The financial decline of the music industry and two possible consequences
 

First Consequence:
The end of big budget productions.
It will be very difficult to hear in the future complex albums that require months of studio sessions and lots of money to fund. Albums like Sgt pepper’s lonely hearts Club band, The Dark side of the moon, Loveless and The Fragile to name but a few.
If I remember correctly the total cost in 1967 for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band was around 50 thousand pounds (the equivalent of 750 thousand dollars today) for 5 months of studio time.
This would not be possible today, not for a rock band at least.
Nobody would risk so much money for one album.
….and it’s a pity, because I believe we will probably miss out on a lot of potentially good records.
The other consequence will be that artists will not be given a second chance.
The Fugees first album (Blunted on reality) and The Beastie Boys second record (Paul’s Boutique) were both commercial failures when they came out. Nevertheless they still received another chance. They both received 100 thousand dollars and plenty of time to work on another project…. and the result was great albums!
It probably would have never happened today, we would simply not have had albums like The Score or Check your head.
So guys, what do you think, are my preoccupations real? And do they really matter?

Dude you need to change that font it's hurting my eyes.

Some of my favourite albums were recorded on tiny budgets compared to some of the albums he's mentioned. I don't care if record sales and financial returns decline as long as quality music is still being made whether it's recorded in a big-budget studio or on a cheap laptop.

Big record companies have had it their own way for too long. Artistes like Marillion, Radiohead and Joseph Arthur have shown that a new financial model can work, that you don't have to pay massive sums to labels to get your records produced. And the idea that a big concept album will be more expensive to produce seems to me to be ill-founded. Why should it? Jeff Wayne in 1978 made certain sound effects on his classic "War of the worlds" album the old-school way; didn't cost a fortune.

If you want me to cry into my beer because the poor Record Executives will be buying smaller personal jets or holidaying closer to home because their bubble has finally been burst, and their chickens come home to roost, you'll have a long wait.

I'm not certainly crying. There's a lot of great music being made, but I understand where you're getting at. It's great to see the excellent music make it out in the public, but it's not going to be that way much now. I'm happy about that in a good way - at least the real listeners will get it.

I'm tired of seeing great musicians get wither forced to make a Corporate album or get treated like crap from the industry for not going along with the game. True, there were a few good big budget albums through the years, but most of them were pure product. I don't really want to see a return to the days seeing a good band forced to play the mega-bucks game and winding up owing a ton of money in the end with the label possibly blaming the musicians as they go on their next star search for their next Bieber Boy.

If the majors would have not spent so much on mega-priced and over-produced videos back when they were an ongoing thing, there possibly might have not been a major financial decline. That and all of the over-hype and promotion they did for their mega-stars and those they felt deserved that hype. They built their Rome, and it fell, and now they have to make sure that it stays afloat.

This is from a US perspective, but I'm sure that it actually effects a number of other markets.

A lot of the major business is possibly ran more by bean-counters than anyone really interested in music. They possibly threw out the concept of the "Company Freak" that let in the interesting sounds. No room for alternatives, just the hits and the Idols.

Up until The Late 90's, there used to be a feeling of something of a "three-album wait" going on until the label decides to drop them. Today, everything has to be a mega-hit or it's gone. The concept of the "Regional Hit" was long gone when MTV was at it's height. Soundscan possibly has it's crap that would possibly never be corrected as long as it's in the major company's favor - The higher ups love to look at the numbers, after all.

My opinion of today's music industry it this: throw out all of the originals, rip off and neuter whatever is hip and new (This goes for the tech as well), and see to it that everything is all a tight fit with what the higher ups want, and leave out anything seriously subversive and interesting. If it's a band, make sure that they will not cause a serious stink - maybe a little trendy eye opener now and then, but certainly nothing left of center.

It all goes down to the connections, who's in charge, and the hype available to make things work...if they are interested and know that they could get you to work for them.

Music is now more of an Independent thing. It's possibly not going to go into the mega-million world again with the occasional exception, but I'm sure that there will be a lot of great albums around. Sadly, many of them will possibly not be a part of the Pop Culture. I'm from The Late 70's-Mid 80's, and I saw the signs even then in the Post-Disco/Early MTV era. (I'm a Music Fan from way back when.)

