Why the Internet is NOT Killing the Music Industry

“…it is a massive change and it does alter the fact that people don’t make as much money out of records. But I have a take on that – people only made money out of records for a very, very small time. When The Rolling Stones started out, we didn’t make any money out of records because record companies wouldn’t pay you! They didn’t pay anyone! Then, there was a small period from 1970 to 1997, where people did get paid, and they got paid very handsomely and everyone made money. But now that period has gone. So if you look at the history of recorded music from 1900 to now, there was a 25 year period where artists didvery well, but the rest of the time they didn't.  - Mick Jagger

      In the midst of great waves of negativity these days about how file sharing is killing the music industry, Mick Jagger put things into perspective.

    With everybody these days crying about how musicians can't make money anymore, I propose the following:


Historically, The vast majority of musicians never made any money anyways.


  Even in the 70's & 80's during the height of rock, metal, excess and rockstardom, only a small elite ever made substantial money. There was no parity in the music industry back then.  You had the 1%, the wealthy elite on one end and everyone else just struggling to get by on the other. 


The Old Paradigm


In the old system, labels financed the making of albums and released music for a major cut of your profits. But record advances need to be paid back and releases that didn’t sell combined with changes in policy due to the ever changing trends of the musical landscape meant your band would most likely be dropped before ever seeing a single dime.


Power to the People 


The rise of the internet in modern music has cut out the middleman that were the record companies. It doesn't even make sense in this day and age to even have a record deal and give away money and creative control when the technology exists these days to make and distribute quality music to a mass audience on your own.


The internet has made it possible for artists to reach out directly to fans. This means more money for the artists...or at least the potential for more money anyways. A new musical middle class who may not be making Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin money but at least have the potential to make a living by playing music. 


A Double-Edged Sword?


Bands and artists that never would've made it through the front door of a record studio 20 years ago are releasing albums directly to anyone on the planet with internet access.


I know this isn't rock music but just to illustrate that even now, recording artists like Macklemore can debut an album at no 1. on i-tunes just by the sheer power of just having an intelligent social media presence. 
 

The good thing is that with record companies no longer having complete control of the music industry the power to be in complete control of your music destiny is back in the artists hands. Anyone can make and distribute music.


The bad thing is that anyone can make and distribute music. Any asshole with a laptop can make an album.


There's a lot of crap to weed through out there, but this is the best time ever for artists to be in total control over how their music gets made and distributed. You're never gonna get a record contract and besides you don't want one anyways. MTV is dead and you're shit is prob never gonna make the radio. Online is the new market whether you like it or not, so you can either embrace it...or you can be destroyed. 

MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!






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