State of the indy music industry looks rosy, so why all the doom-and-gloom about music?
TuneCore's Jeff Price has a six-part series analyzing the financial state of the music industry from the point of view of an independent artist. Price offers compelling reasons to believe that although the labels are experiencing a severe downturn, artists as a group are earning more than ever, thanks to the Internet.
I have a feeling that the record industry's rejoinder to this would be, yes, more artists are earning some money from their music, and all told, there's more money going to artists than ever before, but there are fewer opportunities for an artist to sign up to a label like ours that controls so much of the distribution channel that we can guarantee large sums of money for these lottery winners.
In other words, the music industry today is much less winner-take-all, with the benefits diffused to a larger pool of artists at the expense of the few who did so well under the old system. This is what I mean when I say a good copyright system is one that encourages the broadest-possible engagement in culture: more music, from more musicians, reaching more people, at more price-points, in more formats. It's a win for free expression and for art, but it's a loss for some artists and the institutions that supported them.
I don't celebrate those losses: it's terrible to think of people who loved and lived for music losing their jobs (most of the people at labels aren't greedy tools deciding to sue 40,000 music fans; greedy tool-dom is confined to a few powerful decisionmakers). It's sad to think of the tiny pool of musicians who did so well taking a loss (though before we weep for them too much, remember that yesterday's winners are well situated to get even richer from merch, performance and licensing, even without the archaic recorded music industry and its shiny bits of plastic).
But copyright's purpose should be to get as much art made and available as possible -- it's not a full-employment scheme for administrators and marketing people and record-store clerks; it's not a lottery that makes millionaires out of a couple of lucky artists. There's nothing wrong with it doing those things, but they aren't why it's there: it's there to fuel expression and art.
The reality is:
* More musicians are making money off their music now then at any point in history.
* The cost of buying music has gotten lower but the amount of money going into the artist's pocket has increased.
* There are more people listening, sharing, buying, monetizing, stealing and engaging with music than at any other point in history.
* There are more ways for an artist to get heard, become famous and make a living off their music now than at any point in the history of this planet.
* Technology has made it possible for any artist to get distribution, to get discovered, to pursue his/her dreams with no company or person out there making the editorial decision that they are not allowed "in".
* The majority of music now being created and distributed is happening outside of the "traditional" system.
And to reiterate, sales are up...
Seeing that the Nielsen stats are readily accessible and accepted as legitimate, why then are we left with the impression that music sales and revenue are down? The simple answer is album sales and overall gross revenue from music sales (CD and downloads) are down. The increase in music purchases comes from the people buying individual songs. The decrease in revenue comes from a $0.99 song costing less than a $16.98 physical album as well as fewer purchases of physical CDs.
The State of The Music Industry & the Delegitimization of Artists
(via EFF Deep Links)
(Image: Diesel Sweeties tee)
MAKE Volume 14, Optics, Maker Shed, $14.99 (digital version: $9.99)
Provide the gift of inspiration with this optical-focused issue of MAKE. Learn how to make a lensless microscope, scanner camera, stereo video camera with 3D view, and more! On a budget? Many of these articles have been released as "Weekend Projects" on the site, so alternatively, you could just grab the PDFs and print them out on nice paper.
PlayStation Eye, Amazon, $31
Originally designed for use with a PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Eye turns out to make a pretty excellent webcam. With it's capability to run at a high framerate, it could be the perfect accessory for that next computer vision project.
DIY Intervalometer, Instructables, ~$20
A must-have accessory for anyone who wants to get into time-lapse photography, professional intervalometers can unfortunately be pretty pricey. Save money and make a custom version by making one for them yourself!
Check out my DIY Photography Gift Guide from last year for many more photo-related gift ideas (such as the above Strobist Starving Student SX1 Lighting Kit)
More:
- Kite aerial photography gift guide (KAP)
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Tools for Makers
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Bikes
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: 3D Fabrication
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Gifts for Dads
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Gifts you can make
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Made in Japan
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Mark's Made by Hand Guide
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Project Documentation and Photography
- Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Cooking for Geeks
In the Maker Shed:
Want more? Stop by the Maker Shed. We've got all sorts of great holiday gift ideas, Arduino & Arduino accessories, electronic kits, science kits, smart stuff for kids, back issues of MAKE & CRAFT, box sets, books, robots, kits from Japan and more.
Holiday Shipping Deadlines in December:
15 (Wed) - Postal shipping deadline
14 (Mon) - Ground shipping deadline
18 (Sat) - 3-day shipping deadline
20 (Mon) - 2-day shipping deadline
21 (Tue) - Overnight shipping deadline
*Orders placed after these dates using these shipping methods may arrive on time; however, the dates listed are what we consider likely "safe dates."
United States Postal Service (USPS):
Due to the high volume of mail that the postal service deals with around the holidays, please order by Dec 15 if you intend to select this method. However, we have had increased reports of packages sent via USPS lost or delayed in transit during this high-volume period. Since we do not replace or refund any order placed using this shipping method, we strongly encourage you not to use this method in December.
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Keith Olbermann: 'Fox <b>News</b> Is 100% Bullshit'
Keith Olbermann is anything but hesitant when it comes to a battle with Fox News, and the MSNBC anchor took to Twitter Wednesday to share his views on the TV network he probably wouldn't even call a rival. "Fox News is 100% bullshit," ...
AOL Weird <b>News</b> Top 10: The Best of the Bizarre
What does a one-legged man, a fly-sized frog, a bacon sculpture of Kevin Bacon, conjoined twins who can see out of each other's eyes and a 115-foot Jesus statue have in common? They've all made the list for AOL's Top Ten Weird News ...
Kidney Donation Set as Condition of Miss. Sisters - AOL <b>News</b>
Gov. Haley Barbour has pardoned Gladys and Jamie Scott, who were each serving life sentences for an $11 armed robbery. But to be released, Gladys, 36, must donate a kidney to her 38-year-old sister, Jamie, who requires dialysis and ...
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