Signs of how hard thing are in music business

[bongosnotbombs]

I reckon the music business is in as good as condition as any, latin music seems to be suffering in popularity though. Rock musicians and electronic musicians seem to be making a pretty good living. Jazz and Latin, not as much sad to say.

[droid]

Now there is no one Saturday that they do not put one of those Mexican Bandas. I know there are great musicians in Mexico but Musica Norteña and Banda is the only thing they show in Univision. And that is what Latinos watch and that is what people will buy in stores and go to concerts to see. It is sad indeed.

In Mexico, the youth go to concerts of rock, metal, pop, reggaeton, hip hop, balada, salsa, nueva canción/trova and folk music. And some of us go to classical music and jazz concerts.

[DJBakan]

Now there is no one Saturday that they do not put one of those Mexican Bandas. I know there are great musicians in Mexico but Musica Norteña and Banda is the only thing they show in Univision. And that is what Latinos watch and that is what people will buy in stores and go to concerts to see. It is sad indeed.

In Mexico, the youth go to concerts of rock, metal, pop, reggaeton, hip hop, balada, salsa, nueva canción/trova and folk music. And some of us go to classical music and jazz concerts.

Yes, you are right like I mentioned there are great musicians in Mexico but the problem is with the network like Univision if you watch the shows they have they only put on tv a certain type of music which is not a good quality music. And the people that is not educated in music that's the only thing they see as "good music". Especially the youth, whatever you put on tv kids are going to like it, trust me, how I know this cause I am relatively young compared to some of the guys here and yes I did listen to techno, musica electronica, reggaeton and some other stuff. Most of my friends that I grew up with do not even know about Ruben Blades or Hector Lavoe which are (were) big in the industry, do you think they will know about Latin Jazz, Buena Vista Social Club or Pedrito Martinez. They all are fascinated with Pitbull, Chino y Nacho, Wisin y Yandel and some other guys out there.

It will only take a guy with big guts to change this like Bobby Sanabria which regardless of his love to music and his desired to pursue Grammy awards, have sue them probably closing his doors completely from ever obtaining one, just for the good of the music and all the musicians in general.
We need to have our own CMT (Country Music TV), so if anybody knows a couple of big investors, this will be a good time to talk

[OLSONGO]

When we were in our 20s early 30s and Salsa was it. It thrived because it was the music that represented our generation and with it came going to the best of clubs , the men and women dressed to the finest and there was still some romantisizm in the air, guys new how to talk to a lady and new how to handle her on the dance floor, and yes all of that supported all of the bands of the time. All of that SOPHISTICATION has gone out the door, with perhaps 1 or 2 small clubs that still cater to some of us party animals. Can help but to say things change as we age. The money that we used to spend doesn't come easy anymore and the lttle you have ..you give it to your kids so they can enjoy their youth and what ever best identifies them. But its sad to say that one word best describes what they are doing today musically and behavior....VULGAR.

Peace
Olsongo

[Anonimo]

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[niallgregory]

I reckon the music business is in as good as condition as any, latin music seems to be suffering in popularity though. Rock musicians and electronic musicians seem to be making a pretty good living. Jazz and Latin, not as much sad to say.

Have to disagree with you tbh . I have been involved in an acoustic rock album that went to no 22 in the states and also toured for 2 months to support said album . Its really hard out there right now , and i mean really HARD , even for the big rock bands who are struggling to keep the show on the road ! And i know this first hand . Its just to easy to download everything in an instant for free And the booking agents just wont cough up the money required to get tours happening ! There are a selected few in all genres who are doing well the rest are in a bad state .

[Anonimo]

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[pcastag]

No money? Somebody's making some!

"That U2, AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna could collectively make an estimated $372 million between June 2009 and June 2010--a little more than half of the $700 million that the top 10 acts in music brought in--highlights the way that the music business has changed over the last decade."

U2, $130 million
AC/DC, $114 million
Beyonce Knowles, $87 million
Bruce Springsteen, $70 million
Britney Spears, $64 million
Jay-Z, $63 million
Lady Gaga, $62 million
Madonna, $58 million
Kenny Chesney, $50 million
Black Eyed Peas / Cold Play / Toby Keith, $48 million

The old-timers are kicking ass!

[jorge]

No money? Somebody's making some!
"That U2, AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna could collectively make an estimated $372 million between June 2009 and June 2010--a little more than half of the $700 million that the top 10 acts in music brought in--highlights the way that the music business has changed over the last decade."
U2, $130 million
AC/DC, $114 million
Beyonce Knowles, $87 million
Bruce Springsteen, $70 million
Britney Spears, $64 million
Jay-Z, $63 million
Lady Gaga, $62 million
Madonna, $58 million
Kenny Chesney, $50 million
Black Eyed Peas / Cold Play / Toby Keith, $48 million

The old-timers are kicking ass!

