Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/07/judge_rules_aga_1.html

Record companies had plenty of warnings that downloading was coming and instead of leading the technology and exploiting the new technology, they buried their heads in the sand, and put out records by Paris Hilton...pathetic!!!

I find Record Companies to be pretty arrogant. They want ppl to buy an album, before even getting the chance to listen to the album first. It's like buying a car, without taking it for a test drive first. Before I buy an album, I want to know if the album is worth buying...make sense to me!!!

Having said that, I never question the quality of an album by my favorite artists...I just go and buy the CD, no matter what!

Young people today, are growing up believing that "free music" online is their birthright. They believe they support their favorites, through merch sales, and going to their concerts.

This IS the wave of the future.

NO ONE is going to get that genie back in the bottle.

Those who survive and thrive, EVOLVE as things change.

Groups like Bare Naked Ladies, and MANY others, are NOT renewing their contracts with the Majors, and going it alone now. Producing and pressing the albums themselves.

Without the millions of dollars in marketing, these artists are SELLING LESS product, but MAKING MORE MONEY! Because rather than 2 dollars an album, they now make 6 or 7 dollars an album.

The majors have been reduced to SUING fans of music. Not a healthy proposition, and also making "360 deals" where the labels are signing new artists, and now getting a portion of their merch and everything else they make, as opposed to limiting this to CD sales. The trade-off supposedly being "more individualized attention" to each respective artist, by the label.

They will NEVER see the power they once held, and this is a GREAT THING for music lovers, and for emerging artists!

The majors have been ripping off independent labels since time began. They have ALWAYS been, behind the curve of new trends. And now, they cannot even steal the heat of the independents to "APPEAR" as if they are at the forefront.

As technlogy increases and more and more entrepreneurs like us seek ways to remove the parasite middleman from our business, and to make that connection with our fan base via electronics as well as more personally, the "majors" will have to evolve or parish.
Humm, Adapt and overcome! What hyper effective group of people use that as their motto?