The Music Business

Every music artist begins somewhere. Every artist had to do something to get their music out there. No one just automatically becomes famous. Then everyone wants to listen to your music. You start out new and anonymous and become more popular over time. Artist become famous by advertising. Every music artist should be able to advertise.

"Modern music is people who can 't think signing artists who can 't write songs to make records for people who can 't hear." Frank Zappa

Most successful musicians know a hidden art carried out by the work of a good sound engineer; it is essential for a magnificent album. For the rest of us novice listeners and fans, we believe what we hear through our speakers or played over the radio are the true skilled professional musicians, soaring at their craft. Most contemporary music, from pop to R&B and acid jazz to the sophisticated realm of orchestral film scores, has been modernized by several inventions encased within the studio. The art of audio engineering has taken on new forms, from the nuts and bolts, "plug it in, and see if it works" era into the digital world, because of these wonderfully tragic solutions to a

I propose that all unsigned rising artist should target the business side of the music industry to be successful in the entertainment business because it allows the artist to be taken seriously and make solid connections that can further his/her career. Learning the works of the music industry also enables a new artist to be further successful and profitable. Recent studies show that most new artists without professional representation and a business mindset have a slimmer chance in getting signed to major or independent labels (Lowry, 2011). Overall, the specific change needed is that unsigned artists should be concentrating on their careers as professionals and not amateurs, thus focusing on the ins and outs of the music business and

The music industry is made of companies which produce and sell music. The music industry as we know it was solidified in the mid-twentieth century, where records succeeded sheet music as the primary product in the music business. Record companies were established, but did not last very long until the late 1980s when the “Big Six”, a group of multinational corporations consisting of Sony, MCA, WEA, Polygram, EMI, and BMG controlled most of the market. Initially there were five corporations (CBS and RCA (both now belonging to Sony), WEA, EMI, and Polygram) that had emerged in 1978 to own 60 per cent of the market. (Wallis and Malm, 1984, p. 81)

Over the past few years, cities around the United States have increasingly been touting the vigor of their music industries. These cities have been commissioning reports that show the undeniable importance of music and the music industry to the local economy and urban centre. Chicago is no exception; Chicago measured the size of the music industry in their city and applied the same economic metrics to other cities across the country in order to obtain comparative stats about other music cities.

With the ability to stream music, comes a loss of income for many musicians. Countless people are buying music to own now that they can stream it. So, it has become necessary for musicians to use their music in advertisements in order to keep up with the changing music industry.

The music industry offers a multitude of jobs, but they all seem to preform as one. The music industry can seem as if it is a extraordinarily complex system with many different functions, but if one area does not function properly then the whole industry could fall to shambles. Even though the jobs may seem as if their functions are easy to perform they all still need to be taken into great consideration. The array of jobs within this industry can range anywhere from the responsibility of composing a song, as the songwriter to the job of insuring that the song is marketed properly. Music is a source of entertainment that is used in most peoples every day life, even though it may not be recognized for its complexity there are many careers that are necessary for the music industry to preform properly. Lets begin with the essential backbone of the music. First a song has to be composed by a Songwriter. Songwriters are responsible for the lyrics and melody within a piece of music. Songwriters work on a schedule that is unpredictable and can become demanding at times. Then a Manager needs to be in the picture to handle financial business and negotiate with Agents and/or Representatives during certain appearances and recording opportunities. They may also be responsible for searching for businesses that are looking to endorse their client. Making the industry earn a greater income is an area in which a Marketing Executive specializes in. Working as an overseer for the recording portion of music

In the music industry, there exists an elite and very exclusive club called the 27 Club. A one-time fee earns a person a lifetime membership and the opportunity to join the ranks of Rudy Lewis of the Drifters, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, and legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Membership, however, comes at a high cost as it is nonnegotiable and non-refundable. The fee is the premature death of a talented musician at the age of twenty-seven; often, these deaths occur because of or in relation to the usage of drugs. This was the case for blues’ singer Janis Joplin when she joined.

In the twenty-first century, we have an abundant variety of music genres, old and new. Music has a versatile role in modern society. Music serves just as many purposes as it possesses in genres. For listeners, music is not simply an escape or form of entertainment; it is a source of inspiration and self-expression. Sometimes, this can be problematic and lead to false identities and music miscegenation. The music industry has had a powerful influence on what listeners consume. In this process, traditional black music genres have crossed over to the mainstream. This has been problematic in that it gives listeners the sense that the music industry is fully integrated. In reality, the white dominated music industry and labels are still using

The innovation and diversity that marked popular music during the 1960s was due to a major change in the organization of the industry. Peterson and Berger concluded from their study that innovation and diversity depend on the extent on the degree of market concentration. They argued that “high market concentration leads to homogeneity and standardization, while low market concentration leads to innovation and diversity (Lopes, 1992.).” I agree that if the market concentration is high in popular music, then music will be the same. The music will not be different and creative. However, Burnett and Weber partially confirmed the prediction of increasing market concentration, but stated that the trends in diversity had a new dynamic of equilibrium in the popular music industry.

The music industry has changed in very quickly in so many ways it almost seems impossible. Thomas Edison recorded the first voice in 1877 and now we listen to hundreds of different types of music on devices that hold more information than the computers that sent the first astronaut to the moon. People have been getting music in tons of ways for the past hundred plus years and when the internet came into the picture, the music industry sky rocketed. People could get their own music out and be heard just by clicking a few measly buttons and using the internet to stream millions of songs with high speed. But even though the internet has helped the music industry by making it easier to distribute, advertise, and produce music, it still has its disadvantages.

No one can deny that technology is actively changing the music industry. Production, distribution and sales of music have been affected dramatically within the last 10 years along with artists, composers, and technicians. Most of the changes have been great for consumers, but vastly negative for professionals in the music industry, however a few artists have found ways to adapt to the changing atmosphere of digitally downloaded music and use it to their advantage. We’ve seen music change form from physical, tangible products like records and CD’s to electronic single tracks stored in an invisible cloud. Two major factors in this sudden revolution are online music stores (specifically iTunes) and file sharing websites that allow music to be downloaded illegally.

One can only speculate the future of the music industry. As aforementioned, the music industry is in constant flux, changing shape and adapting to new

The advancements of technology have impacted the recording studios more dramatically than any other career within the music industry. Thus the necessity to adapt to these changes is vital for any individual working in this field. However, these advancements have also made the technology of professional recording studios more accessible and subsequently caused the rise of home recording studios. The advancements of technology have impacted the recording studios more dramatically than any other career within the music industry. Thus the necessity to adapt to these changes is vital for any individual working in this field. However, these advancements have also made the technology of professional recording studios more accessible and