Wesley Verhoeve of Family Records was kind enough to remind me via Twitter that if you say bad things about the major labels often enough, it's important to balance out your criticism with some solutions. Well, Mr. Verhoeve I'm working on it. For the last couple weekends, I've dedicated my writing and time to figuring out the problems with cloud-based music subscriptions. To me, they are an essential part of the next music business or whatever we call it now.
And I realize that people have been saying that since 1999.
Asking big questions and starting conversations is just the first step. Moving forward, I will work towards intertwining solutions into my various criticisms.
However, the format replacement cycle is over, music piracy is evolving rapidly, the labels lack creative leaders, and the music consumption system is broken.
Only one or two of these problems has a solution and I'm working on it.
Besides, by the time the major labels get around to listening to the suggestions of writers like myself, it's a little too late. Case in point: it's 2011 and the major labels have only now decided to offer singles for sale the same day that they're released to radio. Now, at that rate of progress, there may not even be a major label left to act on the solutions that I offer. Executives are deaf. I'll learn to sign.
And I realize that people have been saying that since 1999.
Asking big questions and starting conversations is just the first step. Moving forward, I will work towards intertwining solutions into my various criticisms.
However, the format replacement cycle is over, music piracy is evolving rapidly, the labels lack creative leaders, and the music consumption system is broken.
Only one or two of these problems has a solution and I'm working on it.
Besides, by the time the major labels get around to listening to the suggestions of writers like myself, it's a little too late. Case in point: it's 2011 and the major labels have only now decided to offer singles for sale the same day that they're released to radio. Now, at that rate of progress, there may not even be a major label left to act on the solutions that I offer. Executives are deaf. I'll learn to sign.
