Are the big record labels hopelessly out of touch these days? Blogger demonbaby has an interesting perspective on record industry suicide (WARNING: language). Now, Wired is reporting that vinyl may bring about the end of CDs! What a roundabout world we live in!

Back in 1997, my neighbor was in a band and I tried to convince him that the Internet was the way to go. He didn’t want anything to do with it. He and his band would achieve fame and fortune the “old-fashioned way.”

Now, the big label record companies seem to have the same attitude, resisting change and not really fully grasping the Internet and new distribution methods.

Anyway, just for kicks, here is my original proposal to him:

The Internet changes the way we look at the world around us. When it comes to taking a look at the music industry, it’s time to change the rules!

A Proposal
for a
New Type of
Recording Company
for the
Age of the Internet

Presented by
Dan C. Rinnert
to
Xxxxxx Xxxxx and Xxx Xxxxxx

October 1997

Background
Like many children growing up, one of our primary goals in life was to become “rich and famous”. Whether it was by becoming a rock star, an actor or movie producer, we all felt the desire to be among the rich and famous.

As we grew older, this went on the back-burner and was replaced with the more practical notion of being “successful.” (Though, the desire to be “rich and famous” never really goes away…)

But, even with this less lofty goal, there are obstacles on the path to success…

Obstacles
Obstacle #1: Vision. In order to become successful, you must have a clear vision of where you are going, a focus, a goal. It must be simple, yet more than just a vague goal of being “rich and famous”. Developing a vision, much like developing a marketing strategy or business plan, can be one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome.

Obstacle #2: Publicity. To be successful, you (or your product) must be visible in the public’s eyes. This means more than just walking down the street waving to strangers or placing a small ad in a newspaper. You (or your product) must be widely recognizable.

Obstacle #3: Money. To make money, more often than not, you need to have money. Money to invest in training, equipment, rent, advertising, promotions, etc. Plus, you’ve got to be able to pay all the little recurring expenses that are often overlooked when planning. Not to mention having money set aside for emergencies, such as equipment unexpectedly breaking down.

The Internet
The Internet can help us to overcome these obstacles. It breaks the barriers between the “big guys” and the “little guys”, giving more equal opportunity for vendors on the Internet, regardless of their financial status. As more and more homes become connected to the Internet, having a presence on the Internet and being prepared for its widespread use becomes a necessity to survive in tomorrow’s business world. More often than not, being successful in the future will mean being able to take best advantage of the best the Internet has to offer.

Beating the Odds
I mentioned before that the Internet can help us beat the odds and overcome the obstacles to success, and even to fame and fortune. Here’s how:

Obstacle #1: Vision. Okay, the Internet won’t really help much here, but what it does demonstrate is that a business needs to be flexible in order to survive. So, the vision must allow for flexibility. In other words, the vision must be simple and focused, but not too focused that we lose flexibility.

Obstacle #2: Publicity. The Internet allows equal access to your site by virtually anyone connected to the online world. Distance is irrelevant. The fast-pace of Internet communication also makes it easier for more people to hear about you more quickly. Information spreads like wildfire.

Obstacle #3: Money. The Internet helps overcome this obstacle because far less money is needed to set-up and run an online business than is for a traditional business.

Now is the Time!
It is an exciting time, where artists and their fans will have the potential to benefit most. Artists will be able to distribute their art at a much lower cost, and consumers will reap the benefits of lower costs and more choice.

The time to act is now. The Internet has thrown the music industry (among many others) a curveball, and they are still figuring out how to adapt to this digital world. Internet users have the capability to download music off the Internet that is as good as the original. In the not-too-distant future, more and more users will also have the capabilities of creating their own music CDs, placing whatever songs they choose to listen too. As the music industry attempts to sort through what is certainly a chaotic change to them, now is the time to take a step into the future and prepare for the high-speed road ahead.

Copyright 1997 Dan C. Rinnert

Mind you, the first MP3 player didn’t hit the markets until 1998. So, at the time, I figured people would just burn their own CDs. Of course, if we had started down this route, it wouldn’t really have mattered. The point was that people would download the music; what they did with it after that (burned to CD or copied to an MP3 player) was their option.

Last I heard, which was many years ago, my neighbor and his band had parted ways. He’s long since moved from the neighborhood but, instead of heading west to seek his fame and fortune, he ended up with a job at a local plant. I think the plant had layoffs a few years back, so I have no idea if he’s still there or not or what has become of him.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 12:01 am and is filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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