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Tuesday, May 10
Digital and downloadable music has changed my life. Where I once dug through dusty stacks of vinyl searching for the newest, latest, most flavorful hip hop and reggae, today I don't need to go anywhere near a record store to get good new music. Back in the day it was Napster, now it is iTunes, along with mix CDs and other sources of music. CD shopping is a very occasional thing nowadays.
On top of this, commercial radio has become increasingly irrelevant to me. Why? There are lots of reasons, but mostly it has to do with the fact that they play mediocre music by the same 25 artists over and over and over. Since all of the media outlets own all of the major labels, the incestuous nature of the relationship apparently distorts their choice of music to play. In a nutshell, their music sucks. And no matter how good an artist may be, if they are not part of the machine, they can't get their record played.
Of course, the upside to all this is that the Internet has become a powerful way to market and distribute music. There are more sources of information, more choices, and easier and quicker access to new music through the web than there ever could be otherwise. Yahoo will soon be launching their own music store and combining it with their online-community tools, to help people like you and me find new music.
Yahoo has a nearly unparalleled reach, with more than 300 million users worldwide, and has already developed a loyal base of listeners who use its Launch music video and Web radio service. Indeed, record label executives say Launch can already be as important as traditional radio when debuting a new album.
Not necessarily the answer to our prayers here at Bad Seed Music, but a good look at the future of the music business. Go digital or go home, baby!
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