Stream of Purchase-ness: How is music traveling from A to Buying?

MLOVE & Reeperbahn Festival present a brand new event format:

Mobile x Music, September 20, 2012, Hamburg

Jorin Zschiesche, CEO Founder recordJet

Stream of Purchase-ness: How is music traveling from A to Buying?

Music has come along way since Napster and other file sharing technologies. There is no music made today, which has not been effected by recording and duplication advancements, which are giving artists more creative freedom and consumers more mobility in our on the go daily lifestyle. 

Everyone is interacting with their world more and location is no longer an obstacle, but merely a new opportunity for growth. 

The use of internet and mobile is helping people reach their target market faster and more consistently. With new distribution channels and more convenient means to publish to the public, music rapidly adapted to the culture of the copy. Reproductions were made exact, while copies were multiplied vigorously. Also, information, including music is becoming more free, not just speaking creatively, but also from a cost perspective. Freemium, uploads shared of concerts or remixes, and sometimes even artists giving back to their fans, such as releasing a free album for promotional efforts.

Will artists take music production in their own hands and will major labels become an archaic process of our past?

Not necessarily as discussed with the Record Jet Founder Jorin Zschiesche in Berlin. Outside a Berlin Festival panel on music distribution, he actually expressed his support in giving artist’s more freedom and how new technology has definitely created more independence for musical talents to control their own promotion, production and distribution aside from waiting to get signed with a major label. However, he also feels technology is more used as an assistant to the industry, but not a replacement.

Bigger agencies still have expert opinions and industry connectional klout that helps to launch an artist from known to famous almost instantly. Besides the collection of talent itself, artists find it difficult to balance their time creating, producing, promotion, publishing and distributing their music. It is far easier to work with a major agency, which for some, is worth the extra cost.

I miss the excitement of waiting for music

I asked Jorin what he misses about how music used to be distributed? He says, “I miss the excitement of waiting for music. The moment you know it is available in the music store, run down there, buy the CD or record, then unwrap the plastic like a gift, see the cover of the album with those sleeves that either had the lyrics on it to sing along or photos of the artist on glossy paper, and then finally playing it for the first time.”

Lutz Villalba from TOA confirms the idea that labels are still a necessary evil for some, but opportunity for others. Lutz gives his opinion on publishing and talent search, “I dont see a reason why record labels might become obsolete. There is a lot of business that has to be done to get an artist national and international. It is likely that independent labels or individual creation by oneself, becomes a better choice for a lot of artists and therefore the eco system will diversify again. And I think that it ́s very healthy for the market.”