“You can never have enough records. It’s like a drug – you need more and more. I remember almost every break I’ve got, if not by name then by sound or picture. [But] I’m not as fanatical as I used to be. When we were 14 or 15, we were crazy. If we heard that there were ten copies of a record in Eastbourne, we’d jump on a train and go and get it!”
The above is a quote from hiphop DJ and self-confessed beat junkie DJ Pogo, in an extract from the sleeve notes of Block Party Breaks 2, a compilation of original funk and soul tracks popular with hiphop scratch DJs. What’s important about it is that do something like that now would be archaic and ludicrous, but it still seems like the complete antithesis of consumer apathy. A state of mind which is all too common in the 21st century consumer market place. Why would we even leave our house to go and buy a RECORD, when anything we want is available right here through good old Amazon or Play? And for the more daring, those prepared to break the law, you can probably get it for free from various constantly-changing and evolving sources.
This is trying to be put across in such a way that I don’t sound like I’m writing it from my study with a fountain pen whilst listening to the latest gramophone record, but yet I do long for one element from a previous generation’s musical mindset: The idea that you have to find something you want, not the assumption you have the right to own it immediately. The advances in music file-sharing and the explosion in popularity of social networks in the last five years have done undoubted harm to the music industry, and has forced the major labels to seriously consider their future business models, and conduct a serious review of their traditional revenue streams. Apple launched the iPod way back in 2001, when the compressed digital file format MPEG layer 3, or mp3, was merely itching the pants of its ageing father, the compact disc. Although, the phenomenal popularity of mp3s didn’t really kick off properly until around 2004, which was coincidentally also the nadir of the UK top 40 chart singles sales, with Eric Prydz’s number one single ‘Call on Me’ being the single with the record lowest sales (23,000) to ever hit the top spot. This nadir also heralded a new dawn however. With the decline in physical sales, the decision to include sales of downloads has set a new precedent for judging and compartmentalising modern (and, interestingly, not so modern music). It’s time to consider some of the side effects, both good and bad, of this paradigm shift in music consumption. The decline in record sales leads to independent labels going underThis is undeniable and one of the worst side effects of the mp3 revolution. Major labels – in the short term – fare better than their independent counterparts because they a) have greater brand visibility and can use this to focus on other revenue streams e.g. touring, merchandise etc, and b) they have a larger roster of artists and can more easily balance the books to ensure overall company profitability. BUT…independents are more inclined to adopt a siege mentality, far more used to fighting to get to the top and are far better prepared for future shifts in buying trends. This means that they are ready to adopt emerging technologies and communications channels such as Twitter or Spotify. But the fact remains that unit sales are bread and butter to majors and independents alike, and now that this figure has irreversibly dwindled to insignificance, live performance has become the major money spinner, which is where independents could come unstuck. For those with a lean roster of artists, it is harder than ever to make money. A decrease in manufacturing figures decreasing leads to a more level playing field between majors and independents (in terms of reputation)
Manufacturing figures on the wane has been disastrous for major labels, but the positive spin for independents is that their sales figures are a lot closer to independents now, and this coupled with the relative (non-)trackability of download sales means that the profile of independents can rise unchecked. Old music can chart again
Nothing like death to make you popular. Michael Jackson is only the most recent of a long line of musical icons to prove that. But his case was somewhat different to, say, Elvis or John Lennon in that his music was available to buy IMMEDIATELY. And it was all chartable. A ‘best of’ would have hit the top for Elvis or John, but Michael had singles and artist albums propping up the download charts, and Amazon couldn’t shift them fast enough. Granted, a high percentage of the sales were still CD-based, but the rise of the mp3 meant that, at no extra outlay to the record company, Jackson’s back catalogue was immediately exploitable. Gone is the traditional model of press-X-number-of-copies-initially, promote, sell, await successful figures, repress etc etc etc, until interest dwindles and the album/single goes out of print until a 10-20-year anniversary special edition or cheap label knock-off money maker for a fiver in petrol stations. Now your music can sell forever. And ever. Until after you’re dead. Mp3s are forever. More on this next week.
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