The music industry...the great pretender?

Question

Is the music industry really all that it is cracked out to be? In a day of mutliple "specialist" music courses do they really give students the right guidance and a realistic view into how the industry is run? My opinion is no they don't and I am researching for my dissertation and would like opinions on whether it is worth knocking on the industry door or building your own part of the industry. Serious answers only I will have NO problem deleting stupid answers.

Answer 1

I think whether your aim is to work for an existing industry entity or to build your own part of the industry, whether as an independent record label, PR company, album artwork designer, lawyer, accountant etc. you have to start by gaining some knowledge of how the industry functions and getting practical experience of the area that you wish to work in. This essentially involves, as you say, "knocking on the door of the industry". Once you have the knowledge you need, you can then branch out and start your own part of the industry.

I don't really know what these courses teach, but I do know that a number of people I have worked with at some record labels who've been on them said the only use they had was proving to their potential employer when going for a job, that they had an actual interest in working in the industry -what they were actually taught on the course didn't prove particularly useful.

A successful route that myself and a number of others have followed, is simply finding a number of contacts at organisations where you can get the experience you need, asking them to spare 30 mins over lunch for some advice, and then asking them if you can work for them for free for a while! This of course depends on how useful you will actually be to them, but it's the most direct way of getting good experience.

The music industry is quite a fascinating one -like any industry, there are a lot of bad people around who are only interested in money, will happily screw you over, and couldn't give a toss. But these are balance out by a mass of genuine people who are passionate about music and the artists who create it -and this isn't just small independent one-man labels who "only care about the music", this is also managing directors and CEO's or major international corporations. There are a lot of of potential pitfalls and wan*kers to negotiate, but once you learn to avoid these problems by learning through first-hand experience, you'll have the knowledge to build your own career or business how you want it to be.

And from what I can tell, the vast majority of successful individuals in the industry who really know what it's about are too busy being successful to be teaching on these specialist courses! I was actually sent an email yesterday inviting me to lecture on a course like this at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College -which is ridiculous as I've only been working in the industry for two years, I know nothing!!

As regard recording artists, independent promotion is obviously a very real option -but that is also part of the "industry" now and you need to know how it works if you're going to exploit it to it's full potential. It is also most useful as a stepping stone to getting a deal with a major label -"but f*ck the major labels we don't need them!" -well no maybe not for getting initial recognition, but they will still pay hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds to support and promote an artist on a worldwide basis which is invaluable for longterm worldwide success.

On whatever level you get involved in in commercial music, you will inherently be part of the "industry" -whether by starting your own label in your bedroom to release your mates record online, or sending demos to some scouts -whatever you're doing, the industry is already out there and you're already a part of it, so you have to know how it works to ensure your survival. That all sounds quite sinister..

Best do some work, hope that helps, good day.

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Answer 2

"The Music Industry" is an outdated behemoth that simply refuses to move with the times and uses the RIAA and MPAA like a battering ram. It is almost psychotically incapable of foresight and will die a death at the hands of progress.

Given the power of P2P and social networking on the internet, independant music production (even on the smallest budget) is a viable alternative to any industrial complex - and offers the artist more freedom than a labelled contract ever could, with the opportunity for commercial success that goes beyond the "record an album to get noticed then tour yourself to death to get paid" mentality that's the basis of the industry as it now stands. And that's before we even consider the lucrative aspects of merchandising.

In short: you don't need to bend to the industry to capitalise from it these days, and any decent course should stress this. (After all, you're probably only taking a course because you want to make money from what you learn.)

Answer 3

The music industy is built on a series of fame discourses which sub promise happiness and self actualisation when infact, the 20% of society that determines these discourses are the powerful contenders that create such discourses for their own desired outcomes, by creating a VAST conformation to mainstream music, they can therefore manipulate students into a uniform of thinking! It's the hypodermic theory all over again, the music industry sell us an image, the advertising sells an image of ourselves. They work in the same way! Promising us a utopian solution to our "inferiority" if students knew the manipulation and deciet involved, then they would have a true view, but the 20% don't want us to be aware of it, because their power could be in serious danger. look up noam chomsky, hypodermic theory, and the frankfurt school theory :D Roxy
xxx

Answer 4

It's not just the music industry. For example I studied media, it was very theoretical and taught me nothing that I can use practically. At the end of the day I still have to start at the bottom of the ladder and work my way up.

Hardly anything is as glamorous as it first appears. Things on TV are hyped up to make people envious but when they do actually start to work within the industry they realise it's not as good as they first thought.

Makes me wonder...

Best thing is to work within the industry then decide if you wish to build a part of it.

Answer 5

I agree with the second answer, Mistress, to a point; this is a problem not only with music but throughout all of the pergorming arts.

My opinion would be to enter the industry mainstream, just to get a 'foot in the door' as it were, and then branch out to encompass your own interest and perspectives on what needs to be covered and how attitudes must be changed.

I wish you all the best in your studies and future career as a current finalist myself!

Answer 6

I just have one comment because I am not young or work in the music industry, and that is the music and media industries are very worried because they have lost control of their product and the terms of the market are being dictated by the public (young people in particular) predominantly via downloads etc.

Answer 7

I think you need to both these days. I have friends who done one of the first courses in the country most couldn't get work in the industry. Most those who went to companies or people in the industry and worked for them in their spare time (for free) are now doing really well.

Answer 8

The music industry is like any other - it is about making money. It is run by bureaucrats and managers not by musicians and bands. People buy music these days more based upon how young and attractive the performers are rather than how skilled they are.

Answer 9

There is a web-site where you can upload demo copies of your music, that has landed people with success - there was a guy who sang some opera music in his flat & he need tours the world. The Scissor Sisters, I believe, progressed simply by word of mouth...

Answer 10

I'm sure you're not a fat @$$. Meat is good on the bones. You're hot just by your personality alone. That stupid **** ... she shoulda been aborted. I know it's harsh, but people like that are who make girls become anorexic and bulimic. I seriously would like to strangle her short pygmy @$$.