Is the recorded music industry still viable?

[gmgraves]

16 minutes ago, Norton said:

A few days ago, I was ripping a CD I bought 25 years ago. My eye wandered to the price sticker on it and I was suddenly struck by the fact that I was happily paying £14 a disc back then and probably buying 2 or  3 CDs a week ( from a super helpful high street classical store that’s been long gone now)

 

 It’s been a while since I paid anything like that for a CD or even SACD and now I’m super happy with Qobuz at £15 a month and hardly buying music at all. Maybe I’m an outlier, but I just wondered how financially sustainable the industry is with current models of music distribution?

Interesting question. My take on it is this. The record industry lived and died with the so-called “top-forty” pop music business. I don’t think it’s been “healthy” since the rock scene fragmented that model in the 1980’s. While the advent of the CD about that time gave the industry an infusion as rockers traded in their LPs for CDs of titles they already owned, the hand-writing was on the wall.

Streaming may be the final nail in that coffin, but like the buggy whip business* before it, the death will be gradual but til somebody comes-up with a business model that allows someone to continue making recordings for the streaming business that allows the recording industry to make money recording for streaming.

 

*Buggy whips became obsolete as the automobile replaced the horse as the only source of transportation other than walking and rail. But it took decades for it to go from a mainstream transportation accessory to a niche market serving historical and hobbyist needs only.

[gmgraves]

4 hours ago, MetalNuts said:

I believe it is a question to be answered by the younger generation whether they will continue buying on their own or just share without any limit of their music libraries.  I have bought my own and I am still buying and I uphold the copyrights in the CDs and files. 

 

 

Me too. I buy everything that I rip, and I pay for Tidal, Quobuz, and Amazon music. Be legal and keep the wheels of recorded music turning!