A report has found that music piracy has little impact on music sales. In fact, there was some debatable evidence that illegal download sites create a marginal increase in legal sales.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21856720
The report was prepared by the European Commission's in-house 'science service'. I mention this as the European Commission is not an organisation known for its antipathy to industry and support for anarchy.
Natuarally the response of the music industry has been measured. "The findings seems disconnected from commercial reality" said the IFPI.
That's right, the plight of the industry is all down to illegal downloading and the perps must be pursued with extreme prejudice. It has absolutely nothing to do with changing teenage interests, and the extreme cynicism of the music industry.
The first point is an inconvenient fact that the fat cats in the music world choose to discount. Record sales enjoyed an incredible boom bookended broadly by the appearance of Elvis Presley on US televisions and the invention of the video cassette player. It had its day and has been in decline ever since. It may be that it has reached a level now. I certainly hope so as I am an enormous consumer of music and hate to think that tomorrow's Dylan/Bowie/Prince will be disinclined to make a career out of it. There is currently a good living to be made form music. It's just that the label executives and A&R men are no longer flown around the world on private jets. Shame.
My second point is, well, the point. While nothing could have been done to sustain record sales at 1970's levels, the industry itself has accelerated the decline by its own promotion of mindless crap.
At this point, I should perhaps point out that I believe (i) that all decades produced an abundance of rubbish music and that (ii) there continues to be brilliant music produced across the rock and pop spectrum from ambient to electronica to contemporary r&b to hip-hop to house to heavy metal.
However, there has been a change in the music world. Whereas the early days of rock & roll produced plenty of 'commercial' pap (e.g. Ricky Nelson's early efforts) it has now become virtually the sole raison d'etre of the industry. Why promote a band like IAMX when you can sell countless facsimile's of David Gray's drone? Why invest in the next Caribou when Adele is on the front cover of the Sunday supplements? Why sign someone like Battles when Lady GaGa has just got her tits out for the paps? And why bother doing anything when Simon Cowell has one of his godawful, talentless showroom dummies to flog?
I am not claiming that the industry should abandon commercial considerations. On the contrary, I am saying that in order to achieve sustainable, long-term viability it needs to try an awful lot harder than it has. Yes, sell Katy Perry ringtones, but don't put all your eggs in that one particular basket. Invest in real artists and in 25 years' time you will be able to sell the 65 million-bit, expanded, producer's-cut version of their albums. Can you say that about Robbie Williams? Seriously now, can you?
The IFPI wants to blame its customers and potential customers for its decline. I suggest it should take a long, hard look in the mirror.
