THE SINGLE IS BACK BABY - 1999
The Single Is Back, but we aren't refering to 45's or the CasSingle. We also aren't refering to CD's or any other manufactured music product that is mass produced and sold in stores. The Singles we are talking about are distributed in the virtual world of The Internet. The catchy moniker for the New Single, is MP3.
The Internet, and subsequent MP3 revolution, has changed the Music Industry forever. In some respects, The Intenet began killing the Music Industry a few years ago. The costly nature of the Internet started drawing the disposable income that the industry had relied upon though good times and bad. Before the Internet, Record Labels enjoyed almost recession-proof profit streams. Because Music touches all of us on a very deep emotional level, no matter how bad an individual's economic situation, people somehow find the money to buy their favorite music.
But record sales have declined so drastically in recent years, and with the overwhelming threat the MP3 revolution poses to the entire industry, record companies will have to change the way they do business. While we will still see the pre-fab superstars, like Backstreet Boys or Spice Girls, labels will be more conservative in their signings, banking on projects that will be "sure things". They will also be looking for artists capable of not only making good music, but breaking through in the Internet era.
To breakthrough online, artists need to not only write great songs and make great music, but create a visual image of themselves that is equally great. The opportunity that the Internet, and outlets like The Undernet offer artists, labels and music lovers, is unlike any in the history of music. Good music has a way of getting around online, and unknown artists stand as good a chance of finding new listeners and developing long term fans, as major label artists. It doesnt matter if it's Country, Rock or Rap, or Balineese Chants, good music is a treasured commodity online.
However, MP3 files are big, about 1 MB of disk space for every minute of playtime. Depending on connection speeds and song lengths, it takes as long as 20 minutes to download a 4 minute song. So the songs have to be good... really good. Listeners may not take the time to download a second track from an artist, if they didn't like the first one. They certainly won't buy the CD.
The Single once again is paramount to the development of new artists. Number of downloads will eventually determine who gets signed, who gets played on the radio, who sells records both online and off, and who gets that "break into superstardom". An artist that can get a million downloads would be very attractive to a major label. But that artist is probably working harder for their own interests than any major label would, and can sell their own CD's online for minimal costs. Not to mention the fact that they will make more money from their online sales than what the labels are willing to pay. So bands that are capable of breaking through via the Internet, may not necessarily sign away their online sales rights.
But the problem for major labels does not end there. For decades, major labels have influenced what gets played on the radio. Yes it's payola, it is very well hidden, but it's been there since day one. But the Intenet is starting to change all of this as well. Not only do radio stations have to compete within their own marketplace, but they now have to compete with every other station with an online stream. Go and look at our Net Sounds section, and see how many stations we have linked. We have hundreds, and we don't even scratch the surface. Not to mention the dozens of "Net Radio" stations cropping up every day, if not every hour.
The more the fragmented listeners become, the worse it is for the Major Labels and Commercial Radio. Labels are good at mass marketing music. Commercial stations are good at playing what promoters and consultants dictate. But neither can reach all the niches on the Internet, and competition for 'Net Listeners is fierce. Programmers will have to pay closer attention to online trends, and take chances on new artists with lots of downloads.
But MP3's also offer Radio Stations a new way to distribute their content offline. For less than the annual payroll cost of an overnight DJ, a radio station can utilize computer automation from a single desktop unit, with plenty of MP3's to program in full CD quality. Many stations already use computer automation for ads and even some program content including music. The MP3 revolution, now makes it even easier for Program and Music Directors, to not only get feedback from their listeners online, but program to their listener's desires in real time.
It also means that the Distribution and Promotion process, just in servicing radio stations, has changed as well. The Single no longer has to be pressed on a CD, sent through the mail to sit in a pile on a PD's desk. MP3's can be downloaded directly to the PD's hard drive as easily as sending an e-mail. Most stations have high speed access, and download times are much faster. Ancillary materials such as bios and art work, can come as attached HTML or Flash pages and viewed with a browser. In theory, an artist could record a new song in the morning, and stations could put it into rotation by that afternoon.
To get the real impact of the dramatic speed of change we're talking about here, go look at The Undernet Channels for an hour or two. The Undernet is akin to watching the Stock Markets, only the trading is music files. It moves so fast, much faster that the Industry is capable of comprehending. The Music Industry is entrenched in a business method that is s l o o o o o o o w -- it does not have the capacity to keep up. What was fresh and hot yesterday is old news today.
The Internet is fast. One year online is like seven. The Internet changes every millisecond. A typical label release takes years in artist development, recording, post-production, manufacturing, retail distribution and promotion. What used to take 12 to 18 months for a label to do, an indie artist can do in a week, or even a day. The band can record a song in their home studio in the morning, and post it to their web site by that afternoon.
What this all means to the artist is simple. Make great music. Artists are now free to concentrate and focus on making great music that people want to hear, and worry less about trying to get that big break. If an unknown artist writes something so good that everyone wants to hear, they will find listeners. Or rather, the listeners will find them. With services such as IBill, an indie band can have their own online e-commerce with no upfront costs, and can make one-off CD's they burn themselves after they sell one online.
But the industry and radio will have to adjust as well. Labels will still sell millions of records from their established artists and big budget projects. People still commute to work, and will listen to their radios in their cars. But for a few hundred dollars, true audiophiles can install MP3 units in their cars, fill them with 10000 songs, and never hear the same thing twice in a year. Wireless Internet could someday compete with Radio, with listeners tuning into their favorite Audio Streams in their cars. And media players like the Diamond Rio, and the new Lyra from RCA, means that MP3 files can be listened to anywhere.
Change is what the Internet is all about. The Music Industry will never be the same again, and must adapt to this brave new world. Great Artists will still make great music, and people will still pay good money to be entertained. The MP3 revolution means that more artists will benefit financially from making music, as well as the gratification of receiving direct feedback from their fans. Artists will become their own record company, and use the Internet to reach the masses.
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