Music Industry + 2 Cents

Music | February 26, 2009

The Music Industry (or rather the Recording Industry) shaped music as we know it today. It was technology that gave the Industry the power to do what it did. Basically they were the leaders in:

1. sound engineering and recording,
2. media distribution,
3. (and some would argue) a musical filter for the masses.

Music before this time was only ever seen on a small scale. It would be families or small groups of people celebrating one another's company and the freedom of expression. On a slightly larger scale there were stage performances but due to the lack of substantial amplification of the sound (due to lack of technology), the crowd intensity could only ever reach a certain limit.

Fast forward through the years to the realm of something like the dawn of the Beatles and you are dealing with the raw energy of music piped straight through to millions via TV and radio. And not only that but this same magic could be purchased and enjoyed through the beauty of a recorded medium.

What an Industry! Essentially it tapped into something primal, turned it into something exclusive and turned it into a product which resulted in a billion dollar Industry and shaped the musical form for the western world.

Fast forward a little bit more... say today for instance. The Recording Industry is still making loads of money but there is a massive shift. And the shift has been going on for some time. Some could even say even right back to the 70's with introduction of cassette tapes. But today the shift is an even starker contrast.

The Pirate Bay is battling in court attempting to uphold the ideology of the massive shift of power the music industry is facing. The people of the western world have adopted there own distribution and media format of music leaving one less reason for a Record Industry. The other technical strength they've held is the power of sound engineering and the recording process itself. Nowadays any kid with a laptop and a passion can match the efforts of the Industry. Purists may snark but some of the best albums I own are lo-fi. Hence we can scratch another requirement off the list.

So, what's left for the Industry. Oh that's right, to operate as a filter. Why would I want only one filter? Why do I even need a filter. Good news travels fast and the word of mouth is faster than ever.

I think that's everything. The only thing left to say is, thank you Industry for the heights of Hendrix and the crap from Britney Spears. We the people now claim back the music!

This one goes out to TPB - good luck guys!