A bit of trivia for you...

The saddest thing about the Beastie Boys album (apart from the troubles with all of the samples crammed into the album. The album's great and the samples were well-placed, of course, but you know what I mean) was that 1) The President of Capitol when they signed up got fired shortly after the album's release and 2) The new President of the label wanted to push Donny Osmond's return. Reading I Want My MTV, the updated edition (P. 424, Adam's own words) seriously fills in a lot of gaps of that time when it comes to the facts. The lucky thing was that it was respected enough that another chance was given, after Mr. Osmond went into the cut outs for a second time in his career. Another lucky thing was that it was at that time more second chances were given.

If the Early 90's had 2013 standards, I don't think that The Beasties would have been given a push with their second chance with Capitol unless if someone in the media likes them (you know how the companies hold back records they feel is not in their priority), although Donny O. would have had a couple of more chances - talented as he is, you know where his entertainment stands.

(Trivia Fact: The Donny Osmond video to "Soldier of Love" was Directed by Michael Bay. No opinions, just the fact.)

Yes you are right regarding the font,I'm trying to change it!

Let me know if you need a hand. :)

I think I managed to change it ,thanks!

A lot of the records that I love (like all the punk stuff) we're done dirt cheap too.
However even though I'm not a sound engineer , I still think that to achieve a certain sound,or certain sounds you still might need time and money to work things out.
In a way it's a little bit like film making,you can make a great indie film for no money,but if you want something like "Full Metal Jacket" or "The Godfather Part 2" you need big bucks.

I had no problem, but...

Anyways, here's a more informative view of what the industry was all about back in the 90's. Steve Albini has produced a number of albums that did very well, but he knew what was happening from the front lines as well.

Check this out. I don't think you would want a return to big budget albums again, seriously. This was back when "Alternative" was a big word in the industry.

The Problem With Music :Negativworldwidewebland

I read that article a few years ago, and yes record companies usually tend to give artists a raw deal. For them it's just business.
However once I also read an old sonic youth interview where they stated that they decided to move to a major label because indie labels had difficulty offering them adequate promotion and getting money from them was always problematic. Plus for the first time in their lives they now had health insurance.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Steve Albini, and I admire the people that he worked with (The Jesus lizard, Zeni Geva, Slint) but commercially wise we are talking small numbers.
Back in the old days if you wished for success and big financial rewards probably major labels were almost your only option.
However that wasn’t my point, my point is that if you have big ideas in music nowadays, it will be difficult to turn them into reality because simply there is no money out there for big risky projects.

I do remember that. They joined the majors at the right time and place, when there was room. but were also lucky to create good music that attracted listeners as well - a couple of major flop albums and it could have been goodbye.

In a way, I feel that what the majors did with expensive videos, pipe dreams, sub-labels/faux-Indies that failed, very little support for the alternative after a fashion, signing who they felt to be mega stars, and other high expenses was what made the majors fall.

On the other side of things, there was a lot of crap going on at the Indies, I will agree. I remember a number of important labels going under in the 80's and 90's, and heard a lot of those "Where's my money?!!!" tales. Big Black also had some major crap from their Distribution with Homestead if I'm correct. (Our Band Could Be Your Life, p. 335) A read through a great book, Alex Ogg's recommended Independence Days, also has quite a few horror stories.

I just hope that the Indie side of things has learned from it's mistakes. If there's any time that they're needed it's now. Maybe what I'm trying to say is that it's not really a time for Big Ideas, but a time to seriously re-evaluate what's going on at this moment. Let's hope I'm proven wrong in that there will be a time when taking risks will be great in the near future. I'd like to see a return when that can happen, but maybe if the Indie world shapes up, there will be a true adventurousness with that way of thinking with people who seriously like music running the show. I still don't see a day that anything will be changed with the majors.

There will be some successes, mainly from bands and musicians who already have an audience, but for new musicians, it's possibly a time to actually think about a making an impact without playing the big games. A few bands played very smart when they joined the majors (Re: Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, REM, a few others), and I'm sure a lot of it was with a lot of experience, know-how, and the ability to create good music that actually crossed into the mainstream, but not many do. Still, with the mentality of those at the top wanting the bottom line, I still say that those days are over.

