Does music press have anything better to write about?

[astorian]

The music press is wasting our time analyzing the music biz, not that we don't do the same here every day ...

In this month's Spin there is yet another article trying to dissect what it takes to "make it" in the music business, with all the requisite analysis on the current state of the music industry. There is talk of the DIY approach, of flagging sales, and of MySpace (of course). And there is ANOTHER article in the same magazine about the demise of the classic rock star persona.

Doesn't the music press have anything better to write about?? I see these articles everywhere ... from the New York Times, to Rolling Stone and Spin. And then I get caught up in the same discussions on Gearslutz. They go something like this ...

Al: Record labels are dead
Bob: People steal music, screw them
Carl: I'm happy people steal my music
Dan: My studio is making less money. Why?
Mack: You spent dough on equipment like its '85
Bob: Doesn't anyone care about the music anymore?
Al: Screw labels, they suck. Do it all your self!
John: I did it all my self for years, and my girlfriend dumped my ass, and left me for another guy who did it himself but got lucky (and had a trust fund)

Same old arguments and debates.

Has anyone else gotten sick of this constant analysis? Its never been easy or lucrative to be a musician. Its tougher now to own a studio. You have to keep reminding yourself "why the hell do I pick up a guitar every day, or power up the board?".

My pact for this month: No analysis of the biz, or business. Make music. And don't read all these stupid tired articles.

John

[theblue1]

I think you have cut precisely and unsentimentally to the absolute heart of the issue.


If you want to survive in the music biz, let alone get ahead, and you want a GF, too, the trust fund is going to be all but mandatory.

Best if you can line up a couple of them. Some annuities... and, while you're at it, make sure you've got a good pool of liquid assets, as well. That is, unless you're an i-v drug user. In that case, best to stick with the scheduled payments, by and large.

[astorian]

Originally Posted by theblue1

If you want to survive in the music biz, let alone get ahead, and you want a GF, too, the trust fund is going to be all but mandatory.

Survive AND keep a girlfriend. Almost impossible ...

A rare breed of lady who can watch their man play the equivalent of artistic MegaBucks, spend his (and maybe, if you're lucky, her) money on gadgets, and claim, with a straight face, that people get songs placed on national ads every day.

But really, if these articles are the best anyone can come up with ... and if every is sitting around dumbfounded by the paradigm shift, we're really in trouble.