Question of the Day - April 13, 2009

m corrigan asks:

What is the industry's "Next Move?"

The other day in class, our guest speaker talked about the phases of the music industry. It seems like the music industry is about to begin it's next phase. What do you think that will be like?

Hartmann responds:


Get set for a rocky ride. All those millions of artists on myspace.com are about to realize that the stars in their eyes are burning out. The easy money and loose women they dreamed of won't be landing on them just because they put a video up on youtube. Anybody can call himself an artist, but without Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours of rehearsal they aren't going to make a dime. 100% of the money will be earned by 10% of the artists; and 90% of that money will be made by 1% of the artists. These are the same odds that have always prevailed. A Mac a mic & ProTools will get you in the game, but that doesn't mean you have talent. Only the very most talented will win. The record companies can't see the forest for the trees so don't count on them. Create a great live act and sell CDs and merch to your audience. Build a fan base and do it all yourself. A great superstar with a new genre will rock the world and eventually consummate the marriage of the Internet and digital distribution. In the music renaissance the gifted artists will make the lion's share of the money, own their masters and publishing; and most importantly have total control of their business and art. It is a great time to be a musician; but the ride to the big top won't be easy. You will need to know how to play the game; play perfectly well, have talent and get lucky.