I agree with you that the technology of music creation has a more tectonic shift effect than merely the effect on the corporate distribution structure for music. This is not a new phenemenon–it’s perhaps directly analogous to the difference between the “early classical” ‘orchestra’ and the 19th and 20th century models of the orchestra.

The change in technology for music creation inevitably results in a different genre of music actually created. Whether one means Les Paul or Moog or some kid circuit-bending a new gizmo even as we speak, the
medium affects the musical “message”.

I suspect that a lot of “great leaps” in experimental music, such a microtonalist western music, will be seen as baby steps now that software enables one to easily create new tonalities (and atonalities). The process will not be some simplistic overnight change, but a continuing expansion and osmosis as to what is “music”.

In my view, the marketing of music is a related but different issue. It’s “related” in that it’s clear to me that much truly “indie” music (in the sense of innovative and well outside the beaten path) will become hobbyist and non-profit-making by intention (witness netlabels) rather than the traditional model of merely financially unsuccessful. I view this as a return to the musical creation campfire and Sunday night parlor of amateur musicians (in this case, connected via the web).

The jury is still out on how commercial distribution will work. I personally would be comfortable with a magnatune model industry, or with a google-ad-based type industry. This will be a time of competing models until a few really work. We’ll just enjoy watching to see what we see.

But in the meantime, the issue of how to change music is not “how can I write software to emulate what has gone before”, but instead “how can I create software which goes into new places entirely admirably”. That’s the future, and it’s inevitable, and I’m excited about it.

best, robert

Of course, I see your distrinction and applaud it. I would like to hear you speculate on the future of music business practice, or the recording-distribution industry practice. My feeling is for a riot of innovation, but a lot of musicians have been fed a line of fear and worry about the ‘current climate’ – “its so hard to get a record deal nowadays… noboday is getting signed” etc etc. ‘You DON’T want a record deal right now!’ I always thunder at them, ‘JUST INNOVATE!’.

But of course, innovation for the sake of it can be a major distraction from making music.

Thanks for your post on this!

The recording distribution industry certainly needs to innovate, and there will be lots of unsuccessful and successful, smart and stupid attempts (and some of the stupid ones will succeed, and vice versa!) Magnatune has been a great pioneer in this area and I hope it gets a lot bigger and some others follow its lead while still others push the boundaries more or differently…

But I wasn’t complaining about recording distribution business models, or even protection of old models, at least in this post. I’m saying that the recording distribution business, successful or not, is pretty much irrelevant to the actual future of music.