Chris Kresge on Facebook, 1/31/22: ““If music did not pay, it would be given up.” So wrote Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1917. Holmes wasn’t referring to musicians themselves in that statement, but to places of business in which copyrighted musical works could be heard, whether such music was live or recorded and, critically, whether or not it generated direct revenues.” – history.com
I’m gonna get slammed for this comment: The recorded music industry has always been about the consumer, not the musician. The tools we use to listen to music were not created with musicians in mind. They were created with consumption / consumers in mind.
Content (music) distribution has always been about the consumer and the ease with which the consumer could best listen to audio/video content – from the record player of the early 20th century to the streaming services of today.
“In the first quarter of 2021, the number of music streaming subscribers worldwide amounted to 487 million, up from just under 488 million at the end of the first quarter of 2021.” – Statista Nov 5, 2021
“In 2020, the most popular streaming service in the United States was Spotify, with 49 percent of respondents to a survey saying that they streamed or downloaded music from the site in the last week. Of this figure, 25 percent were using Spotify’s premium service, and 24 percent were accessing the platform for free.” – Statista Nov 16, 2021
Almost one-third of Americans listen to music via music streaming subscriptions. That’s roughly 100,000,000.
“A majority of music revenue over the past year came from streaming (84%), followed by physical CD and vinyl sales (10%), digital downloads (5%) and music copyright licenses (2%).” – Forbes, Sep 13, 2021
There are 60 to 70 million song titles on each of the top streaming services, by over 8 million music entities, and only a little over 1 million have over 1000 streams.
Most of my friends here are 45-70 years old. Many of us have been performing music since the 70s and 80s. Our day has gone .. we may not like the new day, but it is what it is and we can’t go back. As I stare at 70 on the road in front of me, I wish my grandchildren (my children are in their 30s and 40s now) the best as they navigate a world FLOODED with the sounds of both amateur hobbyists and those seeking livelihoods making music.
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Chris K Hits the Button on the Head: The Recorded Music Industry Has Always Been About the Consumer, Not the Musician
