When David Bowie sang about Ch-ch-ch-changes he knew what he was on about. Not only has the androgynous pop icon reinvented himself more times than Elton John’s changed his wig, but he’s been at the forefront of adapting new technology to make, market, and sell his music.
In David and Elton’s heyday (the 70s) vinyl was what the ‘cool cats’ listened to when they were ‘gittin’ down.’ Then we had cassette tapes (Walkman anyone?) followed by compact discs, which took off in the 90s, bringing us to the present, where we have a choice of all of the above (minus cassette tapes, because, quite frankly, they were a pain to fast-forward and/or rewind), plus MP3s, minidiscs, DVD Audio, and so on.
Until the arrival of CDs it seemed possible that different audio formats were able to co-exist peacefully. Vinyl was what you played in-doors and cassette tapes were for the car or on your hip (good old Walkman). But CDs changed everything. Suddenly here was a little futuristic mini-frisbee that could be used in the house, in the car, and even on the move (exit the original Walkman).
Vinyl junkies proclaimed CDs to be spawn of the Anti-Christ and less obsessive types merely thought CDs would see the end of the vinyl junkies. Record sales plummeted but the industry survived on the back of die-hard DJs, die-harder collectors, and the fact that anyone serious about music ought to be dead if they’re spotted in a club with a CD-mixer. So vinyl survived … until now.
You’ve probably noticed that the youth of today are not the Pepsi Generation. To anyone aged under 24, Michael Jackson is a freaky pedo, not the moonwalking King of Pop, downloading music is not illegal, it’s a way of life. These people understand their power as consumers and they demand that producers and manufacturers respect their authoritah!
Marketers and academics like to refer to young, computer literate purveyors of free audio content, Generation D. In a brilliant double alliteration twist, the ‘D’ stands for Digital and Download. And it is these double D’s that are changing the face of music … but whether the changes are for good or for evil really depends who you ask.
Let’s go back to vinyl. CDs dealt the record industry a major blow, which it managed to survive. Now every kid worth her iPod is downloading music from the Internet, the nail, according to this feature on UrbanJunkies.com the party’s over for vinyl retail outlets. But that feature was written in February. So has anything changed between now and then to allow The Independent’s Andrew Johnson to write last month, “Sales of old fashioned seven-inch singles are surging as a new generation of music fans turns its back on the digital download for the ‘romance’ and solidity of vinyl.”
The answer is that nothing’s changed. Most record shops are still in decline at the same time vinyl sales are surging. That’s because the records that are being sold are being bought online through niche outlets such as UK Vinyl Records http://www.ukvinylrecords.co.uk/ and Black Vinyl.
But while the digital revolution is putting high street retailers out of business, it is a blessing for any artist who embraces it.
The ability to search and download music in the comfort and secrecy of our own homes makes it easy to experiment. A 16-year old, honky, wannabe gangsta can check out a bit of Brahms on the side without his peer-pressurizing buddies being any the wiser. Baby boomers who Google Northern Soul are being directed to sites like The Players Association, which features Northern Soul remixes, but also exposes them to house, techno, electro, drum and bass, and even ‘weird shit.’
Social networking sites such as Myspace prove that having groovy tunes and a suitably pitched online presence can enable music-makers to pick up fans from anywhere on the planet.
It’s not just hip bands that are into the new technology. In America, classical music groups are looking at satellite radio, electronic media opportunities, and live streaming as a potential revenue lifeline.
Legalities aside, it is now so easy, and so common, for people to upload and download tunes that even the major music corporations have given up trying to stop it, and are instead looking at the best ways to capitalize on the phenomenon. Ever on the pulse MTV has already developed a model to make hard cold cash out of fan remixes.
The challenge faced by many the old school (as opposed to old skool) music manufacturers is to get inside the head of the new markets they’re looking to nurture. Today’s consumers demand high levels of interactivity, constant stimulation, and are always on the lookout for something that feels unique.
In the words of Aimee Mann as she collected her 2002 Yahoo Internet Life Online Music Award for best internet-only album:
“God bless the internet, because it’s the only way that independent artists (like me) can make a living.”
