- Joined
- Jan 19, 2015
- Messages
- 9,627
- Reaction score
- 0
Whether you like it or not, thats the way its gone. With new technology comes change. Music is more accessible than ever to those who look for it and there are still tons of bands out there, theyre not on the radio as much, not here. But Im going to stress that music like any consumer item goes through peaks and valleys. Do you still hear blues, swing, jazz etc on mainstream radio? Does music television even still exist now after YouTube came along? Do people still listen to vinyl in the numbers they used to?Oh yes it is hurting because of the way the music industry has gone and the main reason why the rock music industry has gone the way it has, as well as the rest of the music industry is the internet. Copyright laws were designed and implemented to make it possible for artists, other musicians, actors or writers to make a living from the product of their work. If you don't want to research copyright law, you can get the gist of it from simply reading the warning at the beginning of a movie on DVD. It states that "Unauthorized distribution or reproduction of this work" will result in a $5,000 fine, up to 5 years in prison or both. What was Napster and its ilk if not "unauthorized distribution"? If you look at the time when there ceased to be any new rock stars coming along, it coincides right at he time that sites like Napster emerged.
Metallica warned everyone but not enough people listened. They didn't do it so much to protect themselves as to ensure there would be opportunities for the next generation and then after that in the rock music industry - the same kinds of opportunities their generation had had. After all, Metallica were already financially set for life and continue to make millions. The people it hurt were the bands that weren't already established when Napster and the like emerged. The subsequent generations didn't get the same opportunity to make a good living playing in rock and metal bands that the generations before them had had. The lyrics to "Dyer's Eve" never rang so true and profoundly as they did for those generations of aspiring musicians: "No guarantee, it's life as is
But damn you for not giving me my chance"
Best thing that can happen is for the music industry to get turned on its head and for labels to go under imo. Some bands are already using their own recording studios and getting their own music out there on their own rather than getting raped or pressured to change by these companies for the masses. Im sure youve heard the stories of bands like Rush getting pressured to become more commercial.
You may not be aware of all the great artists that are out there today, you arent putting in the time to find them. Just because they arent as accessible as turning on your radio as they were back in the 2000s and before doesnt mean its dead.
Heres a question, why is it that only Rock is experiencing this and not RnB or Hip Hop? They still seem to be making money. Is it entirely to do with the way music consumption has gone or is it more to do with how the trends have gone?
Also Rock n Roll didnt conpletely die after file sharing happened. Guaranteed people were file sharing more than just Rock music.
Ive heard many artists nowadays say they dont make money through music sales but ticket sales, merch and royalties. Spotify pays through the amount of plays a band gets, so that comes down to who likes you. I use Spotify like crazy and only use it for artists I really like, most of them Metal or Rock.
I still think youre failing to see that Rock/Metal music has just gone underground like so many old genres. Rap will do the same eventuallly.
There are still TONS of Metal bands out there. You just have to look for them. And the internet has actually made it easier to consume music and learn about its history aswell as get it out there and modern tech means you dont have to get a contract to record it like you used to.