Music Industry Piece in the New Yorker

[BruceH]

There's an interesting article about the music industry in the July 7, 2003 issue of The New Yorker, page 42, by John Seabrook. It's about how the business has changed (and failed to change) in recent years, and gives details about the three-year decline that seems to be heading the industry down the toilet. Since jazz is a part of the music inustry (albeit a microscopic part to the media conglomerates that own 85% of the business now) this article should be of concern to many posters here.

[Jim Alfredson]

Link or reprint?

Personally I hope the music industry as it exists today dies. They've been ripping off artists and listeners since day one.

[Soul Stream]

Sadly, I see the plight of the artist getting even worse. With the advent of the "I'll just burn it" mentality (this includes myself and I'm a musician! ), the idea of people PAYING for music in any form is vastly becoming a thing of the past.

I'm not sure what's going to happen. I know this, I doubt musicians in general will come out any more on top than before.

[montg]

I'm tired of the industry whining about the fans ripping them off. I hope the industry implodes--it would markedly raise the cultural IQ in this country

from the article:

"By marketing superficial, disposable pop stars, labels persuade fans to treat music as superficial and disposable. By placing so much emphasis on hit singles that fit into the radio formats, the record industry has created a fan who has no interest in albums. And the values of the people who share music illegally over P2P networks are, after all, rock-and-roll values: freedom, lack of respect for authority, and a desire for instant gratification--the same values that made so many people in the record business so rich".

I can't find a link to the article. Actually, the new yorker web site is pretty much worthless. like the popular music industry.

BTW, the "industry" is the big conglomerates. I have a lot of respect for the independents who are fighting the good fight (like Criss Cross and Palmetto to name just two)

Edited July 19, 2003 by montg

[BruceH]

Agree with you bigtime, Montq. My worry is that the coming time of shakeout and chaos in the music industry which the article predicts may be hard on artists, especially those (like jazz musicians) who never made a lot of money in the first place. But we'll just have to wait and see.