-gigabyte torrent files offering multi-artist opii, internet radio stations and websites all offering deep, compelling and accesible music, pretty much more music than I could ever listen to, and all >completely< for free, generally under the Creative Commons License, or some other GPL derivative.

A very, very small sampling:

http://www.oemradio.org (My favourite)
http://www.kikapu.com (Check their links page for even more)
http://www.monotonik.com
http://www.legaltorrents.com (Gigabytes and gigabytes of stuff - and not garbage)

So, what does this mean, especially to the rest of us, at the bottom of the ladder? Does this spell the end of music as business?

Now, I'm not sure what the aims of the producers of this music intend, by giving away their music in this way. I know that oemradio (pretty much all I listen to these days) is intended as an exposure tool. But how much exposure can be generated on a station that has 33 hours of music in rotation? Expecially when there is way more music to download than I'll ever listen to, let alone buy.

Have we reached a point where asking for payment for music is no longer feasible, given the amount and quality of the competition?

Granted, not everything available from the aformentioned sites is amazing stuff, but it's all listenable - the crap that made mp3.com so useless has been removed. It's only a matter of time for 'net labels' and independent internet radio sites to get more discerning, and more specialized in their offerings - they'll have to, or they'll lose audience to those who do.

Furthermore, all the offerings I've listed have been 'electronic' in form. This genre, being explorative and technology driven is naturally going to be the first to adopt this new, experimental and technology driven distribution format. Other music will follow.

So what does this mean? As a musician, is this a good or bad thing? As a listener, is this a good or bad thing?

 

[dwillis45]

Music as a commodity is a relatively recent phenomenon. I suspect that it was bought and sold as a product shortly after the advent of recording technology, which is also in it’s infancy when viewed in historical terms. Traditionally, music has been a component of culture rather than a product of capitalism. Music was made by individuals for their own edification or to support rituals, ceremonies, etc.

Given the possibility that historical trends are cyclical, maybe we are moving towards a period where music as culture will more closely resemble its root purpose. With the proliferation of the internet and home recording equipment, sellers of music will become less relevant as a mass industry. For the listener, I think this is a step forward; for the home recording crowd, I’m not sure it makes a difference. As for producers, engineers, studio moguls, A&R types, etc., they will have to adjust to the changing marketplace or perhaps change careers.

 

[leavings]

I don't think the trend towards accessibility equates with a trend towards unsustainability. It seems to me that the market is still as balanced as it was before, but there is a larger middle ground. There's more opportunity now for musicians who are talented but not mainstream enough to make it big.

I have several friends making a decent living (as I hope to) writing and playing on their own. They're not attached to any label or promoter, so the internet has been vastly useful in helping them gain support (not to mention extensive touring and determination). The increased exposure musicians gain from the internet comes hand in hand with phenomena like what you've encountered. It's a tool, and the bottom line remains that if people like your music, they'll be willing to pay for it.

I really admire and agree with what dwillis said, and while I don't see music disappearing as a business, I do think it will continue to become more individualized. I think it's a step forward for everyone...except the record execs of course.

Peter

 

[glynb]

Music has been sold for a long time

From yer wandering minstral in the middle ages who'd sing a song or two for a meal and move on, through sheet music in Beethoven's time (he had a publisher, the equivalent of a record company nowadays), radio and payment of royalties, theatres and royalties, through to the relatively recent phenomenon of selling recorded sound on a piece of plastic (records, tapes, CDs). IMO it's this last that is threatened. People aren't bothered too much about buying a piece of plastic anymore as long as they get the music.

What may well die out are many of the big music companies who rely on shifting large quantities of plastic. And if they go, then so do their large budgets for promotion.

There'll still be money to be made from music, live performance is an example. Live performance you buy 'an occasion' and event, not a pievce of plastic, a live performance cannot be pirated you are either there in the room listening and experiencing the performance or you're not. And to be there people will pay good money, if they like the artist enough.

As for the likes of us home recorders and what it means...well that will depend on what you want from music - to be rich and famous or just to get your music out there and heard?