930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: brennser on February 17, 2004, 11:18:00 am
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Don Henleys take (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46669-2004Feb16.html) on the state of the music biz
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haven't read the story yet... but hasn't the eagles been killing the music for years? high concert ticket prices, best buy exclusives, hotel california, last album of entirely new material released 1979, of course henley and glenn frey have been polluting the airways since then.
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nothing groundshaking in mr henley's view but at least he's making a stand...
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The problem with the opinion piece is that, in the end, he doesn't say anything. He notes that artists may soon have to look at legislative and judicial fixes....what kind? How? What role will regulation have in a competitive business? The idea of the piece was interesting, but it didn't go anywhere...
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ditto... what kind of legislation would protect artists... are they going to reverse the laws with regards to media ownership? are they going to prevent companies from merging? are they going to require labels to sign x number of acts... it ain't going to happen given the pro big business attitude of government. and i don't see fdr style arts support programs being in place either...
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Originally posted by brennser:
Don Henleys take (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46669-2004Feb16.html) on the state of the music biz
"Please take a moment to complete this one-time required registration. Once registered, you gain access to washingtonpost.com. Questions?"
No thank you...
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yeah, can someone post that
please
thank you
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<maybe i start a blog instead>
Walk into any Circuit City and you quickly see why in part the music biz is slumping. The floor space set aside for the sale of CD and DVDs is split 60/40 in favor of DVDs. Granted DVD take up more space than CDs, but it tells you that people are more likely to purchase a new DVD is over a CD. The movie industry is beating the music industry by providing for about the same list price better value for the money. One gets a full length movie plus extras, verses a CD which may only contain one or two songs deemed worth of of owning. Additionally, the price of DVD titles tend to drop over time, where as the list price of CD can actually go up.
I'll content that the nostagla acts like Eagles, Simon & Garfunkles, CSN&Y are causing there own share of harm to the music industry. Every time they go out on tour with no new material to promote, they are one not drawing consumers into the store to buy the new record. And by getting fans to cough up the $150+ ticket prices they are lowering what those fans might otherwise spend on new material.
The death of the independent music story is a tough one. It's due in part because people have gone out and replaced their own old vinyl with cds and don't feel the need to buy anything new. Also the existance of internet outlets Amazon, InSound, and Borders allow people to buy in the comfort of their own home/office with having to jump in the car and make the trip.
What can honestly be done to change the situation? Don't rightly know. Personally I would like see subscription based p2p networks where I can more easily hear new music and decide whether it's worth spending the money on it. or possibly a electronic library service where I can check out and return cds. I personally want to be able to hear the entire cd not just 30 second snippets of stuff. I'd buy the digital rights of a song via a iTunes store, if it were more reasonable priced and I would get a discount on buying the physical product afterwords.
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Killing the Music
By Don Henley
Tuesday, February 17, 2004; Page A19
When I started in the music business, music was important and vital to our culture. Artists connected with their fans. Record labels signed cutting-edge artists, and FM radio offered an incredible variety of music. Music touched fans in a unique and personal way. Our culture was enriched and the music business was healthy and strong.
That's all changed.
Today the music business is in crisis. Sales have decreased between 20 and 30 percent over the past three years. Record labels are suing children for using unauthorized peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing systems. Only a few artists ever hear their music on the radio, yet radio networks are battling Congress over ownership restrictions. Independent music stores are closing at an unprecedented pace. And the artists seem to be at odds with just about everyone -- even the fans.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the root problem is not the artists, the fans or even new Internet technology. The problem is the music industry itself. It's systemic. The industry, which was once composed of hundreds of big and small record labels, is now controlled by just a handful of unregulated, multinational corporations determined to continue their mad rush toward further consolidation and merger. Sony and BMG announced their agreement to merge in November, and EMI and Time Warner may not be far behind. The industry may soon be dominated by only three multinational corporations.
The executives who run these corporations believe that music is solely a commodity. Unlike their predecessors, they fail to recognize that music is as much a vital art form and social barometer as it is a way to make a profit. At one time artists actually developed meaningful, even if strained, relationships with their record labels. This was possible because labels were relatively small and accessible, and they had an incentive to join with the artists in marketing their music. Today such a relationship is practically impossible for most artists.
Labels no longer take risks by signing unique and important new artists, nor do they become partners with artists in the creation and promotion of the music. After the music is created, the artist's connection with it is minimized and in some instances is nonexistent. In their world, music is generic. A major record label president confirmed this recently when he referred to artists as "content providers." Would a major label sign Johnny Cash today? I doubt it.
