On My Mind: The State of the Music Business - by john mellencamp

On My Mind: The State of the Music Business - by john mellencamp

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-mellencamp/on-my-mind-the-state-of-t_b_177836.html

Interesting article. There is so much more to being a "chart-topping" artist than talent or good songs. A lot of it is marketing. I mean look at this list. It's kind of shocking how many albums some of these bands can sell while artists that are widely seen as more talented sell a fraction of the records.

For example: Kenny G has sold 48 million records; Backstreet Boys sold 37 million records; etc... C'mon!!

But you have to give credit to rappers - they have found a way to sell a lot of albums. Looking at the more recent artists on this list, a lot of them are rappers:

EMINEM 27 Million
JAY-Z 26 Million
OUTKAST 22 Million
NELLY 21 Million
DMX 14 Million
LUDACRIS 12 Million
50 CENT 11 Million

Dave

www.soundclick.com/steakbone

I thought it was a great essay; thanks for sharing. I passed it on to several of my friends.

^ +1 although I always liked most of his music. Based on what I saw of him in public I just didn't care much for the man. Although I know my impression was based on very little.

I don't agree with his politics, but his analysis seemed to make sense to me. He would know.

It's hard for me to relate since I have a sort of "soft" contempt for music business in the first place. To me, John's just detailing how profit driven art has changed. All of the elements he complains about today, can be seen in "the good old days" as well - it's just not recognized since that's his frame of reference.

Mixing business and art will always create some kind of sacrifice for each - that's a natural consequence of the merge. In the good old days, apparently this trade off was satisfactory for John and that crowd, but it was always there. Profit still affected the process enough that art was sacrificed for it. Just wasn't on a scale that bothered them.

What I see today, just seems like a natural consequence of music as business. As long you're looking at music as a business, I don't have any sympathy. Corporatizing it and manufacturing it like cheeseburgers is only inevitable. Of course that will happen.

If you're looking at music as art. Then the last thing you'd want to do is merge it with an imperative that's antithetical to creativity. Music that doesn't seek profit, or at least not by direct sale, can enjoy a more purist approach to the art, I think.

Not saying one is better than the other, but rather that they are different and they produce different results. What John is complaining about, and most of us too, is the result of smart capitalists. Profiteers on Wall Street didn't get that way being stupid about making money and they didn't get that way putting puristic, noble ideas above their monetary mission. So, of course they have successfully edged us out of the "market".

Want music that's creative and speaks to humanity again? Stop selling it. Otherwise, you're going to have to continue to compete with highly shrewd capitalists.

I was onboard for 90%...a lil too much Regan-bashin for me but thats cool...

then the last bit about talkin to ole Don Henley...maybe he should'a asked him what he's getting for tickets for Eagles shows?

I'm confused Does this mean Life does NOT go on, long after the thrill of living is gone?

Everyone complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it.

JR