Mass Appeal

I read an article that stated that music industry sales were flat for 2012. I found this interesting, because back in February I read another article that stated that music industry sales were up for the first time since 1999. After a quick review of both articles, I quickly realized what the problem was. This month's article was based on a survey done by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), while last month's article featured a survey done by the London based IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry).

The IFPI's survey was based on global record sales while the RIAA survey was based on US record sales. It seems that while global sales of recorded music were up by .03 percent, sales in the US for 2012 were actually down about .09 percent, which was a decrease from 2011. However, digital sales in the us for 2012 actually rose by .08 percent.

What does all of this mean? At first glance it appears that the US music industry has reached a level of what I'd say is, "stagnation." While new artists and veterans are having success, clearly, no one is crossing onto more than one genre in order to gain broader or what I like to think of as, "mass appeal." Artists who start on one chart or another may find themselves moving onto the Pop chart, but that is as far as they make it. In the past, this was enough to propel some artists into super stardom.

In past decades, an artist considered to be relegated to the teen market might actually appeal to a much wider audience than the 14 to 24 age demographic used by the music industry to market recorded music. In the 70s, 80s, and the first half of the 90s, it wouldn't be uncommon to see fans from all demographics showing up at an artist's concert or showing up at brick & mortar stores to purchase their music.

From the last half of the 90s through the first decade of the 21st century and into it's second, things, in my opinion have become more splintered. There's a sense that while most music fans may say that they like a variety of music and artists, it's more than likely that they tend to buy from only one particular genre. When you consider how many genres and sub genres of music that exists now, you can see how difficult it's become for an artist to obtain, "mass appeal."

Add to that, the continued consolidation of the music industry from seven major companies down to only three, and you can see how an artist signed to a major, but not having a hit record, could get lost in the shuffle. It takes time to build a following, unless a major label promotion machine is behind you from the start. Even with that, if what you present isn't broad enough, you may not reach a segment of what you feel should be your audience.


Still, we wait. Who will be the first artist of the 21st century that will produce a sound that not only their children with love, but their parents, and even grandparents might like as well? That artist will truly have, "mass appeal."

Let's Face It

Two weeks ago, Facebook announced that it was updating it's news feed. The last time Facebook made a change, they gave us the timeline.

The new news feed will offer bigger images and greater space on the page. The feed will be divided into Music, Photos, Games, and Friends. Each category will offer a more vibrant look, with commentary from friends who make suggestions for other stories that you can read, that might be related to what they've  posted.

Facebook has created an about page to give it's users an idea of scope of the change that is going to take place. As you scroll toward the bottom of the page you'll find a green box that you can click on and add your name to the waiting list for the new home page.

I've looked it over several times, and after all of my past complaints about Facebook, I can honestly say that this is a change that's worth waiting for. In my opinion, it represents a step toward giving users a reason for signing in and sharing all of that free content.

You don't have to take my word for it. Go to Facebook and check it out for your self. Over two hundred thousand users have already signed up for the roll out.

...And Then Some

History has been made yet again in the world of science. On March 12th., NASA announced that an analysis of soil samples recently drilled on Mars has revealed that the planet was once capable of supporting microbial life. In fact, the Yellowknife Bay area where the rover has been exploring is believed to be the remnants of a dry river bed. And, it's believed that Mars at some point, had  a much thicker atmosphere.

NASA scientists also say that the finding of a combination of oxidized, less-oxidized, and non oxidized chemicals proves that Mars' soil provided an energy gradient for microbes like that found on Earth. The partial oxidation of the samples that were drilled appear gray. NASA is now characterizing the area of probable habitation as, the new "gray Mars."  This new find not only justifies Curiosity's mission on Mars, but also lays the ground work for the possibilities of future findings.

On March 14th scientist at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN say that new data all but confirms the existence of the Higgs Boson. Since the Higgs was first discover in July 2012, scientists had been just a little cautious about their findings. But, now with twice as much data as before, many are ready to stop call calling the new particle, "Higgs like."

The Higgs Boson is theorized to be the particle that gives mass to all matter. The theory was first proposed by Dr. Peter Higgs, in 1964. With the discovery of the Higgs, there has been much speculation about the possibility of such things as faster than light speed travel, or at least the ability of being able to un-mass an object, and possibly voiding inertia and/or canceling the effects of gravity.

Life on Mars. Light speed travel. I'd say that those are two for the books and definitely representative history in the making. It's just my opinion, but I think we would all be wise to stay tuned. I'm sure that there is more to come from both fronts.

One Good Turn...

If you have iTunes, perhaps you remember it's social network called Ping. Ping was shut down last September for failing to gain enough significant attention from iTunes music buyers. Some of Ping's critics claimed that the reason why it failed was a lack of integration with Facebook and Twitter.

Personally, I liked Ping, and as a Ping user, I saw that it was integrated with Facebook and Twitter. Maybe it wasn't to the liking of it's critics, but it was at least enough to let friends and followers at the other two sites know what you were either buying or listening to.

I had only one problem with Ping. I thought that users should have been able to access the network from a web page as well as from the iTunes software. I think that having a way for non iTunes users to see and hear what's going on at iTunes may have helped the network grow.

Now, Spotify is looking to make it's bid at a social network with it's new follow tabs. The new follow tabs are the first step on Spotify's way to becoming a full fledged social network. You can follow your friends as well as the artists whose music you enjoy. Soon, Spotify will add a discover tab which will feature new music from artist that your followers are listening to, as well  those that follow you. Whats more, they are going to be introducing a new auto preview feature that will allow you to dip into new music without leaving the music that you are listening to.

Music and social networking seem to be a great match. Making it work has been a bit of a challenge. What better way to find out about new music than though a network of like minded individuals. And what better way to meet these individuals than at a music site that offers you the opportunity to connect with them. Sounds good, but only time, trial, and error will tell us just how it should all come together.