This is a great video I recently found at artisthousemusic.org and wanted to share with the guitar community about the changes in the music industry.
This video features Don Passman, an entertainment lawyer and author of All You Need to Know About the Music Business. He discusses how changes in the music industry such as shrinking album sales and new technology are affecting both artists hoping to make a career in music, and people seeking a career on the business side of the industry, and what people should expect in this changing environment.
Is this bad for guitar players? It is going to be different and those that are savvy about utilizing the latest trends will be the successful ones. Now is the time to learn about them people! The industry is turning into a do-it-yourself style industry and those waiting and hoping for a record deal to come along might be waiting a long time. But don’t worry, there are so many ways to reach your fans and find new ones these days. For example, you could start contributing your experience and expertise to GuitarPlayerZen.com! Being active in a community is a great way to make friends and fans.
For studio guitarists, this digital revolution means that guitar players don’t even need to leave their home studio to record on demos and albums. Producers and engineers can upload the tracks via ftp or mail them in dvds. The studio guitarist can then download them on the ftp or if it is a dvd format, record his tracks on them and ship them back. This is something our friend Ron Zabrocki does often, and in our upcoming audio interview series, he goes into more detail about the whole process.
To learn more about what it takes to become a successful studio guitarist, visit our sister site, StudioProGuitar.com
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Lyle Robinson // Apr 11, 2008 at 7:17 am
Hi Jeff and thanks for sharing the video. Interesting times ahead I’m sure…but also, I think, very exciting times that will hopefully be exploited to the benefit of both the artists and the fans. Thanks again and great blog if I haven’t mentioned it before…:)
2 jimmy mac // Apr 12, 2008 at 7:18 am
Mr Passman may have been a fly on the wall in the office of a radio exec i spoke with last year. Ray White was and is a leading radio personality in the ” Smooth and contemporary jazz ” industry. He and i had a conversation along the same lines about 18 months ago. As a one time successful pop/jazz artist myself who got locked into a “BAD” record deal and was not able to release my own product i got swept away. When the legal time-limit was up the music biz had begun its descent in to piracy and the down-load frenzy and i saw the end of what i loved as i knew it.
So, i said the hell with smooth jazz and the other crap and got back into what i REALLY liked – Funk,Jazz and Blues with a gnarly Rock feel. I released my own CDs on my own label thru internet services and got my groove back. My initial sales started paying me back and i found myself connecting with other musicians .Is it enough to make a living on? No! Can it be ? Maybe.
Why is that? Well as Mr Passman states there are economic trends that at this time seem tentative and unstable in guaranteed financial growth. Today’s musician needs to be the whole package. Performer,Market Strategist, Software Saavy and a bit of a persistent pain in the ass to get exposure and be competitive. As a Guitarist, who loves to play and connect with others my creativity needed to be challenged and the internet with its vast collection of geniuses and freaks was my new portal to packaging and releasing music. Ron Zabrocki has the right idea as does Chris Cicchino ( NYC Shredder who plays metal and parodies for Jim Breuer and Howard Stern) re-invent your business! You-Tube and iTunes etc but most of all Great MUSIC will win out. It may not make you billions but it will pay the bills…long-term medical is a different issue/perk you might want a backup plan.
Have PODxt live will travel- oh yeah, a MAC laptop with pro-tools and Abelton SW would help.
peace
-jimmy
3 anekretia // Apr 12, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Another thought, more of a question, if the industry is changing so much, and sales are down so much, then should the rates it cost, or promotional funding be less as well? One of the things that separates the stars from the garage players, is the cost of promo, album creations, and our tour funding, not to mention that it was pretty much an industry run thing, where they decide who the stars are.
Bands had to “pay dues” before, seems like anyone may be able to get in the scene of the internet musician scene.
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