Radio stations used to be local and diverse. Deejays programmed their own shows and developed close relationships with artists. Today radio stations are centrally programmed by their corporate owners, and airplay is essentially bought rather than earned. The floodgates have opened for corporations to buy an almost unlimited number of radio stations, as well as concert venues and agencies. The delicate balance between artists and radio networks has been dramatically altered; networks can now, and often do, exert unprecedented pressure on artists. Whatever connection the artists had with their music on the airwaves is almost totally gone.
Music stores used to be magical places offering wide variety. Today the three largest music retailers are Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target. In those stores shelf space is limited, making it harder for new artists to emerge. Even established artists are troubled by stores using music as a loss leader. Smaller, more personalized record stores are closing all over the country -- some because of rampant P2P piracy but many others because of competition from department stores that traditionally have no connection whatsoever with artists.
Piracy is perhaps the most emotionally gut-wrenching problem facing artists. Artists like the idea of a new and better business model for the industry, but they cannot accept a business model that uses their music without authority or compensation. Suing kids is not what artists want, but many of them feel betrayed by fans who claim to love artists but still want their music free.
The music industry must also take a large amount of blame for this piracy. Not only did the industry not address the issue sooner, it provided the P2P users with a convenient scapegoat. Many kids rationalize their P2P habit by pointing out that only record labels are hurt -- that the labels don't pay the artists anyway. This is clearly wrong, because artists are at the bottom of the food chain. They are the ones hit hardest when sales take a nosedive and when the labels cut back on promotion, on signing new artists and on keeping artists with potential. Artists are clearly affected, yet because many perceive the music business as being dominated by rich multinational corporations, the pain felt by the artist has no public face.
Artists are finally realizing their predicament is no different from that of any other group with common economic and political interests. They can no longer just hope for change; they must fight for it. Washington is where artists must go to plead their case and find answers.
So whether they are fighting against media and radio consolidation, fighting for fair recording contracts and corporate responsibility, or demanding that labels treat artists as partners and not as employees, the core message is the same: The artist must be allowed to join with the labels and must be treated in a fair and respectful manner. If the labels are not willing to voluntarily implement these changes, then the artists have no choice but to seek legislative and judicial solutions. Simply put, artists must regain control, as much as possible, over their music.
The writer is a singer and drummer with the Eagles and a founding member of the Recording Artists' Coalition.
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Originally posted by Dupek Chopra:
Originally posted by brennser:
Don Henleys take (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46669-2004Feb16.html) on the state of the music biz
"Please take a moment to complete this one-time required registration. Once registered, you gain access to washingtonpost.com. Questions?"
No thank you... [/b]
I can't believe y'all don't use the Post's website. It's kick ass for all kinds of things... I'm quite surprised. The NY TImes, I understand -- it's not our city, but the Post has both all their content, but all kinds of helpful information on local goings on, etc.
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If my notes serve me correctly, Dupek is a 40something guy with kids who lives around Baltimore. Why would he care about the goings-ons of DC?
Originally posted by Bags:
Originally posted by Dupek Chopra:
Originally posted by brennser:
Don Henleys take (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46669-2004Feb16.html) on the state of the music biz
"Please take a moment to complete this one-time required registration. Once registered, you gain access to washingtonpost.com. Questions?"
No thank you... [/b]
I can't believe y'all don't use the Post's website. It's kick ass for all kinds of things... I'm quite surprised. The NY TImes, I understand -- it's not our city, but the Post has both all their content, but all kinds of helpful information on local goings on, etc. [/b]
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Did anyone read that book, YOU'LL NEVER MAKE LOVE IN THIS TOWN AGAIN?
"The stories are endless, and they have the ring of truth. They feature people like producer [...] Glenn Frey and Don Henley (ever wondered why Eagles tickets are always so expensive?)
The stories tell of teenaged girls told to urinate (http://www.canoe.ca/JamBooksReviewsY/youllnever_parrent.html) on men, of threesomes, of beatings administered after sex, of hot coffee enemas, of men raping their friends' girlfriends, of wealthy and famous men so addicted to alcohol and drugs that the stench seeps through their skin, of Plexiglass platforms, masturbation and toilet sex."
Henley should learn to evolve. He's a true rock dinosaur. I don't take my music trends/advice from such a junkie prevert as Don.
