David Bowie? I don't know why anyone suggests that guy, at this point, has a leg to stand on with regard to music...

He has been in the music business for decades Big3, wouldn't you think that he has obtained, maybe just a little bit of insight on the subject? Are you suggesting that an artist should have a current #1 selling album in order to make accurate predictions?

I actually believe that his comment concerning the collapse of the industry in 2002, almost 10 years ago, has almost come full circle.

PS.
I forgot all about his collaboration with Jagger, but I still hate the single "today". Just as I did at the time of its debut. :)

Personally I think the label industry is still needed, but it might have to change somewhat in its form. Alot of bands still need the label for its connections and ability to market all over the world. Its tough to make it in the music industry and while there are alot of ambitious self-made acts out there not everybody has the ability to make that journey. And sure with all the technology available today its certainly easier for those who choose to do it all themselves. but there's a whole lot that goes into spreading your music beyond the internet.

bands generally have a booking agent that handles the booking of gigs, and if its a good deal than travelling expenses will be paid for by the venue, or event management. if not the band has to pay for it. but labels sometimes pay tour support, that is give money to the band for them to be able to go out and tour.

I was reading in an article last week or so, that in some countries music CD/DVD sales were down as much as 75% in the last year alone.

Touring and musical festivals seem to be a new trend that is on the rise for promoting bands and artist more so these days, when compared with all the previous years before.

Recording is being done mostly in home recording studios and with much smaller independent labels.

How about looking at this differently?
Has music lost popularity in general, maybe from oversaturation, drop in quality, or diversions? Are today's kids as passionate about music as teens were a few decades ago, or have Facebook, video games, etc. been getting the love instead?

Music hasn't lost popularity. Look at the sales figures for music festivals and concerts. Kids today just acquire their music in different ways than they used to in the past is all. Sure artists may not be making 10 million on album sales but there are artists today that are still breaking the million mark. Also digital sales are through the roof. No idea why but it is.

Even platinum-selling artists make very little from sales. Example: 30 Seconds To Mars didn't make a dime from their hit.

You could be right on the whole, but "look at the sales figures for music festivals and concerts" probably isn't how you depict it. Many of the highest-grossing acts had their chart peaks a few decades ago. (Younger people often have trouble paying for high-priced tickets.) Also, I suspect that buying the physical product (e.g., CDs) is more linked to fan passion than downloading is, so the decline in record sales might indicate listeners don't care as much as they used to.

I'm looking forward to your write up on the subject Lolpocalypse.;)

I don't think that music popularity alone, has much to do with the way music is distributed. Its mainly the impact the internet has made concerning promotion, for example.

Quality and variety is defiantly in the equation.

I think the record companies along with retailers need to drop the price of cds. I recently purchased a cd at Barnes and Noble for $18.00. I could have downloaded the same album on iTunes for $9.99 This is unacceptable! Cd sales would probably climb if the record companies and retailers charged about $10.00 for a cd. They have no one to blame but themselves for the decline in cd sales.