so what is the future of music?

So..... the music industry is in a very strange place, big record companies have no idea what they are doing because the world of social media is totally baffling them, consumers are now finding it difficult to walk down the high street and buy a CD, and artists now generally make more money from selling t-shirts than recorded music.

So the landscape has changed.
It probably isn't worth trying to figure out whether this is a good thing or bad, we just have to get on and deal with it. The music itself is better than ever with some great artists, songs and albums out there.

The problem is, nobody seems to know exactly what to "deal" with.

Everybody seems to be waiting for something to happen, and trying to figure out what the new model of the music industry is going to be, rather than looking at what it is now.

The most interesting stuff that I'm seeing going on at the moment is from small artists (both with small labels and unsigned). They can actually make fans feel valued, and hence that connection is rewarded by cash input through buying gig tickets, recordings and merchandise but possibly the most valuable reward in addition to all that is........

fans telling their friends.

The most powerful marketing tool! Word of mouth.

Through social media this is now made easier than ever. Facebook is almost designed specifically for it! New acts are relying on social media to get into the limelight, and old acts are relying on it to reconnect with their fanbases.

So is this the future model of music?
Will big record labels come down off their pedestals (before they go bust) and realise the power of what is going on with the smaller guys, appreciating their own fans/customers and what they can bring to the table ? Or will they continue to operate as they did 10-20 years ago in an industry that has been re-written?

who knows? !!

This topic will undoubtedly ramble on in future blog posts but for now I'll sit back and see what new development happens tomorrow.

mattbuzz
Blinded by Sound
www.bbs-music.com
www.twitter.com/bbsmusic