A CHANGE IS GONNA COME.....

Written by Jon Birch

From ancient civilisations to the internet, where does music go from here?

The demise of HMV is another timely reminder that the retail world is evolving and in particular, the way people buy music has changed dramatically in a relatively small amount of time. I read a comment from Comedian Frankie Boyle in his tabloid column which I think sums up HMV’s plight perfectly; ‘HMV was the place you went to when you had half an hour to kill in town but didn’t intend to spend any money’. With internet shopping becoming secure, safe and above all, value for money, there really is no reason for people to make their final purchases on the high street anymore. This will affect all retailers to a degree (John Lewis reported that 25% of their Christmas sales were conducted online) but has hit HMV so hard because their main product and source of income, music, has seen perhaps the biggest swing away from the high street.

It’s easy to see why. Even though, I’m a self-confessed vinyl junkie and love the thrill of hunting for that illusive record, a lot of my music collection is in MP3 format from ITunes and similar online services. Its user friendly, instant and with prices that a retail outlet can’t get near. In addition to this, purchasing a CD is becoming increasingly redundant as MP3 files can be shared effortlessly between laptop, tablet and phone. Digital music is clearly the future.

If you believe the doom-mongers, this is going to mean the end of the music industry. It’s certainly a massive time of change but for me, it’s perhaps the most exciting time for music in the modern age. With the UK’s largest music retailer closing its doors and many independents already gone (ironically, in a lot of cases, because HMV or one of the other big chains came to town) the retail end of the music industry is now firmly based on the World Wide Web. This opens up a huge range of opportunities, not only for established artists, but for up and coming acts and even unsigned bands. With Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a myriad of Blogging sites, anyone with an internet connection can share their thoughts, views and their music with the world.

Self-promotion is no longer about drawing up a few flyers and passing them around in pubs and clubs; it’s now about your own web page, your own YouTube channel and easy connections to the world. While the quality of home recording equipment goes up, the price comes down meaning up and coming bands no longer have to shell out for expensive studio time to put together that all important first demo. For new artists, the possibilities and the opportunities to promote yourself are huge. It doesn’t mean actually getting signed is any easier but it does mean you can make your music available to a much wider audience yourself. Bands are now able to build a considerable following and even play fairly large shows without necessarily having a recording contract.

With the evolution of digital music, the evolution of file-sharing has gone hand in hand and there have been many claims that this will bring the music industry to its knees. I don’t believe this at all but I do believe the industry needs to grow and change with the times. We all taped off the radio as children and we all copied friends CD’s. File-sharing is just an evolution of that, albeit on a huge scale. It’s also something that’s not going to stop. It’s an unfortunate fact but if the technology exists, then you’re not going to stop it being used.

Of course this will have an effect on CD sales but this is where record companies need to get smart. Established artists have barely scratched the surface of the potential that digital media can offer. You only have to look at the resurgence in the vinyl market over the last couple of years to see that the key is to make something that people want and need to own. The opportunities for innovation are endless and a few artists have started to embrace this. The Flaming Lips for example launched songs in several different formats last year including a Gummy Skull, with a USB stick hidden at the centre. The Doors entire catalogue is due to be released as an IPad app later this year and will include unseen interviews, essays and promo videos. Of course the tech savvy could crack this and download it illicitly but again, by creating something new and innovative, you tap into people’s desire to possess something, be it physically or digitally. Other ideas have seen bands like McFly creating a members only area to their website. The music is free but the subscription paid entitles you to exclusive contact with the band and photos and tracks not found elsewhere.

Music no longer has to be just an audio experience.  Nearly everyone nowadays has not only a music player but also a video player in their pocket. This could see more examples of the music video being not just an accompaniment to a song, but also a means to tell a story. In addition to this, the simple album cover no longer needs to be a single image. Why not an image per song, why not a video per song, the possibilities are endless.  

It’s easy to sound the death knell for music but it’s important to remember that the music industry in its current form is only around 60 years old. Before this time, pop music wasn’t easily accessible and records weren’t widely released. It was only in 1967 with the advent of Radio 1 that popular music was given its own place on the airwaves.

Music in itself has been around for thousands of years and is in no danger of going anywhere. If you  go to a museum and look at the remnants of any ancient society, It’s fascinating to me that there are three things you will always find in common. Tools for building, weapons for hunting and instruments for music; It really is that important to a society. Digital music and file-sharing won’t bring about the end of music but it will force change and innovations and that can only be a good thing.