Economics | creative deconstruction

Sufjan Stevens on the Existential Crisis of the Album

Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by refe.

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The album has reigned as the prince of popular music formats for nearly a century. Yet, it’s become unclear how long this reign will last. Digital technology has transformed the way many listeners experience music and fueled a resurgence of the short-form single.
For the past several years bloggers, critics, industry pros and consumers have contributed [...]

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Forrester Report: The Way Forward for the Music Industry or a Step Backward?

Posted on 13. Sep, 2009 by refe.

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A new report from the Forrester Research Group has been getting a lot of buzz lately, fueled largely by the fact that due to its hefty $500 price tag very few people have actually read it. Nothing like a bit of mystery to spice up what is being heralded by some as “a plan to [...]

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The ‘Paradox of Choice’ in the Music Industry

Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by refe.

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There has been an explosion of choice in music. Technology has made it easier and cheaper than ever before for just about anybody to record and distribute their music. An unprecedented number of new artists and new albums flood the market every week, every day.
Not only is there an abundance of choice in new music, [...]

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Deconstructing the Week in Music 8.10-8.16

Posted on 16. Aug, 2009 by refe.

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Here’s a recap of what went on in the music industry this week. Make sure to check out anything you might have missed and leave your comments. Know something we don’t? Submit a story.

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What the Music Industry and the Credit Crisis Have in Common

Posted on 10. Aug, 2009 by refe.

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I stumbled on an interesting animation that attempts to explain the United States’ ongoing credit crisis in easily understood terms. It’s a great video, which you can see in its entirety here.
At a certain point in the video the narrator begins to explain the problem of sub-prime mortgages. Basically, the banks and investors were getting [...]

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3 Ways to Make Music Worth Paying For

Posted on 08. Jun, 2009 by refe.

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The future of the music industry as we know it will depend on how it responds now that the product on which they’ve built their empire is no longer profitable. While the major players are intrenched in red tape and beauracracy, independent artists and record labels have an incredible opportunity to adapt and thrive under the [...]

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Why Free Music Was Inevitable

Posted on 04. Jun, 2009 by refe.

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Digital files are infinite goods – the can be copied ad infinitum at no cost, and no significant investment of time. This is why the price of music has dropped, and this is why so much recorded music has been made available for free. The transition from physical to digital made free recorded music an inevitability.

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It Didn’t Work for 8-Track – Why We Should Stop Clinging to CDs and Embrace the Digital Market

Posted on 27. May, 2009 by refe.

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In a conversation this morning an artist said that she planned on fighting file-sharing by never allowing her next album to touch a computer. I asked her if she would also release her next music video exclusively on LaserDisc.

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Seth Godin and the New Free

Posted on 12. May, 2009 by refe.

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Free markets are cyclical. Economic trends will start out slow, pick up speed, boom, plateau, BUST. Take our current recession – three years ago even someone like me could afford a McMansion and a four car garage (boom,) and now we’re losing sixty-thousand jobs a month (bust.) The same can cycles can be found in the cost of goods and services.
Apply [...]

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Spain Says File Sharing is Legal – Obama Says “Your Wrong”

Posted on 12. May, 2009 by refe.

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Now Obama’s transformation from free-culture savior to copyright lobbyist bulldog appears to be complete. A few months ago the Spanish government ruled that personal use file-sharing is legal and that the sites that host file sharing are protected as long as they don’t directly profit from copyright infringment. The Obama Whitehouse is not happy about this.