From: DJ Shadow

From: DJ Shadow

Posted: Jan 4, 2010

WARNING: RAMBLING TIRADE FROM A 37-YEAR OLD TECHNOPHOBE BELOW 

Well, here we are again, another year, another decade.  Optimism about the future is tempered with a nagging sense that underlying factors causing most of the misery in the world still exist.  Lucky, then, that I'm a musician and not a politician.   

Specifically, when it comes to the wallet, everyone's suffering...of that there can be no doubt.  And what of the financial prospects for musicians and recording artists in the years to come?  Shaky, at best.  Unless you're one of the grotesque 'Idol'-type pop disasters in the top 5, you're looking at getting a day job or finding other sources of income.  Conventional wisdom amongst my peers has been remarkably short-sided over the last decade: "Yeah, CD sales are down, but all the money is in licensing." Not anymore.  "Yeah, licensing money is down, but the video game industry is killing it."  Less so these days, according to recent data.  "Well, the real money is in touring." Really?  When was the last time you saw a 'new,' post-record company artist headline a major music festival?  At this rate, we'll be stuck with Coldplay for decades (no offense intended.)   

Time for a little straight talk, from one reasonably intelligent human being to YOU, the reasonably intelligent reader... 

GO HERE TO READ THE REST: http://bit.ly/shadow2010