Tuesday, May 31
Thoughts about the Swedish music scene
Interesting read today that the revenue on NCB/STIM (renvenue stream for performing/recording artists) is on the rize in the Nordic countries, over the last few years. The article ( in Swedish) claimes that people spend more on concert tickets, a Swedish crown roughly seven to one USD. Ok, a rather small market, but a great trend for the live scene, n'est-ce pas?
Revenue stream back to the performing artists (in SEK).
On the other hand, the public is said to pay less money on CDs. This was mirrored by another read (also in Swedish) a few days later, where an adjectant trend reviels that less money is going into recording of new music, studio time et cetera, and fewer groups will get the opportunity to record.
Somewhat troubling, as several industry gurus believe that recording the drums in the studio, while patching up the rest in the basement of the parents house in order to save money, is a downright bad idea. They claim this takes a painstaking toll on upcoming albums in terms of quality, dynamics and brilliance. Meaning, the less money coming in, the lower quality on the offerings - and fewer players. Shouldn't it have been the other way around, with prices on recording software and hardware and falling cheaper studio rates.
I wouldn't blindly agree on the fact that illegal downloading is the sole villian here and that alone would be the reason why the music industry isn't soaring with more new bands than ever. Partly because of the actual enjoyment of owning a physical album for a number of reasons; pictures to look at, lyrics to enjoy, and partly because of the difference in overall sound quality of a CD as compared to a five megabyte download - not to mention what it sound like on vinyl (ah, bliss). I think it's about meeting the demands of the general public in a new media age, and finding new models of revenue which make it worthwile both in a next quarter perspective as well as in the long run. Let's face it, fewer yet more mainstream music may seem as a safe bet at first in the eyes of a media corporation strategist, but who would actually want to go there in the long run? It's in the diversity and multitude of genres, various music traditions and styles the magic lies, right?
On our own part, we will continue to offer a variety of tidbits, oddities and demo tracks for download, typically in destructive compression formats, to share our ideas and thoughts with fans and others. And yes, there will be an album in a box for people to buy, as well as digital formats for the iPod cowboys.
Revenue stream back to the performing artists (in SEK).
On the other hand, the public is said to pay less money on CDs. This was mirrored by another read (also in Swedish) a few days later, where an adjectant trend reviels that less money is going into recording of new music, studio time et cetera, and fewer groups will get the opportunity to record.
Somewhat troubling, as several industry gurus believe that recording the drums in the studio, while patching up the rest in the basement of the parents house in order to save money, is a downright bad idea. They claim this takes a painstaking toll on upcoming albums in terms of quality, dynamics and brilliance. Meaning, the less money coming in, the lower quality on the offerings - and fewer players. Shouldn't it have been the other way around, with prices on recording software and hardware and falling cheaper studio rates.
I wouldn't blindly agree on the fact that illegal downloading is the sole villian here and that alone would be the reason why the music industry isn't soaring with more new bands than ever. Partly because of the actual enjoyment of owning a physical album for a number of reasons; pictures to look at, lyrics to enjoy, and partly because of the difference in overall sound quality of a CD as compared to a five megabyte download - not to mention what it sound like on vinyl (ah, bliss). I think it's about meeting the demands of the general public in a new media age, and finding new models of revenue which make it worthwile both in a next quarter perspective as well as in the long run. Let's face it, fewer yet more mainstream music may seem as a safe bet at first in the eyes of a media corporation strategist, but who would actually want to go there in the long run? It's in the diversity and multitude of genres, various music traditions and styles the magic lies, right?
On our own part, we will continue to offer a variety of tidbits, oddities and demo tracks for download, typically in destructive compression formats, to share our ideas and thoughts with fans and others. And yes, there will be an album in a box for people to buy, as well as digital formats for the iPod cowboys.
