The Day the Music Died
by Santeen
"The elders say depression is the absence of rhythm."
~Unknown
For more than ten years I made my living sitting behind a large pane of glass. It’s the glass you see in a recording studio, the one that separates the performer from people like me: the producer and the engineer. I have worked with many recording artists in this way, cutting their demos and seeing the hope in their eyes, right through the final mixes of tunes that became huge hits for them. A few very special musical artists today know that music is the highest language on the planet. “It is literally true, ‘melody has power a whole world to transform.’” (The URANTIA Book, p. 500:06)
The rumors of the music industry’s death have been greatly exaggerated, but one thing is for certain: The music industry of tomorrow will look nothing like it looks today. And for many, from independent labels to innovative studios to Internet pioneers, this is a good thing. The popular music industry has become astoundingly big over the past couple of decades, pervading nearly every aspect of society in some way. Has there ever been a bigger celebrity culture in this country? Rock and hip-hop stars are the new entertainment royalty.
Yet, under the glittering veneer, there is a darker story emerging. It is a story about people losing their jobs, companies folding left and right, and the bedrock of the music industry turning into quicksand. Wouldn’t it be nice if the entertainment business was a good time—pure and simple—not a cutthroat business. The music side of the business is now so commercial that it is turning people off. Record sales are slumping, down 600 million from last year. Concert attendance and ticket sales are also down almost 30%. Even radio has taken hits to the downside. And every other recording artist from the 1960s and 70s is getting back together again with their old friends in an attempt to fill the void while industry leaders are marketing commercial pop music to death.
In recent interviews with high school and college students about the condition of the music industry today they talked about ‘piracy’ and the sharing of downloaded MP3 files, boring bubble-gum radio play-lists, the lack of real new music, declining CD sales; but besides that, despite all the hot air, falling-sky predictions and moral proclamations, no one seems to know what is really going on. Who is going to decide the future of the music business? It is the kids. It has always been the youth. Young people in that crucial 18 to 25 demographic are forming the tastes and preferences that will rule their habits for the rest of their lives. These kids are worth listening to. Like it or not, our future depends on them.
A summary of their thoughts and opinions goes like this: They do not purchase much new music. They would rather down load or share MP3 files even though the quality of compressed MP3 is less than a new release. The reason for this is the high cost of new CDs. They are too expensive, and most interviewed would rather purchase used CDs. An interesting note to the industry marketers: These kids would be happy to pay nine bucks top for new releases. Are you industry types listening?
It is hard to feel sorry for the major record companies in all of this. They are still making money—heaps of it. Meanwhile, companies are running much leaner and meaner, and many labels have disappeared completely having been swallowed up by larger companies, leaving many an artist with broken contracts and shattered dreams. With few exceptions, "artist development" has become a cruel oxymoron at the major labels. During a recent visit to New York, a VP at EMI told me point blank, "When your artist is selling 100,000 units in house, we will consider a development deal.” Thank you very much.
Record companies have always depended on cashing in on the latest musical trends to make their enormous profits, and nothing has changed in that regard. The business has always been both fickle and cynical as the barons of the industry continue to clone the musical groups or solo acts. Right now, we are in a period in which both country music and "urban music” (that’s African American artists, plus Eminem) are topping the charts, with a little residue from the great teen pop wave of two years ago still in the mix.
The CEO of Time Warner does not care whether this or that artist has great potential; it’s "Why is that record division not meeting its profit goals? Fix it!” And suddenly there is a slashing of artist rosters, a purging of middle managers, and an increasingly frantic determination to sign artists who can quickly make money for the company.
Just as there has been a huge amount of corporate consolidation and attendant fiscal conservatism in the record industry, the radio airwaves are also controlled by fewer and fewer players, and one—Clear Channel Entertainment—has become so dominant in many of the top 25 markets, that its main competition is itself. Any time there is a move towards greater standardization and homogenization of radio formats—an inevitable by-product of corporate centralization—it is bad for artists and record companies, because play lists inevitably become narrower and less flexible, which means fewer records are making it onto the air.
