I don’t root for the downfall of too many industries, but record labels can’t die soon enough.
Instead of embracing and capitalizing on web distribution, record labels pissed their leg and fought the web’s ability to move music. They were too busy fighting Napster to invent iTunes. They were too busy fighting iTunes to invent Pandora. Now that artists can release their music on the web, the record labels have nothing for the future.
What a truly awful industry.
It’s the last disparate claw marks in a self-dug grave. For the longest time, labels have always had the upper hand against artists, because there was no other reasonable means to reach the masses.
I think the only thing left that the labels have going for them, is they still have the capital available to plug bands into things like high production music videos, and album promoting tours. People still expect this kind of entertainment from top tier performers.
In time though, they’re bound to see their piece of the pie whittled away. Hopefully their influence will wane, and the relentless stream of cookie cutter bands will someday dry up.
I can hope anyway.
The media could still anoint the next Britney Spears or Ashlee Simpson without the aid of a label. Some things will change over time, but we’ll all find new ways to stay stupid.
Are you saying that shrewd businessmen with historic ties to the mob who routinely exploited young musicians and sold CDs to the public at huge markups are at fault for their own demise? Oh wait. I see your point.
The scary thing is that if one of them had savvy computer skills, they would still be running the show. I’m glad they DIDN’T think of iTunes.
If they were pot heads instead of coke heads, they might’ve thought of iTunes.