http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/12/ ... hypebot%29







Those are just some of the quotes, they work even better in the full context of the article. Probably my favourite quote though, is this:



Now, he's doing it in the c*ntiest way possible, but isn't that essentially what Simon Cowell does with his 'artists'? Even if it's just him, the p1ss artist?

If the rest of the music industry that isn't centred around Cowell nurtured even just some of the varied artists around the net alone, they could have the good short term profits they seem so obsessed with, because everything other than what Cowell does has gone back to being 'niche' again. Remember when rap/hip hop, rock, pop, grunge etc were always in the one chart together from artists of varying ages and backgrounds, and not just as individual/collabarative singles once in a blue moon? They even sold well...

And so long as they invested some of those short term profits in actual talent, the online world these days almost promotes it itself. Christ, short of the record labels disappearing altogether, the only way for them is up; done right, they might even be able to get people interested in music again

But what's your take on it?

I think everyone is still interested in music; a third of the country, apparently, watched a programme called the 'X factor' rather than an excellent game of snooker tonight, a country bored of music doesn't sit avidly watching a singing competition.

However, 'mainstream' life has become so devoid of pleasant songs that we go [LIFTED] mental whenever someone manages to string a few notes together (Boyle). Most people still don't quite know how to use the internet to find new music and explore new avenues, so they're starved of good music, caught in limbo, no longer keen to trawl the record stores, but still relying on insipid DJs and pop producers to explore new music.

The Susan Boyle thing was us remembering that 'oh yeah those older songs were pretty good' rather than discovering a true singing sensation in our midst. I think the time of anyone 'owning' music will soon be gone. We are not far away from being able to access full quality music, from any era, instantly. With that technology in place, I think a subscription to a centralised music distribution body will be the only way for musicians to make money outside of live performances, sponsorship or merchandising. A sort of entertainment tax which provides music to everyone, free at the point of access.

Meh. I listen to podcasts on the iPhone, in the car, or talk radio. At home, I listen to podcasts or watch TV for about 3 or 4 hours a week - usually dramas or the odd film.

I hate games on my iPhone which cut out the podcast I'm listening to, to play their own background music! Same for Flash games which don't have a mute option!

I have a large music collection (~300 CDs and a hundred albums). On my iPhone, I haven't listened to any music yet, even though all the CDs are ripped and synced to the iPhone. Likewise, the ripped music on my computer, I have played half of a Simon and Garfunkel album in the last 3 months...

I'm just not into music at the moment.

I think the last time I bought a CD was The Cure collection "book" CDs - booklet covering the band and CDs stuck in the end, but I haven't listened to them since 2005 either...

I suspect most of the people watching £X-Factor are doing so for the 'drama', the rest of the people into that level of TV silliness are watching Strictly it seems - everybody else goes and finds something interesting/worthwhile to do

If it was actually a proper singing competition based on talent I doubt many would watch it



+1, education is what's needed there, but the music industry has spent too long blaming the net for piracy to look credible when it comes to suggesting it as a resource tool...



It's hard to know what way things will go. I don't really care either so long as we get away from short-term drivel and actually see varied artists in the charts - interest in CD singles was dying long before broadband became commonplace and downloading came along, I'd suggest that's partly because every channel in every form of media seemed to play your new favourite song until there was no reason to buy it (you were sick of it)!

Private Equity Firm That Bought EMI Sues Citigroup For Misleading It Into Deal

http://techdirt.com/articles/20091213/1728477325.shtml

Or, 'This whole thing has been a shambles for us and now we're blaming you'