Music Industry: Reaping What It Sowed

Swandria Simpson: Saving What's Left of the Music Industry

As a subscriber to the Music Industry Report, I get to read priceless insights about the crippled industry that may not be made so public. There is no question that the Music Industry has seen better days. Trillion Dollar earnings. Cornered Markets. Control of Talent. Control of Creativity. Control of the Airways and dictating what we will and will not be able to hear on the radio. It's an industry that has fallen under its own weight. I remember the days of organized criminals openly running labels, cheating Artist out of their hard earned money and holding consumers hostage.

In my never to be humbled opinion, the Music Industry has raped, robbed & pillaged enough and should be grateful that some fans are still hanging around after enduring decades of  the industry's blatant disrespect and bullshit. I absolutely love Radio One's Kathy Hughes' commentary about how the Music Industry owes Millions of Dollars to Artists, yet will not pay them. And how the industry wants her and other radio station owners to cover the slack. How arrogant is this. But I must hold the Artists accountable for allowing themselves to be nothing more than glorified human traffick. But I digress.

I think it's time for the Music Industry to give back and pay back in order to save itself. Music should be FREE. That's right, I said it. Give it all away. Free digital downloads of all Artists recordings on Major & Major Independent Labels. Use Videos to promote. Radio to promote. And make the bulk of your money from Concerts, Touring, Personal Appearances & Merchandising.


Building a global bridge to fans to save yourself is key. Restructuring deals with existing Artists so that you will be a Partner in their brand truly sharing the wealth with them. And using your resources to properly promote their brands instead of signing Artists just to shelve them. If you gave it all away, you would grow their fan base exponentially thus increasing the value of the brand. If you gave it all away you would sell more merchandise and increase revenues from concerts & touring. If you properly and fairly created a Partnership with Artists, you could share in their overall growth including revenues from Film, TV and other appearances (not this 360 degrees of bullshit you now have going on) BUT a new deal that competent (independent) Artist Management & Legal Teams can properly negotiate so that this new relationship isn't run with the type of  iron fist & dictatorship. The NEW Music Industry should then be thankful that the Artist wants to work with their label instead of things being the other way around.

Labels trying to remain a tyrant in a digital world will only lead to your complete demise.

If Beyonce walked away from her label (like Prince) and gave all of her music away as free digital downloads to  her fans and others (like I'm suggesting), her brand's worth would increase one hundred fold overnight. She wouldn't lose anything. She would become a fully self contained conglomerate who is NOW more available to her fans than ever before. The relationship would be more personal, more intimate thus more committed....and that translates into loyal buyers or mo' money honey!


If you need assistance developing a strategy to successfully "give it all away"...reach out to me.

Swan Simpson @FilmworksCEO is an Opinionated, Politically Incorrect, Agent, Intelligent Brand Developer, Filmmaker, TV Producer, Writer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Spiritual Thinker, Sports Fanatic http://swandriasimpson.brand-yourself.com/