Once upon a time...music was free. Sure, records or albums or LPs or vinyl or 8-Tracks or whatever-you-want-to-call them always cost money. There were no mp3 players or smart phones to carry around months worth of songs in a pocket, but music was still accessible and cheap. Not only were albums affordable, but so were the concerts. Good, free music was everywhere. FM Radio was at it's peak and stations around the nation broadcasted unique shows that reflected the music of the region and the time.In most industries; as the consumer adapts, so must the producer. If the customer wants something different, in a different way, it is the responsibility of the seller to adapt and change its ways in order to stay in business. The music industry is different or special (actually, it really just thinks it is). The media for listening to music has changed drastically. Hearing and playing music is something that is nearly totally technology driven. Changing technology changes how we listen to music more than changing technology affects how we eat a sandwich or jog.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) continues to hide behind public policy and copyright law in order to maintain industry profitability. Joel Tenenbaum (no relation) shared 30 songs online and will pay with what is essentially his economic life. $675,000.00 or $22,500 per song. That is the price he must pay regardless of how the songs were obtained. This is somehow to make sure the label/artist/producer/critic review/company janitor/doorman all get their dues. Everyone gets music on the Internet. One would think, using the basic economic path above, that the RIAA would use this medium to making a profit through sales and whatnot. Oh, well of course I can pay $1.29 for one song and avoid mortgaging the rest of my life. But in an economic crisis, shouldn't music be something that is accessible and affordable to all? Whatever happened to collective hope and optimism?
And don't kid yourself, there is no other way to listen to new music cheap and/or free. If you argue that there is always FM radio, then you haven't scanned through the stations in some time. There are fewer stations on the radio than their used to be and they are controlled by the same people! Clear Channel and Cumulus Media own over 1,000 radio stations just between themselves. Each station has a very restricted and limited playlist. Like owning the old-school iPod shuffle with about 40 songs on loop.
Satellite radio is awesome. But it is going to cost you over ten bucks a month. CDs can still be a thrill, but not only do prices continue to rise, there is no where to buy them. You can go to Wal-Mart for the latest and most popular and that's about it. Even Borders and Best Buy aren't tough to stump when looking for a lesser known artist/album and the cost is still going to run you about 20 dollars.
Concerts are still the best way to experience music. But the cost of the middle to top shows is astronomical. Tickets to the present tour for up-and-coming Kings Of Leon concert will run you near $40 for the cheapest seat. Along with $10 for parking and $20 if you want something to eat or drink, you are looking to spend quite a bit of money to sit behind a pole and listen to 2 hours of music.
It's easy to blame the artists, especially following Metallica's performance during the Napster trials. But no one can really blame the talent for looking to strike it big. Who is to blame? It isn't easy to say. The only thing that is safe to say is that a college student from Boston shouldn't have to make up the difference for the RIAAs inability to adapt to an industry that is being changed by the technology that provides it.
Don Mclean was wrong. The music didn't die. But it may be dying. And the scary thing is, the people who are killing also hold the power to save it. Will they?
