Music Sales Down

The WSJ will report on today's front page that music sales are down 20% for first 3 months of this year compared to 2006. They blame downloads. I blame bad music, expensiveCD's, lack of competition and airplay for new artists, too many consultants, robot-radio, sound-alike hip-hop, and a changing dynamic of listeners.

IOW, the time is ripe for new artists, new methods of distribution and discovery. This is a market opportunity for someone(s) to come along and use the new technology to reach frustrated listeners. The old model of regional radio gave way to blender-consultant-robot-radio and the artists were forced to sign with indifferent agents-publishers-record companies. The Internet is a way to free it up. Now that the record companies are demanding high-huge royalties from Internet radio, some small stations will be forced off the air. Can a playlist be found that will appeal to the Internet radio stations? Will artists agree reasonable royalties that will get them started?

Could it happen? This is the Internet-ANYTHING is possible-!!! There is an audience that is being turned off. There are stations dying without music. There are artists without an audience and no way to find one..... This is an opportunity waiting.