New Music Biz
How do artists make money when I can listen to anything I want for $9.99 a month. This is the problem confronting the music biz. It's why physical and download sales are down. For $10 bucks you can listen to whatever you want. The artists are mad because they millions of streams are adding up to nothing. The consumer, though, is glad because it's a bargain. We may be forever moving away from purchasing music. Certainly, we are moving away from purchasing music as we used to know it. Even albums that stick around for a year on the charts are barely going platinum.
I still buy records. But I also stream a lot. Using the streaming option to test albums that I once forked over money on. But back to the artists. How do you survive in this new musical environment? Most are relying on that old standby: touring. No money goes to the record company.
But you can never pull the plug on recording. Heritage acts can if they want. They can live off of tours. But newer ones have to establish an identity. And the only way to do that is through good old-fashioned radio/streaming play. Besides, most recording artist still loves to make records, even if they now realize that their wonderful multi-platinum days are behind them. It's why they got in the music biz to begin with. Making records.
I still buy records. But I also stream a lot. Using the streaming option to test albums that I once forked over money on. But back to the artists. How do you survive in this new musical environment? Most are relying on that old standby: touring. No money goes to the record company.
But you can never pull the plug on recording. Heritage acts can if they want. They can live off of tours. But newer ones have to establish an identity. And the only way to do that is through good old-fashioned radio/streaming play. Besides, most recording artist still loves to make records, even if they now realize that their wonderful multi-platinum days are behind them. It's why they got in the music biz to begin with. Making records.
posted by Tom Lane at 7:23 AM
