Music Industry Overhaul

In the days of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and bands and artists alike, music meant something. Music had a voice and depth and substance and record deals and money weren't what was most important. What was most important to the artists of the past generations was to convey a message, an opinion. It was to inspire and encourage people through the dark days of this country. These artists were extremely popular and the only ways that people could listen to them at the time was to either buy their album, hear them on the radio or see them perform in person. Today is a much different story. As a matter of fact, today’s popular artists are almost the exact opposite of the artists of yesterday. I don’t think I am going out too far on a limb when I say that it isn’t about the music for a majority of today’s popular artists, its about turning a profit. If you could get one of today’s artists to say that they would still be in their profession if they made under six figures annually, I would gladly eat my words. However, I feel it’s a safe bet to say that money reigns supreme on the list of these artists’ priorities. There is just one problem, people don’t go out and buy albums and records anymore. In fact, music is so readily available for free in modern day that people are slowly moving away from iTunes as well. So how does an artist make money if everyone is able to hear their music for free? Well, since albums are no longer creating much revenue, artists have begun to delve into things such as clothing lines, merchandise, movie and television licensing, and concerts. You can go into any shopping mall and find Justin Bieber perfume or you can walk into Downtown Locker Room and transform yourself into Lil’ Wayne. The world is changing and the music industry is no exception. These artists have to make a living somehow and it is never going to be like how it was in the 20th century ever again.