Intersting article....even the classical guys are feeling it!

[TieDyedDevil]

To me, Butterworth's article sounds a lot like sour grapes.

He begins by complaining that the most expensive studio in town charges $68 / hr. I'm not sure why Butterworth needs the most expensive studio. I guess I'd be swayed more more if he made his argument based upon the cost of renting the least expensive studio. Where I live, most studios charge way less than $68 / hr. Some studios charge so little that I'm surprised they can afford to operate at all.

I think it's nice that Butterworth is hiring musicians at union rate or something close to it. At least he's acknowledging that musicians need to earn a living.

The thing that really rubs me the wrong way is that I sense an element of entitlement in Butterworth's tirade, along the lines of "how can I be expected to invest money in a recording if I can't be guaranteed that I'll recoup my investment." To which I'd reply: "welcome to the real world, Mark."

When you look at the music business from the viewpoint of risks vs. rewards, the only thing that has really changed is that the the pool of shared risk has shrunk considerably, sometimes down to the individual level. It's at least as difficult now as it ever was to get a major label to invest in one's music. The difference is that now anyone with a bit of disposable income can create and distribute their own recording. Of course, when you go down that road you have not only complete control over every aspect of the process, but also complete responsibility for your success or failure as an artist. Too bad...

The days of the star system are over. A recording star can only be manufactured when there's centralized control of access to recording and distribution. It's a completely different game now that the internet and the availability of inexpensive recording gear has destroyed the recording industry's incentive and ability to hold all the cards.

One of the good things that has arisen from this new world order is the so-called long-tail model of distribution. Briefly stated, as production and distribution costs approach zero, it makes sense to produce and sell products despite their not having a mass-market appeal. Clearly Mr. Butterworth is resistant to this kind of thinking, judging by his comment,

"Yes, I know people have home studios and are cranking out tunes by the millions and putting them on their Facebook or MySpace pages, but nearly 100% of them are crap."

I have a different - decidedly more positive - take on this situation: I am no longer constrained by the gatekeepers of the music business to listen to a small number of artists who are chosen and groomed to have mass appeal. I can decide for myself what kind of music I want to hear from a vastly enlarged selection.

As far as the cheap shot that "nearly 100% of [tunes produced by independent artists] are crap", I'll just point out that by Mr. Butterworth's standards, nearly 100% of the recordings made in the heyday of big music - at the height of the so-called "star system" - were also crap. Many were never released at all. Of the tunes that did get airplay and distribution, only a relative few survived to become classics.

This filtering process is no different that at any other point in history. Even the venerated catalog of classical music is but a tiny fraction of all the music that was written during that period. Most classical compositions were commissioned to be played once or twice, to be subsequently discarded and forgotten.

The only real change is that the artists can now "commision" their own works. Again, with this freedom to produce one's own musical work comes the responsibility to turn it into a viable product (if that's what one wants).

Mr. Butterworth seems to want to have the easy access to production without the risks of marketing and distribution. If Mr. Butterworth really expects to win the lottery, he'd better buy a lot of tickets and resign himself to the fact that the odds are against him.

[Poker99]

I have a different - decidedly more positive - take on this situation: I am no longer constrained by the gatekeepers of the music business to listen to a small number of artists who are chosen and groomed to have mass appeal. I can decide for myself what kind of music I want to hear from a vastly enlarged selection.

Good point! But you must have a lot of time on your hands...

[TieDyedDevil]

Originally Posted by Poker99

Good point! But you must have a lot of time on your hands...

Hey, I didn't say I listen to everything...

The point is that I have a lot more choice. I listen to a lot of local music, and to several other artists (some local or regional outside of my area, some national or international) based upon recommendations from friends, via streaming services like Pandora, or by chasing links through YouTube.