The Music Industry

This is not about the band but could easily apply to them.

I had lunch with a friend who works for a label. He was telling me a lot about how the industry is changing. As everyone knows...albums are not selling like they used to. Labels have been forced to cut their rosters in order to increase their chances at selling their product. That, I think we're all aware of. But it's not just the amount of artists on a label that's becoming an issue...it's also release dates.

Recently, song placement in TVs and movies has been a huge promotion tool. Because of this, labels are now scheduling releases during times when new programming is on. At one time, summer was a big time to push music...especially with hot summer singles. But now, labels are shying away from major releases during the summer because it's much harder to promote them. The big June releases like Weezer, Coldplay, offspring, Lil Wayne, and Missy Elliot...all have songs out now...a full 2 months in advance. The hopes is to get them on TV for some of the new shows before they go off the air.

If anyone watches MTV, you can see how important this is when watching their shows. Now, while the show is playing, at the bottom of the screen it lists the songs being played in the background.

Anyway...thought that was interesting. And if you look at the release schedule for July and August...the only big release is The Game.