McFly drops to 20, giving the media the great story "McFly dead", despite any album success, and illustrating the stupids at Universal still think a high initial entry is vital for a "career".

And the Ukrainian Eurovision entry going in at 28, showing the PUNTERS want music and projects the majors simply do not understand.

For years, the majors have dominated because they think their priorities are what the public want. All started by me in 1975 when I hyped the charts (but with proven populist sounds - Una Paloma Blanca and Fattie Bum Bum). Rapidly the majors caught on but instead of hyping truly populist potential (fair enough - I called it "bring future hits to the attention of media and public") they hyped no talent non hits.

Slowly the punters caught on. They didn't like the "hits" anymore.

So the interest in music declined. So Top of the Pops died. So Radio One died. So sales died.

The industry howled "it's all down to piracy". "It's all down to internet robbery".

But a real hit will still score.

Who Let The Dogs Out? I did.

Sorry.

Fair enough point JK but the problem is deeper than that i think. Radio is still dominant in breaking records (see thread on ROTD) and radio 1 is still too powerful. Can someone have a massive hit with just Youtube and Myspace ? In theory yes, perhaps you need to come out and take the bull by the horns.

That's exactly the problem KZ.

As radio becomes less and less influential, TV takes over (X Factor, American Idol, Eurovision...).

Nobody would claim the Ukrainian entry was a real hit. But it attracted attention and demand because, amongst 11 million viewers, there will be a few thousand prepared to buy it.

Radio has fewer listeners but more than You Tube.My Spacers - most of whom will NOT pay for music and reckon, like me, it's a great way to hear/watch music for free.

So the word spreads but sales don't.

We need to find a way of developing views to sales.

And that massive problem hasn't even started to get solved yet.

And meanwhile, I went on E-bay to buy a current much respected 7" limited edition, and there is only one copy under

JK2006 wrote:

We need to find a way of developing views to sales.

And that massive problem hasn't even started to get solved yet.

It is no different to turning radio plays into sales or turning singles into an albums sale.

If the sales don't happen it is not the fault of the medium, the fault is the product.

It is no different to turning radio plays into sales or turning singles into an albums sale.


The situation today is totally different. Before the internet / file sharing / the fragmentation of the media etc. the consumers had no choice: If they really wanted (to own) a song, they had to buy the single / the album.

Today (nearly) everything is available for free.

I agree - it's totally different now.
For a start you need to reach them. Fragmentation has made that much harder.
For a second, you need to give them a reason to BUY it, not just get it for free.
That is far harder now than it used to be.
I've said many times, we need one, powerful, accurate chart - an indicator of true popularity (which, these days, does NOT equate to sales).

Everyone seems to agree on a more attractive product, but this will prove costly as I have seen today.

That said, with the advent of clever computer design teams and the like,at their roots, artwork costings are most definetly on the decline.

(uh oh the art designers are next...)
But, you don`t spend days looking at your download sleeve, it doesn`t have one.

The best looking packages I have seen this year and bought blind were Air Traffic, Mika and.. errm.. that other one today, in the end.

Fragmentation means MORE opportunities to reach people.

People take the path of least resistance - if it is convenient to buy the track people will. Some won't but then it was ever thus, some people simply listened to the radio, some people would tape music.

Is there an example of a "hit" that has received significant views on YouTube (For example) and not succeeded in attracting sales?

The problem is not the medium is is the product.

Quote "The Medium Was Tedium ,the outlets were locked".(Desperate Bicycles 1977)

The only salvation the majors can claim of their continued stake is by shaping up their act.

In five years time at this rate, we are going to be waiting for the next re-hash of an old huge act still.


The quality new acts are still out there to be honed, but they are often still under the same pile of crud they allways were, only in digital format.

Yes. But each one of this different markets is much smaller than the "mainstream" (aka the songs that got into the Top 30) used to be.

So to be succesful labels have to
a) adjust their costs,
b) produce different products for these different markets.