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Originally posted by Bags:
Originally posted by Dupek Chopra:
Originally posted by brennser:
Don Henleys take (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46669-2004Feb16.html) on the state of the music biz
"Please take a moment to complete this one-time required registration. Once registered, you gain access to washingtonpost.com. Questions?"
No thank you... [/b]
I can't believe y'all don't use the Post's website. It's kick ass for all kinds of things... I'm quite surprised. The NY TImes, I understand -- it's not our city, but the Post has both all their content, but all kinds of helpful information on local goings on, etc. [/b]
i live in Baltimore and Dupek does too, no?
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thanks for posting the article Kosmo.
true, he stated the problem but had no solution for it.
i think i am going to go download Hotel California.
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mojo nixon did once sing "don henley must die"... unfortunately, if memory serves me correctly, they kissed and made up at some point. anyone remember why? i seem to recall it was in order to fight some greater evil. and it was have been pretty evil seeing as it was don "deadhead sticker on a caddy" henley.
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Had no clue Dupek was a Baltimorean (is that what they are?). His age shouldn't matter, though...he's obviously comfortable using the internet!
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Just figured most guys with kids in their 40's who live in Baltimore are too busy having real lives to care about what band is playing DC9.
Originally posted by Bags:
Had no clue Dupek was a Baltimorean (is that what they are?). His age shouldn't matter, though...he's obviously comfortable using the internet!
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The Post site has reams of information about activities with kids, museum openings and closings, restaurants for any kind of event, movie showtimes, camping and adventure seeking, real estate issues, local and national politics, the full panoply of shows and concerts (which you would think someone on the 9:309 Club Board would have some interest in...), television, day trips, local trends.
Hmmm, a lot more than the DC9 schedule. Such a reductionist view of both what's available and what folks here on this board are interested in.
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i know i dont speak for ALL Baltimoreans (yes, thats right) but i dont give a RATS ASS about the "goings on" in DC. in fact, i cant stand DC.
But they have the best concert venue (930) and a hockey team, so i go there every so often. but i dont need the post to tell me when the shows are, thats what you guys are for.
anyway, who cares what i think, most of my Bmore friends have to be dragged to DC though.
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Originally posted by Bags:
reams of information
wow! reams? it must keep you busy for HOURS!!! hahahaha.
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They should hire your to do PR.
By the way, since you are so Post savvy, perhaps you could tell me why their movie critic Desson Howe changes his name to Desson Thompson?
Originally posted by Bags:
The Post site has reams of information about activities with kids, museum openings and closings, restaurants for any kind of event, movie showtimes, camping and adventure seeking, real estate issues, local and national politics, the full panoply of shows and concerts (which you would think someone on the 9:309 Club Board would have some interest in...), television, day trips, local trends.
Hmmm, a lot more than the DC9 schedule. Such a reductionist view of both what's available and what folks here on this board are interested in.
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There's another journalist named Desson Howe, hence the name change. Why now, I have no idea...you'd think the Post's Howe would be the older Howe.
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Originally posted by sonickteam2:
i know i dont speak for ALL Baltimoreans (yes, thats right)
I thought "Baltimorons" was the proper term?
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
i know i dont speak for ALL Baltimoreans (yes, thats right)
I thought "Baltimorons" was the proper term? [/b]
there you go thinking again.
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I've lived in both Baltimore and DC, and noticed the animosity only runs one way. Baltimoreans hate DC. DC people don't even know Baltimore exists.
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
i know i dont speak for ALL Baltimoreans (yes, thats right) but i dont give a RATS ASS about the "goings on" in DC. in fact, i cant stand DC.
But they have the best concert venue (930) and a hockey team, so i go there every so often. but i dont need the post to tell me when the shows are, thats what you guys are for.
anyway, who cares what i think, most of my Bmore friends have to be dragged to DC though.
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Oooh my, did not mean to start a turf war. I had no idea Dupek wasn't in DC, that's all. If you're in DC, the Post is hugely helpful and illuminating; if you're in Baltimore, why would you give a crap.
Okay, now let's all gang up on Don Henley again!
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Originally posted by Rutherford J. Balls:
By the way, since you are so Post savvy, perhaps you could tell me why their movie critic Desson Howe changes his name to Desson Thompson?
I actually heard that he found his real parents or something and changed his name to theirs.
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Originally posted by Bags:
The Post site has reams of information and what folks here on this board are interested in.
Then I'm just like George W.Bush in that we both don't read newspapers.