The Crimea release free album- Is this the future of music?

In complete agreement here.

We both might be a touch guilty of overstatement with our "Kids today ..." statements. Some kids today really like music; I don't think that that can be argued. It was probably the same back in our day as well. It is just back then everyone had a KISS album (or whatever) because it was the peer pressured thing to do.

 

Oh, there's no question I'm guilty of it. I think it comes with age. I've done my best to temper it and I try to stay up on music trends today. It just FEELS like (true or not) so much in the music world today is based on gimmick and hype than on just good bands with good songs. I think it is the number one reason for the lack of longevity in music along with the selection process among major labels.

 

i can only speak as a fan. the online music revolution is thrilling. it's gone underground in a good way. i think it is as much a part of kids life as ever, maybe more than ever. the fact that it isn't out in the mainstream like video games etc. is because there is so much music being made now that defies category. i find myself like a kid again, discovering new bands, reading reviews from all these DIY virtual rags. there is no monolithic rolling stone magazine. i feel the populism and i love it.

 

Agreed. I think, today, it's all about the niche. Bob Lefsetz sent this in his regular email yesterday...

<i>In the future recorded music will feature far fewer winners. Just more acts making a living. With fan bases, and not much more. Rather than argue about DRM and raising the price of tracks, to save themselves recorded music purveyors must realize the days of diamond sales are done. And you’ve got to sell something interesting. And you’ve got to give people a lot, for a little.</i>

Thought he was not only dead on but timely. The days of the big time rock star are done and gone. Doesn't mean you can't make a respectable living as a musician or that bands won't still find "mainsteam" popularity. It just means that selling millions of CD's should not be the goal of artists.

I think a good model is probably the alt.country and bluegrass market. They continue to make records, play for decent if not huge crowds and play to fanbases that are extremly loyal. They may not sell a million records or even 100,000, but they do what they love and make a solid income. Can't really complain about that.

 

Yuck.