"The Internet Killed the Music Industry"
 

http://www.nme.com/nme-video/fleetwo.../2707217615001

No, Stevie. I don't think it has killed the music industry. If forced it to evolve. But yes, I agree with her that it is indeed harder for new talent to break out.

Some people don't see much of a difference. The music industry as she has always known it is indeed gone, and something else is in its place, still figuring itself out. But she's not at a point in her life where she's going to readjust, take advantage, and start recording albums at a low cost in her basement and distributing them to fans directly on her website. All she sees is what she had that her successors are struggling for. Yes, just saying it's all down to internet piracy is extremely reductionist, but eh. I'll let her have her opinions. It's becoming a tired old song from her, but I guess that's what I get for listening to every interview I can find, eh? ;)

I don't know if I agree with this assertion. Look at people like Macklemore & Bieber... they are stars solely because of Youtube. Traditional, big record companies have lost their stronghold on the business, yes. Generally, the latest sounds & up and comers are hailing from smaller/Indie labels, if they have a label at all. The internet makes it possible for anyone to record an album, and put it out to the masses. This has made modern music far more varied, far less safe & formulaic. If anything, we're witnessing the democratization of music, folks. :nod:

What I mean with that is people have to try harder to stand out now than ever before. Though I also love how these up and comers now have more easier, cheaper means to bring their music out to their audience.

Part of the consequence of people's unprecedented ease of access to music from every era all over the world is that there isn't going to be any single band or artist that everyone is listening to, as there was in the 70s. I think a huge chunk of the reason that few artists reach FM's level of superstardom is simply the sheer vastness of customer choice available now, and I wish that was acknowledged a bit more.

Imagine if the Mac went indie and sold their music through the Internet (but I don't think that will happen). They're gonna need to beef up their online presence though.

But you can't make money. Or good money.

It's sort of like having cable channels. More to choose from, hard to find good quality.

i don't know. there seem to be probably as many people making huge money as during mac's heyday. and selling millions of albums.

some of them are crap, some are good. same as during mac's heyday.

Money is made in touring, always has been. The big record companies have always screwed their artists by paying them pennies per album sold. To make any money selling an album, you had to basically sell tens of millions of albums, something very few artists have pulled off.

I wholeheartedly disagree. I was born in 1982- never in my life have I found such a proliferation of amazing NEW music being released. Perhaps it's because of tools like Pandora Radio- if you like a song or artist, plug it into the app, and it'll unearth tons of songs/artists which are similar. Yeah, there will always be stuff you have to filter out... but hasn't that always been the case?

This. Everyone seems to have rose colored glasses regarding popular music in the 1960s & 1970s. Does anyone remember what the #1 song of 1977 was?

You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone.

I rest my case. :lol:

That's a fantastic song. :shrug:

LOL. I like that song... :angel:

Then why are record companies going under and can't afford A&R departments? Why can't television shows not afford production any more? Where is the money that used to be there? There was a time when the artists didn't have to tour as much and were making more money selling albums (using Shania Twain as an example here). Songwriters used to make more money off royalties. Something changed, because it's not the same game and it has to do with the internet. This is what I believe Stevie is referring to when she disses on the internet. The label dropped FM and they can't get the big advances they used to get to make their albums...

I'm not saying there aren't advantages, but I do think the industry as a whole took a hit.

Yeah, this isn't entirely true. There is money in touring if you're already a massive name that can command the ticket prices. But independent artists I've talked to always say that they tour at a financial loss, simply to promote themselves and sale of their album. And that promotion doesn't go as far anymore because people don't buy albums as often when there are streaming alternatives. Spotify royalties simply don't give small or starting-out artists nearly the same money that album sales do, and it can be difficult for these artists to make ends meet these days.

Imogen Heap made some interesting comments a while back: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10220002

I think CADreaming's statement that speaking very generally, the music scene has taken a hit in some ways, is fair enough. I still think Stevie grossly oversimplifies it though.

They've killing themselves for the last 25 years of producing rubbish which is not worth the penny to buy their recordings.

Stop coming up with throwaway manufactured artists like they have today and from the last 20 or so years. Maybe I will consider buying music again.

As I see it the music industry died in the 1990's way before the internet was popular.

The evolution of rap music did not help it but made it worst.

They did it to themselves without coming up with the idea like iTunes ,Amazon and Pandora Radio way before Napster,Limewire, WinMX and what ever else of PtoP sharing came about in the late 1990's to the early 2000's.

The overpriced $16 bucks for a CD did not help them and made fans to freeload their music illegally from those p to p sites .

The last CD that I purchase other then Stevie Nicks or Fleetwood Mac was a Faith Hill CD for my late sister for Christmas in 2006.

The last CD for myself was Stevie's IYD in 2011.

Plus another thing which turns me off digital only downloads like FM's EP with inferior compressed sound quality.If they have posted Wave or Flac formats I would be happy with that.

Yes they some good artists in the last 25 years but not many as they were in the 1950's to the 1980's.

I do understand Stevie's side of this matter of internet freeloaders since it does rip her and others off .

Also the record industry has to stop ripping off the artists and give them what they deserve for their work.

Stevie should teach these younger artists to sing and write quality music instead of crap they are putting out today.