True indeed.

The times they are a-changin'

There is this nifty thing called the internet where artists are now in control of their promotion and if they have a big project that needs funding they can turn to donation sites for that. Yes, it takes work to get it out there but it's being done. This is the best time to be an artist with the amount of control you can have. Sure on the corporate side, they arE being a bit tight but if a quality album is released people will still flock in droves to buy it. Look at the first week sales for JT's new album.

I'm not too sure that Justin Timberlake makes quality albums.

That's just like your opinion man.

The point I was making by using him as an example that people are still willing to go out and purchase physical copies so the money IS out there.

i agree with djchameleon. as far as i can tell, there are now actually fewer walls between a band and getting the recognition they want/deserve.

a major factor in this is that the equipment being used to record albums back in the day was cumbersome to the highest order, and thus very expensive to hire out. now anyone with a decent laptop, some ripped software and some rented high quality microphones can make a professional-sounding album, given they find someone to master it for cheap or for free. great albums aren't the result of time spent in the studio necessarily (if at all). they are the result of great minds and good musicians. obviously this is just my opinion. i just don't hear money when i hear a good album. i hear music. and it's just way easier to record music now than it's ever been.

Thanks hun, it looks way better. :)

In terms of financial decline, I think the record companies are beginning to to use internet outlets like Youtube as a way to make up money that doesn't get made from record sales. Just a theory however.

Screen 13 can I just say I am incredibly impressed by your detailed and informed replies. Just what we need here, some people could learn from you. You certainly know your stuff.

Vanilla, great new avatar, but you do realise everyone is now going to be trying to photoshop their head onto the guy's shoulders and yours onto the girl's --- how do you reduce the image size to --- er, I mean, nothing, nothing... :laughing:

:laughing:

It was the picture that stood out to me the most and it represents the chemistry between the characters who I adore! I'm not sure about everyone wanting my face on there but it certainly sounds like a nice fantasy! :D

If this is in poor taste (if 'Nilla dont want her mug on here) I'll take it down.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps30b4e7dd.png

True,it has never been easier and cheaper to make electronica.
However when dealing with electric or acoustic musical instruments there is probably still a difference between recording in your garage and recording in Abbey Road's Studio two !

OMG I love it! Totally making it my avatar. :love:

Sgt peppers could be made today in someones basement with a computer, a couple of good mics, and some basic recording knowledge, probably in half the time or less. As far as musicians not getting a second chance, the internet has changed the whole dynamic and made that whole topic essentially moot. A major label is a horrible place for a fledgling band now, the best thing they can do is put their own stuff out and build a fanbase, first on their own or with the help of a small label and after they have a sizable one sign to a larger indie. At this point in the game major labels are only a good place for established acts that need the access to large amounts of promotion and distribution. Anyone who doesn't absolutely need those things are fools for signing to a major, and will far more than likely come away from the situation worse off than they came into it.

Some but not much, yes access to better and varied equipment will make a recording sound more polished, but most of what it takes to make a good recording is knowledge. mic position, controlling room ambiance, proper mixing technique, and so on. You could easily make a record with equal or maybe even better production quality than Sgt Peppers in your basement, but you would probably struggle to match some of the more recent classics, Mellon Collie, Lateralus, Kid A, but a patient knowledgeable person could probably match those given enough time and perseverance .

Dang! I shoulda posted up the one with MY head in place of Mulders. :D

You're assuming that all money for recording albums comes from record companies. They don't.
Lots of bands have financial backers who are willing to throw money at bands as a tax write off if they don't make it back.

:D

I'd like to see the finished product hehe. ;)

As you wish.

Plank and Vanilla sittin in a tree, kay eye ess ess eye en gee...
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps39315481.png

This'll probably come back to bite me in the ass at some point.

Fixed.

You should be so lucky! :rofl:

We wear Purity Rings, so all we're allowed to do is grind.

'Nilla marks on me arse? Still... ouch. But yeah.