Musical Chairs of the Music Industry
By Sanai Meles
On an otherwise uneventful Saturday, I found myself in a Best Buy store looking to purchase an external hard drive, but, like the kid drifting to the candy section of the grocery store, I found myself drifting the aisles laden with CDs.As my eyes scanned across the vast array of albums, spanning numerous genres, I settled on buying two discs (Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories and OutKast’s 1996 classic album ATLiens).Feeling satisfied and content with the day’s pur-chase (despite not actually buying the external hard drive), I showed my younger brother my haul for the day. His response was to simply shrug and say, “You still buy CDs?”The landscape of the music industry has been drastically altered in the past decade or so. One needs to look no further than the total revenue from music sales, which have been on steady decline from $11.8 billion in 2003 to $7.1 billion in 2012, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.There are many reasons to which pundits attribute this steep decline. New means of obtaining music have allowed the listener a variety of options in satisfying their music fix. Streaming and purchasing services like iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud and Bandcamp have become more popular than ever. The biggest and earliest giant-killer of them all, iTunes, has given listeners the option of purchasing individual songs without buying the whole album.With the exception of die-hard music lovers, the average listener only cares about a few tracks off an album. Other services like Spotify and Soundcloud have tapped into the service of free music streaming and premium versions for customers who want to avoid ads and more features.All of these services have been popping up in recent years and have been testing the music industry’s will to adapt. As well-known music industry executive L.A. Reid put it in a 2011 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, “I learned to stay in business. people are still buying music, dancing to it and dressing likeit. They’re using it to sell cars and CoverGirl makeup, so we sell product lines with our artists. The popularity of music is at an all-time high. How we monetize it is sometimes a moving target.”In the end this begs the question, what does it mean for the artists and their listeners, the two most visible pieces in the exchange of music?In many cases, artists seem to be more creative in adapting to changing circumstances than many of their music industry counterparts. As NPD analyst Russ Crupnick put it in a CNNMoney report, “He believes that musicians will have to increasingly rely on touring, merchandise sales, and endorsement deals to make up for lost album sales.”It is a revelation that they seemed to have taken note of. Artists like Washed Out, A$AP Rocky and Chvrches have previously mentioned in interviews that blogs, social media presence and general word-of-mouth on the Internet surrounding their music played a huge role in their burgeoning success.Artists have become especially creative in reaching out to fans in order to cultivate a well-connected fan base. Rapper Curren$y is known to drop monthly videos on YouTube as part of his “Jet Life Chronicles” series. He gives viewers a window into his world by shedding light on his down-to-earth personality. It allows him to connect with fans on a more intimate level while solidifying his brand.Other artists like Lady Gaga and Rihanna have a large presence on social media cornerstones Twitter and Instagram. It has allowed artists to interact with fans and provide information at a moment’s notice.Another rapper with a devoted fan base, Compton-based Nipsey Hussle made a jarring move recently when he decided to sell 100 copies of his new mixtape Crenshaw for $100 at a small pop-up shop in his neighborhood. While the mixtapes were hand-signed on sight, the price tag seemed ridiculous.To everyone’s surprise the mixtapes sold out in 24 hours. The realization seems to be that there are now many avenues for delivering the music we all love instead of the traditional singular model we have all known for years. It’s a diverse world marketplace now, one where the relationship between the artist and his music has taken on new forms of accessibility.As I reflected on my brother’s words regarding my recent purchases, I took a long look the CDs I had just bought, reflecting on my purchases. I had already downloaded both albums on my computer, both in better audio quality as well.As I open the both albums and my eyes take in the intricacies and minute details of the album artworks and booklets, I notice the small messages of thanks to those involved in making this album and the fans who supported them. In the end, I feel more satisfied; for me, purchasing these albums is my way of interacting and supporting the artists and music I love.As I place them on the shelf alongside other albums I deemed purchase-worthy, a smile forms on my face as Isurvey my collection. In the end, music is music. There will always be artists to produce it and fans to enjoy it — in whatever fashion they see fit.