Came across this editorial article on Slate (witten by Mark Jenkins).
Very well written w/ statistics and history to back up his arguments. Some excerpts for those who don’t want to read the whole article:
The Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the five major labels that dominate CD retailing, would like to blame much of the slide on Internet music-file swapping. Yet there are many other causes, including the fact that the big five are all units of troubled multinationals—AOL Time Warner, Vivendi Universal, BMG, EMI, and Sony—that are focused on short-term gain and have no particular interest in the music biz.
In reference to the crap put out by labels in the 70’s (ahem…DISCO):
Instead, the central problem was the collapsing popularity of dance-pop—lively, sexy, but personality-free music whose appeal was broad but thin. They called it disco back then, and the name has never recovered from the era’s backlash. Although usually termed teen-pop, the music of ‘N Sync and Britney Spears is not unlike disco: Both are intellectually underachieving, cookie-cutter styles that have made stars of performers not known primarily for their skills as singers, songwriters, or musicians.
This should be required reading for any musician or person working in the music business. Quit blaming file-sharing for all your inadequecies as an industry!
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