It was just a few years ago that a friend of mine joked, "Some day we will all work for Clear Channel.” He wasn’t kidding. Not only does the mega-corporation own more than 1200 radio outlets and 39 television stations in the U.S., it also owns dozens of live entertainment venues of varying sizes (as well as three-quarters of a million outdoor advertising display sites of all types). Through the aggressive acquisition of various production companies around the country, Clear Channel has also become one of the leading tour promoters in the world, which means it can place tours in its own venues and then promote shows locally and nationally on its own radio stations.
Concert ticket prices are escalating rapidly, thanks in part to groups such as The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, whose exorbitant demands on their reunion tours in the mid-1990s forced promoters to charge more for tickets—and people eagerly paid the high prices. The Eagles getting $75 a seat opened floodgates for other popular bands, and now we have yuppies in $300 seats at Rolling Stones shows, U2 tickets near the back of hockey arenas for $150, and decent seats for most arenas and stadium concerts hovering somewhere between $75 and $100 per ticket!
No wonder so many tours are playing to under capacity houses—the greed of bands, managers, promoters, and, perhaps the most villainous of all, the ticket services, has turned concert-going into elitist entertainment. Ironically, my old nemesis, Bill Graham, originally closed the Fillmore East and the Fillmore West in the early 1970s because of what he claimed was the unchecked avarice of everyone in the live music chain. Why? He was going to have to charge $7.00 a ticket!
Enough doom and gloom. The good news is that this is an industry filled with bright, resourceful people who are capable of figuring out ways to extricate us from this depressing swamp. We are all in the various branches of this business because we love music and we are inspired by the boundless energy and imagination of musicians, and by the thousands of behind-the-scenes support personnel who keep the machinery running smoothly.
Everything is cyclical, and people are looking for real music from real artists. We are hearing a lot of organic, soulful music coming from the fringes of commercial-controlled media. Fresh talent is what keeps the music industry vital and, ultimately, profitable. The paradox? There is more and more music being made, but fewer and fewer traditional ways for it to gain attention. Narrow radio formats, shrinking A&R departments, scarce label deals, top-sided label support in favor of "name" artists as compared to new artists, limited tour support, less real music on MTV, even a shortage of industry magazines—all add up to the fact that today’s artists have to work harder to get the word out about what they do.
A strong creative vision is essential. One such visionary, Gabriel of Sedona, the founder of Global Change Music, "challenges all musicians to write lyrics and melodies that ascend the soul, raise planetary consciousness, and unite humanity in one global family rhythm.” There is a place for all forms of music, but all forms of music are not necessarily beneficial to humanity. A musician who wants to make a difference on this planet needs to “walk-the-walk” that he or she writes about.
The seismic shifts that are changing the music business are occurring swiftly. The industry is trying to gear up for the biggest revolution of all—technology. This isn’t some futurist’s fantasy. We are perched at a new age. Anyone with a phone line can reach thousands with their message. The electronic and satellite media will permanently change the way we buy and listen to our favorite songs.
There is something odd about change. We talk passionately about it until it becomes a reality. Then a deep-rooted fear of the unknown sets in as our status quo dissolves. We hope it is for the better.
At no other time in history has music been so important to popular culture. Tomorrow’s music industry has the potential to be the most spiritually powerful business on the planet. Regardless of corporate influence, pop music responds to the values and needs of each new generation. If we look at modern music in this way, we must conclude that it is not just a "business.” It is a key barometer of how our culture evolves. If we agree with that statement, then those who commit to music as a career accept an important career contract with their fellow human beings—the power to influence.
“But you can’t see the scars of the hunt, oh, yea
You don’t need publicity if you just live prayerfully
It takes true maturity to follow not conformity
Yea, yea, yea."
~ Gabriel of Urantia (Artist)
"Mr. Image Man" (Song)
CosmoPop 2000 (CD)