Is the music business as we've known it over?

not sure what you are trying to say here.

i read the article and it reads for the most part like an apple ad.
i disagree with Creative being "in the toilet" i just bought a new 4GB Zen V plus and i wouldn't trade it for 2 ipos. screw itunes and proprietary music formats, Steve J can take a leap.

as to the music business "as we know it" being dead, well i hope so. i mean as far as big record company's, packaged kiddie music, BS "alternative" crap is mostly sound alike, look alike, wrestling for the teenie boppers allowance.
indie is the way of the future IMO, at least i hope so.

I wrote the post partially as a response to (coleclark) in another post who was asking how to get his songwriting off and running and I think the old model is dead. The idea of a record deal based on your great tunes is going to be tougher than ever. Any song you write will be stolen if it's good by those who think music should be free and ignored if it's bad soooooo now what.
Imagine if a modern version of the beatles and stones and dylan came around now and shook things up. It it was that good then most of the songs would be stolen by the downloaders. I think we've seen the last or very soon anyway of anyone getting rich selling a bazillion records and living in mansions.
There is are no shortage of parasites and sharks ready to take money from the wannabes. I think if someone wants a career now then they are going to have to take a different road than before ... problem is nobody right now can even see where the new road is going to start.
just a thought. oh and the link to the quote was to provoke thought not to plump apple which I do not own so I am not attacking anyone's choice of consumer product so chill :-))

there's a song in there somewhere hmmmmmmmmmm

heylo

i dunno, if people are wanting constant variation and new things, and lets face it this is progress and were always going to have it, wouldnt that make the way easier for muso's as the demand has gone up? admittedly it is harder to make a large name for yourself as there are so many people in the game but the demands always there, iv always been on the indie side of things as a genre (not the fact that they independantly release records but as in 'different sounding' music) and i agree with lefty that the feild will start to favour them soon i think, people are getting bored with rhianna and daughtry and things like that as pure radio pop. there will always be a market for that but i think it will get easier for smaller bands not harder, also with so many contracting companies focusing soly on small bands and even the major companies splitting or forming offshoots to make the best of all walks of music its never been better for muso's.

well just have to wait and see :)