Way back at some point rock music came into being. It really wasn’t that long ago. Whatever you want to classify it as – pop, rock, metal, grunge, rap, hip hop, country or, ok even the Beatles – it’s all a part of what we have come to know as the music industry. the music has changed over the years and so has the way it’s sold and marketed, and recorded for that matter.
Years ago music was recorded in analog which was a pure representation of music. The electric waves were imprinted onto records that could be played on players with a needle that would interpret the sounds and magnify them through speakers. Musicians could sell these albums in record stores and make a pretty good living. Then, to support the music and to connect more closely with fans, these musicians would go out and tour and play live in front of audiences in cities all around the U.S.
As time went on, music began to change and so did technology. Cassette tapes emerged as the new way to package and sell music. Records were still around, but tapes were small and convenient. Musicians still toured and sold tapes instead of records. Tapes were around for a long time.
Then music changed again when CD’s came out. They promised to last forever. CD’s were a digital sample of the older analog sound. Old school music lovers passed CD’s off as not as good sound as analog. After a while, everyone gave in and CD’s were everywhere. During this time, bands could no longer rely on selling albums to make money, it was not lucrative enough. the record company took a large portion to pay themselves back for fronting all of the charges that the band incurred.
Bands had to now tour and sell concert t-shirts to make money. They received money from CD sales, but just a small percentage. With the advent of the internet and easy accessibility to music, fans are now able to get music directly from the internet. People still buy an artists’ packaged music, but not nearly as many as in the past. This has caused musicians to embrace the internet and find ways to market themselves differently.