Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mack4289]

Just a thought I had while reading this article (www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/03/business/rights04.php): what seems to be missing from the debate about digital piracy and music is the possibility of that in the near future live music will become more expensive while recorded music becomes cheaper and musicians become more powerful while the record companies become more irrelevant. Here's what would have to happen: the drop in profits from CD sales is mirrored by a corresponding drop in recording, distribution and marketing costs due to techonological advances. If musicians have to rely less on recording companies to pay these costs (to the point where even struggling musicians can strike the kind of deal Ice Cube did http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/08/21/8383597/index.htm), then this would reduce musicians' reliance on the recording companies significantly. Musicians, freed from the need to rent studio space because this superior technology allows them to record in their homes, can record and release individual songs whenever they choose without having to put together an album. These songs are posted on a subscription site and musicians receive some sort of payment every time a song is downloaded. Of course there will still be piracy but a cheap subscription site that offers a wide selection with decent quality will have an advantage over unreliable sites that offer free illegal downloading. If a musician attracts enough attention to be able to sell concert tickets, then they can go on the road and make a living. Instead of relying so heavily on promoters to get them gigs, they would be able to point to music sales and other forms of online feedback to prove their viability as a live act. Live music becomes more expensive when musicians want to be more well compensated for their work without the benefit of CD sales. Or maybe to keep the costs of tickets down, more musicians will get sponsors and advertisers for their tours. I think you'll also see a lot more musicians selling their songs to be used in commercials, tv shows and movies and the simplistic idea that doing so is selling out will have less and less currency.

Not the best deal for musicians, but it's certainly better than a lot of doomsday scenarios being suggested.

[igotthisguitar]

Interesting thread.

As far as grassroots artistes go, Goldman here is currently my main music man.
http://www.box.net/shared/rbfqb56thq

Word out on the street is he's in the process of putting together a little group. Sad truth is if i wasn't in Korea i 'd in fact very much like to maybe take a stab at auditioning for him on piano or keys.

Love his voice & style. He's such a sexy dude

Screw the phony corporate greed heads

Vote now!

EAR TO THE GROUND.

[The Bobster]

I went to see Eric Clapton here in Seoul last January. Cost almost a third of my monthly salary to get me and my SO into that room for 2 and a 1/2 hours, but I've loved him since I was boy so as long as I had the money there wasn't any question.

Anyone think the reason for high prices for concerts of foreign artists might have anything to do with the fact that I can buy CDs on the street for 3$ instead of $16 in the store (and Mr Clapton doesn't get a dime) or download the songs on my pc for no money at all (and again, Mr Clapton doesn't get a dime)?

Artists need to be paid.

Live music IS better. And in the future, we will have to pay for better.

[igotthisguitar]

[The Bobster]

I think there's another thread somewhere all about where I was sitting that night. I even provided a playlist. You can find it if you try. Long story short : I had a good time.

[dogshed]

Awhile back there was an NPR story that talked about a couple that
traveled across the country playing music. I think it was folk and country.
They had a motorhome with a fold down stage on the back. They
played their music and sold CD's. Because the CD cost about 75 cents
to make and they got to keep rest of the 12 or 15 dollars they made
a much better living than many other musicians.

It may not be the millions and fame people dream about but considering
that most musicians are doing crap jobs or give up music they are
doing pretty well. With the way record companies screw over musicians
it's not surprising that people find alternatives.

[khyber]

It's kinda sad actually.

Even a few of the members of Arcade Fire had PT jobs up until they started work on their second album (and y'all know their first album was HUGE...as was their tour). And even when they went on that huge first tour, they were still all cramped in a van-style stuff.

The life of a musician is NOT galm.

[Dev]

I'm surprised that musicians haven't put Paypal account addresses on their websites where people can donate money if they've downloaded their music illegally.

[jinju]

Its gonna change big time. The record studios will lose. McCartney said it best "They are like dinosaurs sitting around discussing the asteroid".

[freethought]

I've been thinking of the record industry a fair amount recently, especially since the story about Apple's move came out. The itunes angle of including downloader info in the track is being praised and protested. I think the protests about 'freedom and privacy' are without merit, but that's my take.

On the issue of the industry as a whole, I think it's done it to itself and I have no sympathy for artists or record companies. I say this as a person who doesn't download illegally and who spends about 10 bucks a month on itunes. The quality of music, artistry and even lyrics is so low in mainstream music that the industry is destroying itself.

The quality of music combined with the industry's total lack of effort to keep up with technology or innovate is what has done it in. Anybody who paid 16 or 20 bucks for a spears CD is an idiot. The issue is, though, that there are so many new spears clones. Lindsay lohan, hillary duff etc releasing crap albums that achieve sales success is a big reason why the rest of the industry has suffered. It seems that as people become dumber and the quality of music is lowered, the lower the sales. I refuse to believe this is a coincidence.

As for solutions, I'm not sure there is one, or at least an easy one. I think the live music route is a valid option, but I don;t think streisand or anyone else is worth shelling out 200+ bucks for. I've seen some of history's biggest musical acts live, and the most any of my tickets ever cost me was 50 bucks. If you take an average ticket price of 50 bucks and you draw 10,000 people, that's half a million dollars. If you can draw that many people, charge that much, and not make a profit, you're doing something very wrong.

The recording 'singles' may actually be a successful route for acts to go. It will kill the ethos of music, but it might keep people in the black.

Excuse the long, rambling rant... I use to work at a radio station and in a past life I wanted to be a rock star...