Where did the music industry go so wrong?

“Wasn’t it all so gloriously simple back when people listened to top 40 radio and obediently paid $20 for discs at record store chains? Labels set the deal terms for artists; managers handled the “biz”; the touring circuits were maintained by well-mannered warlords that politely divvied up the venues; and everyone had their place in the pond,” Patrick Faucher writes for CNET News.

“So where did it all go wrong with the music business? Somehow, the pond became stagnant over time, mucked up with greed, laziness, contempt and excess. People got bored with music. Then, someone threw a rock into the middle of it called “The Internet” and nothing will ever be the same. Today, anyone can hum a tune, mix it with a rhythm track and some samples on their Mac at home, put it up on MySpace, and end up with a publishing deal from Moby who will then sell it to the next Superbowl sponsor,” Faucher writes.

Faucher writes, “The labels–or their successors–need to get down to sea level, pick up an oar, and help row with the artist into this new ocean of opportunity.”

Interesting full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Bev M.” for the heads up.]

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Record labels look to raise iTunes wholesale prices, music industry fears Apple’s market domination – March 04, 2005