Thoughts on the Music Industry

Music. Ah how it soothes the savage beast. I have once heard it described as the only gift from heaven that we share here on earth and, at once, the only treasure of earth that we get to take to heaven. It is a passion for many. Interlinc estimates that the current generation consumes 7.5 hours of it every single day.

Now, while I'm tempted to go into my usual rant about how we must be careful about what we're letting into our minds... and how music has a way to bypass even the most morally sound person's defenses, that is not what this thought trail of Silence is about...

No, specifically, this is about something that is recent and unprecedented. This is about a phenomenon that has changed the way we consume music forever... The Mp3. I don't know that I'll ever forget a time, long ago but not TOO long ago, before Mp3s. I remember my friend David and I's reaction to the first CD burner we saw. "We could put any music we want on the same CD!" We exclaimed with joy. I'll also never forget when Napster (the nefarious version) first came to prominence and how my fellow Sears Electronics Dept workers and I would spend much of our days flooding that one computer that was online to get whatever music we could think of... you know, before we "knew" it was "really" wrong.

And yet, here we are, a decade and a half later, and the question  for today's generation seems to be more geared towards thoughts like "Who needs a record label?" It's no secret that record labels across the board are struggling in many ways. And yet, iTunes and Amazon Mp3, thrive. It is, in fact, iTunes and the modus operandi that it created in society that has left "labels" in the dust. Aside from better advertisement and touring bonuses, anyone can now record and sell their musical talent to the world.

Which brings me to the extraordinary question of the moment. First, let me state that I am NOT talking about piracy or the "new" Napsters out there. With that in mind, however, the question is, "Do we even need to pay for music anymore?" Just this week I found and downloaded around 600-700 free and legal (and Godly) songs. I didn't even have to look hard to find them. I simply went to tvulive.com, which linked me through an article to indievisionmusic.com, humblebeast.com, comeandlive.com, freetoothandnail.com, and other such sites where I was bombarded by everything from samplers to complete artist collections for... FREE. On top of that, a friend linked me to a promotion Amazon Mp3 was running for the new "Weird Al" album for only $4.

And then, one of the two new albums I actually did buy at full price (Tedashii's Blacklight and Owl City's All Things Bright and Beautiful) was apparently listed as a price error on iTunes and they sent me an apology letter that alerted me to my account being credited with "2 Free Songs" . ---- Acutally, Apple accidentally sent that same letter 12-13 times and now my account magically has 26 free songs... not a bad dividend for buying one CD. Though, morally, I am not spending them to allow Apple to seamlessly adjust their error ---

Even if I did consume the "new average" of 7.5 hours of music a day (which I don't even come close), it would take me a week just to listen once to all the free music I acquired. So, back to the question, in the world we now live in, does one even need to ever really "purchase" music? And when you do, don't you almost feel like you're being ripped off if you do pay more than $6.00 for an album?

This is, to say the least, unprecedented in history. Imagine going to a record store in the 70's and expecting them to give you 700 songs for free, and all other albums to be dirt cheap! It's no wonder music labels are failing. And yet, as the consumer, I'm excited about it.

Perhaps later I'll discuss my issues with the CONTENT in music, but for now, I have WAAAAAAYYYYY too much free music to sort through... after all, Noisetrade.com just alerted me to a new album I "need" to pick up.