The BIG question…

There seems to be a very broad question that has been hovering over the music industry for some time now and in thinking about answering it can be overwhelming due to the vast range of areas where the problems and therefore, solutions will be found.

So the question…what is the future of the music industry?

There is first an important point to make which is usually conveniently and rapidly skated over – this is not just about the future – but about the last ten years. A sense of fear and alienation exists about music and the digital age and how the two can work together, yet many years down the line and despite the much too large catalogue of failures, there have been many pockets of great successes. Which leads to another question – when is it time to stop looking for solutions and settle on one of the ones that has already been presented?

It is important to understand the potential left in the internet and how it can be used. The future is not in content but how it is accessed and as such it is highly likely that the primary channels for audience engagement for the next ten years are already out there just waiting to be utilised and utilised widely. This, however is not the only solution. Yes it is important that the channels of engagement with the audience are in place, robust and used consistently and frequently, but the main question still exists…what is the future of the music industry?

What needs to be discussed is not a single magic solution, but perhaps a series of smaller interlaced solutions for each area of the music industry. Perhaps the only way forward is to look back to when it was much simpler and much more effective. Ultimately there is still the same general market rules, supply and demand, but with different players and tools. So the conclusion here is not one of finality or an answer, but rather a trigger to first identify the key elements from 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago which made music the gargantuan industry it became, and then track each to mark the key changes and developments over time and what it really meant to the market. Maybe then each element can be addressed individually and the next stage of evolution will emerge.

Or is it now really as simple as getting an e-mail address – job done?

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