Most people here are confusing the recording/manufacturing process with the total cost of bringing the CD to market--You can make your own CD for any amount of money, but how/where are you going to sell it? much of the cost is in distribution channels--Joe's Garage Band isn't going to walk into WalMart with their self-made CD and magically get it into their stores.
I had a chance to hear a lecture by Danny Goldberg of Artemis Records, previously head of Mercury, an all-around industry heavyweight, and someone, imo, who really does care about the artist and the product. He made some excellent points about the music biz, about how it really comes down to 1 or 2 hit songs a year that make or break a whole record label. (His current label, for ex, uses big 'hits' like 'who let the dogs out?' to finance less-profitable, but critically acclaimed artists like Steve Earle and Warren Zevon). Do a Google search on him and you will find some interesting viewpoints on the music industry, from a real insider, not Hillary Rosen.
Of course, one may point out that all these distro costs don't count on the internet, but there, the problem is that with no filters, so much music is being posted that it's hard to wade through and find the 2-3% that are actually good--this used to be an argument for the labels, that they were using professional judgement to pick which bands were really good--it doesn't seem to be that way anymore;
I guess my bottom line for this post is that although I consider big labels to be corrupt and cynical, neither am i totally in favor of having no labels. Check out Danny Goldberg and Artemis Records to see what a third path looks like...
ps. this is not meant to be a shill for them--i was just struck that this guy really knows what he's talking about
i dl'ed safari and it worked slick...until it crashed--now, everytime i try to launch it, it starts up and then eventually crashes...(i'm using osx 10.2, btw) i dl'ed the supposedly upgraded beta (v51), but same results--also, it looks identical to the first beta (get info on both just says '1.0 beta').
i'd like to report this to apple using their nifty little bug button, but it's kinda hard when the app won't even open up;>
Jim Allchin, one of the company's top vice presidents, acknowledged the shift in focus in the industry from personal computers to plumbing, and bemoaned the difficulty of getting Microsoft's traditional consumers to care about its new vision.
"It's hard to get sexy about protocols," he said. "It really is about plumbing and concrete and protocols."
translation: we want to come into your house and rip out your plumbing, install our private plumbing network, and you will pay us for the privelege. don't worry, we'll never shut the water off on you, because we're trustworthy--can't you damn fools see that?
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Most people here are confusing the recording/manufacturing process with the total cost of bringing the CD to market--You can make your own CD for any amount of money, but how/where are you going to sell it? much of the cost is in distribution channels--Joe's Garage Band isn't going to walk into WalMart with their self-made CD and magically get it into their stores. I had a chance to hear a lecture by Danny Goldberg of Artemis Records, previously head of Mercury, an all-around industry heavyweight, and someone, imo, who really does care about the artist and the product. He made some excellent points about the music biz, about how it really comes down to 1 or 2 hit songs a year that make or break a whole record label. (His current label, for ex, uses big 'hits' like 'who let the dogs out?' to finance less-profitable, but critically acclaimed artists like Steve Earle and Warren Zevon). Do a Google search on him and you will find some interesting viewpoints on the music industry, from a real insider, not Hillary Rosen. Of course, one may point out that all these distro costs don't count on the internet, but there, the problem is that with no filters, so much music is being posted that it's hard to wade through and find the 2-3% that are actually good--this used to be an argument for the labels, that they were using professional judgement to pick which bands were really good--it doesn't seem to be that way anymore; I guess my bottom line for this post is that although I consider big labels to be corrupt and cynical, neither am i totally in favor of having no labels. Check out Danny Goldberg and Artemis Records to see what a third path looks like... ps. this is not meant to be a shill for them--i was just struck that this guy really knows what he's talking about
i dl'ed safari and it worked slick...until it crashed--now, everytime i try to launch it, it starts up and then eventually crashes...(i'm using osx 10.2, btw) i dl'ed the supposedly upgraded beta (v51), but same results--also, it looks identical to the first beta (get info on both just says '1.0 beta'). i'd like to report this to apple using their nifty little bug button, but it's kinda hard when the app won't even open up;>
one of the all-time best Onion articles-- 'Microsoft Patents Ones and Zeroes'
Jim Allchin, one of the company's top vice presidents, acknowledged the shift in focus in the industry from personal computers to plumbing, and bemoaned the difficulty of getting Microsoft's traditional consumers to care about its new vision.
"It's hard to get sexy about protocols," he said. "It really is about plumbing and concrete and protocols."
translation: we want to come into your house and rip out your plumbing, install our private plumbing network, and you will pay us for the privelege. don't worry, we'll never shut the water off on you, because we're trustworthy--can't you damn fools see that?