The biggest issue we have today in
music is to be able to keep pace with change, as the formats by which music is
delivered keeps changing at a rapid pace. Along with this is the hankering for
the past with the re-emergence of aisles of vinyls.
The Album
Rebirth. Artists today feel that 'music streaming' (such as on Spotify) is
limiting for them artistically - while the album format offers them the more
classic format to display their craft and the sales of vinyl have surged in recent
years.
Live Music. People today are also listening to more music than ever and the
live gig scene is meeting a growing demand, maybe in part because at a live performance
we are able to hear the full rich dynamic range of sound - from the deepest
bass to the highest vocal detail.
By comparison the drawback with the compressed MP3 sound
that most of us travel with, is that we only get to hear about 5% of the sound. The problem is that producers yank up the sound to full blast,
so that when we listen to recorded music on the MP3 format it becomes distorted to
our ears.
Often it makes me long for the quality richness and depth
of a full orchestra - with the violins at the front and the brass and
percussion behind. I had the wonderful pleasure of this in January at the City halls when the Scottish Chamber
Orchestra played with Cara Dillon’s beautiful voice. The sound was cinematic
and blew your senses away.
The Big Question.
Is the music industry shrinking as a whole while the demand for live gigs are
flourishing - and as the demand for music for games, apps, movies and tv productions continues to grow too.
New artists
these days have to build a base online – and then decide do they take that on
to a label or stay independent? Good
management is essential. When is an artist ready and are they good enough? I
have seen several young talent in recent years get picked up and signed by the
industry and then sidelined and no one can afford to take chances these days.
The BBC Sound of the year makes its predictions.
My son, who
is a musician, remarked at a large stadium gig for one of the old-time rockers
holding thousands, how hard it was for young musicians these days to fill those
large stadiums with the older demographic top heavy audiences.
For the future we need the new life blood of the younger generation. Our older heads offer experience but the young bring their fresh outlook and energy and enthusiasms. I'd like to see more older artists work with and encourage new talents.
For the future we need the new life blood of the younger generation. Our older heads offer experience but the young bring their fresh outlook and energy and enthusiasms. I'd like to see more older artists work with and encourage new talents.
As song copyright gets extended to 75 years, we
have to wonder why and no other art form
has such an extended copyright. A songwriter and his children can now live for
decades off a successful composers work (example Schumann). It means the Labels
can live off their Song Back Catalogues - which means they don't need new artists. And while outfits like iTunes gives nothing back to the artists or to music..