Blog Prompt #4: Music Industry in Flux

It's crazy to think that it's been more than a decade since we've been talking about the downfall of the music industry. And yet, it's still here.

Despite the complaining from industry executives and some artists, the rest of the industry has embraced the technology and accepted its place as the most popular form of consumption.

In the New York Times article, I love what author Fredric Dannen says: "Consumers of recorded music will always embrace the format that provides the greatest convenience. No other factor — certainly not high fidelity — will move consumers substantially to change their listening and buying habits." So if music executives still try to hold on to the fact that the CD exists and hope for a comeback, I think we can put those thoughts to rest. It's the MP3's time, and it has been for quite a while.

I remember as far back as 1999 having an MP3 player. Granted, it was a crappy Rio 800, but I thought I was the coolest kid in the world at the time. When others were carrying around seemingly bulky portable CD players, I had some of my favorite songs on this thing that, at the time, was microscopic. I embraced it back then, and many others have followed suit.

On the downside, I think the MP3 revolution has added too much fluidity to the way we get our music. In the 1990's, I knew how I would get it-- go down to a Borders or something and pick up the CD for a price that was just about the same everywhere I went. These days, you can get the same record on iTunes, download individual songs, pay whatever you want with these guys, or just find the means to illegally pirate it. Some enjoy the choices, but I think it makes it too hard to market new music because there are just so many ways to get it.

Also, I think music is much more disposable these days. No longer do most people have a CD rack to hold their collection, but rather it's stored on a hard drive. There's something to be said about the satisfying feeling of picking up an LP or CD, playing it, and thumbing through the liner notes or thinking about the album art which is physically in your hands. I miss that.

But it's the convenience factor that really drives the MP3. Even with the things about the format that bum me out (along with the obvious pirating troubles), I still use it. Record executives need to understand that the war is over and the MP3 has won. The next five to ten years in the industry will look differently depending on if they accept this. By taking advantage of the digitalization, the music industry can hopefully get back on its feet.

There will always be music. As there will always be print journalism, which is having similar troubles. But what changes is how we get this stuff, and hopefully both industries embrace their new online home.