By Michael Bratt
I believe there is going to come a time, in the not-so-distant future, where the idea of owning the media that we listen to our music on, will be as relevant as tamagotchi and tube socks. I envision a future where we will all pay a monthly subscription to gain access to a trove of “premium” artists, leaving less well known or supported artists by the wayside.
In a sense, we’ve already reached this – all we would have to do is start paying for the privilege of iTunes or Amazon. Over the last seven or eight years, music has quietly been undergoing a revolution. The dawn of digital media means that we are no longer tied to the thing that the music plays on. I, as many, am grateful for this. Lord knows how many CD’s and tapes (yes, now I feel ancient) that I no longer have to live with any more. While I’m thankful for the ability to reduce clutter, it also means that every time I log into the iTunes shop channel, I’m flanked by advertisements for their new, “hot” artists.
On a positive note, I also believe we live in a golden age for the independent artist. They now have an outlet to make their music available to reach a much larger audience than ever before. The sheer amount of variety available on iTunes and Amazon is simply staggering. While it might be harder to get noticed throughout the raw amount of noise out there, I feel that our generation has little to complain when it comes to the opportunities available.
The problem really comes in the format. Now companies have access to all sorts of data – who we listen to, how many times have they been played, what songs, ect. There is a portion of that data that will be used to make a better user experience but there is also a portion of it that will primarily used to market certain artists, whom the publisher believes it can make a majority profit on.
Taking a good look at what Netflix is doing and it becomes hard to imagine a future where mass music at a subscription price wouldn’t be available. I think we are coming to a point in point our culture where we are demanding immediate access for content at a fixed price. I would like that. What unsettles me about this scenario is twofold: 1) How musicians will be chosen? 2) How is their audience going to find them? As it is, I am not happy with the current methods available for free. How is it going to change when we pay?
I mentioned earlier that we are at an interesting time for the independent artist. For the first time in history, musicians can have their music available nationwide for about $50.00. I’m wondering how long this is actually going to last.