That is like saying the global economy is doing great because the top corporations are making bigger profits than ever, even though the vast majority of individuals are doing worse and worse.

Huge misperception.

The groups making that kind of money are only very few and they have been "corporatized". They are not individual artists or bands with a few support people and roadies. They are artists whose images have been chosen and optimized by the music production companies to sell videos, seats to live performances, and recordings. They travel around doing huge shows with overpriced tickets, hundreds of employees, and an almost corporate structure to their production teams.

Lots of great, highly talented musicians are out here playing the few clubs that still exist, making $40 to $100 a night, and the public can't afford to go out to the clubs because of the economy. Club owners paying off the door sometimes even pay $5 or $20 for each musician. Making money doing recordings has become difficult or impossible, because of the digital copying problem and also the culture shift that the younger generation considers paying for recorded music to be stupid and unnecessary.

Bottom line, as Leedy is saying, for most musicians, playing the kind of music we like to play is quickly becoming a HOBBY, not a viable business. Nothing new, just a great shift backwards in time. Some of the greatest rumberos of all times were dock workers, machinists, barbers, ie, they had day jobs to pay the rent and did their music on the side.

[pcastag]

It's not a big misperception, it's just the way it is. Musicians have always struggled to get by, especially musicians who play great music. Look at the kind of life many blues musicians have had, jazz musicians, etc. I have plenty of friends here in houston that play locally, they have to do a lot of weddings, church gigs etc. to get by, or teach lessons but it's always seemed that way to me. it's a tough business , always has been. music also goes through phases. 15 years ago tejano was huge here in Houston, I knew guys playing for the barrio boys, la mafia that were making big money, that's all gone. Yes the business has changed, but it's just like anything else, you gotta hustle.

[pcastag]

PS, when I was in Cuba studying my teacher told me, Tamboreros are just like regular folks, we just play drums. Adn it was true, super talented, hige knowledge base, but just regular folks. So like you said, many play miusic as a hobby, or as a way of life, if you go into music to make money you're in it for the wrong reason. After spending 7 years just playing and tourng all over the southeast I deide to go back toschool < had a kid on th way and knew that I would never be able to provide teh life for them that I wanted to playing, so I got a job teaching, still play regularly ( 3-5 times a tmonth) and at one oint in time was playing four times a week while teaching full time. I have lots of friends that have done well nationally, but they're always onteh road and don't have families, and many like I said earlier that live decent lives just working here playing music full time and/or teaching music.

[pcastag]

They are artists whose images have been chosen and optimized by the music production companies to sell videos, seats to live performances, and recordings.

AC/DC? Really ? Have you seen those guys? They are ugly! Really U2 bruce Springsteen AC/Dc these are bands that have withstood the test of time, not bands chosen and optimized to sell videos etc. They are just good artists who have continued to make good music that people from my generation ( 40's) who have money to spend on concerts are still willing to go see.

[bongosnotbombs]

Well I certainly agree that technology has changed the business model, especially with music sales/royalties etc. Professional musicians will need to adapt as the old models and practices of making money as a musician are less applicable.

[jorge]

PCSTAG, maybe you are seeing the music business through Texas colored glasses, but in lots of other places, at least in the US, what we are seeing is very different. Many outstanding musicians who play better than the big timers are no longer able to make a full time living playing music locally. Many working people can no longer afford to go out to clubs and concerts or buy stacks of CDs or purchase lots of download music. Lower salaries, higher cost of living, rapidly increasing tuition and less financial aid for our kids in college, more unemployment and underemployment, increasing medical costs, and other factors all conspire to reduce expendible income for many middle class people who would otherwise support music. Many events are now hiring DJs rather than live musicians (this has been going on for years but is getting worse). Many kids who could become talented musicians are not choosing to study music because they see how hard it is out here to make a living once you have gone through the years of disciplined work to learn to play. Many music groups that rehearsed regularly years ago can no longer have regular rehearsals because the gigs pay so little their members need to be out doing other things to survive and can't make time for rehearsals. The quality of the music suffers.
Sure the bands from the 70s and 80s have already been optimized for marketability, what you are calling the test of time. But fewer and fewer people have money to spend on concerts, so the opportunities for young talent to make it big are shrinking even further.
BNB, sure professional musicians are trying to adapt, but the music business pie is shrinking and many professional musicians are adapting by no longer being professional musicians. Creative ways to get more people to pay musicians to play great music are truly needed. What are people trying that seems to work?
Sorry to be so pessimistic, maybe it is just my NYC perspective. What are others in other geographic areas seeing?

[Anonimo]

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