This is something the majors can not do, so there is a chance for small labels / producers.


[quote]Some won't but then it was ever thus, some people simply listened to the radio, some people would tape music.

Don't know about anyone else DJ but the last post format is incredibly hard to read!

Yes it is difficult, you have to keep going backwards and forwards.
I don`t like the slide show formats on E-Bay and Myspace either.

Seems a little bleak but the future will be as far as I can see it:

1. Music Downloads will be FREE. A new standard will emerge that will blend music, pictures and video. This will be linked back to artist website and all links are clickable. The quality will be much higher as well.

2. Physical product will sell less but cost more. This will create value.

3. Artists will be available for hire. Gigs will soon see a massive change as your top 40 bands can be booked for your school function, wedding, birthday party etc.

See the logic. Live will become the big money spinner in 2 formats. The above model and the current model when an act tours.

Also artists will charge squillions to appear on TV, open fetes, turn on the christmas lights etc.

4. TV/Youtube will be very important and the new POP-I charts will be created by someone on this board. Using data from tracks in the new format which will integrate easily with Windows media player each user will register to the central music distribution centre as part of a moratorium on file sharing (ok spelling might be wrong). Users fill surveys or use their mobile phones to send data.

This are my predictions and of course i might be wrong but i can't see any other solution. The public will get
their wish and never pay for music on the net again.
They will pay over the odds for collectible merchandise
from their favourite artists.

The problem with your predicted model, KZ, is that it assumes ARTISTES are important.
But the vast majority of GREAT hits are by non artistes or one hit wonders.
That's what I specialise in - Who Let The Dogs Out? I Get Knocked Down But I Get Up Again. No Tomorrow. Johnny Reggae. It's Good News Week...

That's why I made hits under pseudonyms. Nobody, quite rightly, ever wanted to see JK perform or buy a JK T-Shirt.

But millions loved Loop di Love, The Sun Has Got His Hat On, It Only Takes A Minute, Una Paloma Blanca...

Hearing and loving (and buying) is a million miles from wanting to see - and pay for - a performance or get merchandise.

The real music fans DON'T want posters. They want music.

Yes, real hits will still make a lot out of sync rights, commercials etc... but not enough to pay the overheads of giant corporations.

Which is why "the majors" keep trying to make "artistes" out of one hit wonders - and lose a bucket load as a result.

I'll bet ORSON is well in the red for Mercury UK - where No Tomorrow would have been hugely profitable as a one off hit smash.

Well JK even with a one hit wonder you can still get paid a shed load to perform the track at a party or function. Imagine how much DJ Otzi will earn just to come and do 'hey baby' at your party. As a DJ here in Melbourne it was always a crowd puller at the end of the night.

Also even with your multiple names you are very similar to a modern DJ/producer who releases material with multiple names. The label then assumes the artiste role.

Imagine what an Azuli party would be like with fans of the label flocking to party with the DJ and artistes.
The public still want to associate with the artist even a one hit wonder has a draw for as long as the song means something.

I disagree with your point about real fans not wanting posters i guess it depends on their age. When i was a teenager i would have bought the t-shirt of my favourite band. It's similar to how one buys t-shirts of their favourite football team (but to a lesser extent).

Let's face it in a day and age where a DJ commands thousands per gig to play other peoples records, there is something about the human angle to a record and if there isn't an artiste per se the public will attach the adulation to the next best thing. The producer, DJ or label.

Sorry about the wrong formating.

What I was trying to say was something like this:

The record industry made most of the money with two core audiences:

a) the "real" fans, the heavy buyers: They bought the singles / albums on vinyl, the cd, the cd with the bonus tracks, the remastered cd with the "original" sound etc.
b) teenagers: Today teenagers buy iPods, mobil phones, computers. They even used to buy ringtones.


Both groups don't buy music anymore.

There will (always?) be a market for a physical music product (CD), but I don't think that there will be a market for downloads in 3 to 5 years. At least not at current prices.