My take on the industry

[stoney]

I want you all to know I enjoy muisc and admire all musicians along with their talent.
I am starting this 'string' to add a little spark to this message board and encite some exchange of opinions.

The music industry.
For many years the only choice we as consumers had in music was LP/Mono,LP/Sterio or 45 rpm.
Then came the 4 and 8 track tapes followed by the cassette. No one in the industry made too much of a fuss about copying muisc from vinyl to tape. The tapes seem to last longer soon cassettes were outselling records.Then came the dual cassette deck came out and you could copy from one to the other at double speed. Again not many waves were created by this.Many people re-bought all their old muisc becuse the tapes were
more portable and could be played in cars and personal sterios( walkman).

Then came the cd wich was supposed to be the perfect sound available to all and because portable cd playes were also available no one wanted the cassettes so again music was rebought to make the ultimate collection of undestructive muisc.
This means that if you came from the vinyl days you probably bought your music collection 3 times. No record company complained about that. Yes some people copied from cd to tape but that was not a pe roblem not a ripple in the pool.

Somewhere in the midst of the (dot)com revolution a new digitized music format came out called .mp3. This format did not make a big spash in the music industry as most people had dial-up internet access and it took too long to download music and beside no one had a porable music player available that played .mp3's.

I was one of those let's say more experienced people with many years of service to my employer. One day in 1999 I lost my job (downsized) they called it. I am sure I was not the only one to experience this, in fact many people over the last ten years have gone thorugh the same situation. So what were we told? Work harder,longer, do more and expect much much les pay. So I am now working harder,longer and do more and get paid about 65% of my former wage. Remeber that for later. The theme is MORE for LESS. If I
do not comply they will send the job to someother county where they will get cheaper labor.

Broadband and napster changed everything and suddenly music was available everywhere on the internet and shared freely. The cost of a recordable cd was very low at 30 cents each. I could once again enjoy music as I could no longer afford to pay the high price of a cd at my substantially lower income.
Well you know what happened the R.I.A.A. lost all sorts of money trying to run business as usual.In an attempt to to stop their loss in profits they began suing customers. I no longer download and buy VERY selectively my music.The music indusrty still complains but what are they doing? the same old thing. Well Music industry people, It is your turn to get in-line.

You must WORK HARDER,LONGER, DO MORE, AND CHARGE A WHOLE LOST LESS!!!!!!!!!!

I also find it interesting that now they say CD are not forever and also have a life span so you should again rebuy all your music at highly inflated prices.
The mp3's and other digital music formats are now much more portable and have a forever lifespan.

I will listen to radio which is very portable and it does not cost me anything.

Music Business you need to CHANGE and WORK HARDER,LONGER, DO MORE, AND CHARGE A WHOLE LOST LESS.

I also think it is funny that you charge 17 bucks for 30 cents worth of plastic but that is NOT stealing!
You say it is your music and want control and I appreciate that so then buy all of your music back from me for what I paid for it.

If you want to know the true value of your music try selling it to a used cd store or on ebay.

But remeber you you need to CHANGE and WORK HARDER,LONGER, DO MORE, AND CHARGE A WHOLE LOST LESS.

Thank you and have a good day

[Lightning]

My biggest problem with the price of music is the disconnect between what the record companies are bringing in and how much of it is going to the artists. Now, I understand that advertising campaigns are expensive and it takes a fair amount of money to keep a company running and pay all the staff and maintain the equipment ... but time and again you hear about artists who lose all the rights to their own music or who are making pennies per cd while execs are getting richer and richer.

That's why most of the music I buy is independent. I'm less worried about paying more for music as long as I know it's going to support the artists whose music I like rather than contributing to their exploitation.

[keith]

Thanks for the history, but with all due respect the record labels had a HUGE problem with cassettes! There was talk back then of a $1.00 surcharge on tapes that would go to compensate the recording industry.

I like the most current stuff because the groundswell musicians with the capabilities to produce great stuff digitally allows virtually anyone to do quality 'studio' stuff to pass along and gain an audience.

Regards,
Keith

[stoney]

Originally Posted by keith

Thanks for the history, but with all due respect the record labels had a HUGE problem with cassettes! There was talk back then of a $1.00 surcharge on tapes that would go to compensate the recording industry.

I like the most current stuff because the groundswell musicians with the capabilities to produce great stuff digitally allows virtually anyone to do quality 'studio' stuff to pass along and gain an audience.

Regards,
Keith

I do recall the $1.00 per tape thing but it faded so quickly they did not seem to be as persistant as they are now.

so you like the new stuff Keith, have you heard icky Thump?

The pc sure has made huge inroads into home studio recording. I have played with it on an off over the years and it can be fun but TIME CONSUMING!!

I am hoping to have time this winter to I can recontsruct my mini-studio. I still have some old macs etc. I would like to get an electric guitar but funding is always low for such a non-esseciantial item as that.
does anyone out there have a economical (<$50.00) light action ,slim neck gibson les paul for sale? or sg special or how about a Fender Stratocaster just collecting dust and consuming space in your closet?
anyone?

[cakocinski]

I haven't purchased a CD in years...I will admit that I download my music (both legally and illegally)...however, some artists are taking great strides to avoid people downloading their music illegally, and also avoid people buying their music from high priced music distribution site.

One such example is Radiohead, they recently released their new album on their website for a pay what you will fee. They allowed it for free, but you could also pay what you want. Its an interesting experiment, because they could make a lot of money, or they could make nothing...but I have a feeling that most people in this world will pay for the music out of respect for what Radiohead is doing. Of course they are able to do this because they have grown notoriety in the music industry, and have made enough money to produce their albums on their own with no record company.

[stoney]

Originally Posted by cakocinski

I haven't purchased a CD in years...I will admit that I download my music (both legally and illegally)...however, some artists are taking great strides to avoid people downloading their music illegally, and also avoid people buying their music from high priced music distribution site.

One such example is Radiohead, they recently released their new album on their website for a pay what you will fee. They allowed it for free, but you could also pay what you want. Its an interesting experiment, because they could make a lot of money, or they could make nothing...but I have a feeling that most people in this world will pay for the music out of respect for what Radiohead is doing. Of course they are able to do this because they have grown notoriety in the music industry, and have made enough money to produce their albums on their own with no record company.

The Gratefull dead , in their day used to let people record their concerts and they still made a enough money.
I still say to RIAA "you can buy back all of your music from me at the same price I paid for it" and I promise I will never copy,download or pirate any of your music.

But hey anyone out there who wants to jump in here and share your opinion, please do so.
Thank you

[Steve]

Lots of bands allow taping of their live shows nowadays. In fact Pearl Jam allows fans to tape and trade shows, yet the band records the shows themselves and sells them as CD's or digital downloads!