Gearslutz.com - View Single Post - The development of hip-hop sound & engineering

dagg · 4th July 2005

all above said is reason why today music sales are in steady decline. Hats down to mix etc. skills. But musically alot of semi-skilled amateurs took scene. Together with administration-rooted A&R's (accountants, lawyers etc) they dictate new trends without knowing much about music and human reaction to it. While labels-turn-conglomerates spend loads of advertising money, sales are declining. They lament about bad state of industry and mention endless reasons, but main reason is obvious.

And reason is quite simple, people don't like what they hear (thus, they don't buy what they don't like). It is hard to believe that you wouldn't spend $1.- to download a song that you really like. Thus price isn't problem. Every once in a while we see artist that sells sh*tloads of CD-s - because people like what they hear.

Human brain behavior and reaction is pretty known matter today. Ad agencies are using this knowledge at their advantage. Music production/manufacturing isn't much different (ancient Bach and Mozart both knew those rules wery well, and they are still called artists). Some may argue about creativity and inspiration, but fact is that similar rules can be found on 90% of hits. Because people who write them know rules (not easy task to learn).

At the end, while recording part of business (mix engineers, equipment) show high standards, writers/producers fail to deliver what's sought after. It's like people love green shoes and labels are constantly bombarding them with blue ones.

After all, if ABBA managed to sell tens of millions of records when gramophones weren't in every home, today equivalent download-enabled artist should sell much more. Yes, today we have more music choices and entertainment channels, but there is so much crap in music that any appealing project should sell in huge quantities.

4th July 2005	#20
dagg Gear Head Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 55	all above said is reason why today music sales are in steady decline. Hats down to mix etc. skills. But musically alot of semi-skilled amateurs took scene. Together with administration-rooted A&R's (accountants, lawyers etc) they dictate new trends without knowing much about music and human reaction to it. While labels-turn-conglomerates spend loads of advertising money, sales are declining. They lament about bad state of industry and mention endless reasons, but main reason is obvious. And reason is quite simple, people don't like what they hear (thus, they don't buy what they don't like). It is hard to believe that you wouldn't spend $1.- to download a song that you really like. Thus price isn't problem. Every once in a while we see artist that sells sh*tloads of CD-s - because people like what they hear. Human brain behavior and reaction is pretty known matter today. Ad agencies are using this knowledge at their advantage. Music production/manufacturing isn't much different (ancient Bach and Mozart both knew those rules wery well, and they are still called artists). Some may argue about creativity and inspiration, but fact is that similar rules can be found on 90% of hits. Because people who write them know rules (not easy task to learn). At the end, while recording part of business (mix engineers, equipment) show high standards, writers/producers fail to deliver what's sought after. It's like people love green shoes and labels are constantly bombarding them with blue ones. After all, if ABBA managed to sell tens of millions of records when gramophones weren't in every home, today equivalent download-enabled artist should sell much more. Yes, today we have more music choices and entertainment channels, but there is so much crap in music that any appealing project should sell in huge quantities.