The Future of Music: Flowing Like Water?

Gerd Leonhard and David Kusek, coauthors of the new book "The Future of Music," have some strong views on the current state and future direction of the music business. Their book is described as a "manifesto for the digital music revolution."



Here are some thoughts from Leonhard in an article he wrote called "Music Like Water: The Inevitable Music Ecosystem":



"I strongly believe we are heading into a 'music like water' future, based on this very simple fact: today, there are more people in more places around the globe that are tuning into music with more enthusiasm and sheer determination than ever before, and they are using a myriad of their own particular ways and means to get what they want. And to a large degree the 'traditional' record industry is simply no longer invited to the party - the bottom line is that consumer empowerment has finally reached the music business, and many consumers have now taken charge of their own entertainment."



Leonhard asserts that flat-fee, subscription-based services will be more attactive to music-hungry fans (and better for artists) than the iTunes-like, pay-per-download model.



"Once we can subscribe to music just like we subscribe to water, the music business will EXPLODE and we will enter a new ecosystem that will make the previous music industry look like NY taxicabs from the 30th floor of the BMG building ...



"There's only one thing: we MUST stop asking the consumers to fill up their bath tubs with Evian, or to use Pellegrino to boil pasta -- they have already discovered the tab water! So let's just sell them tap water, via cheap flat fee deals, AND the Pellegrino, as well -- and this does not equal a flat-out, wholesale devaluation of music; quite the contrary. Ubiquity is a very powerful thing, and will create a nice pool of money for all involved parties -- a pool which will only be the very first starting point for a much increased monetization of music.



"Once music is unleashed and we can stop the dinosaurial fight for the simple privilege of having access to it, distribution seizes to be a barrier to entry: all music, all artists and all writers will be in those pipelines. Then, however, artists and their representatives will be facing the real challenge: getting anyone to pay attention to them, and surviving in this world of 'digital darwinism', since the old marketing mantra of Exposure + Discovery = Sales (Income) will be even more pronounced in a Music-Like-Water world.



"Ultimately, of course, people will consume, or shall we say, use more media (music) all the time, yes, but the real limiting factor is people's TIME. Simply put, all of the world's music (and its creators) will be competing for attention in this new ecosystem, and everyone will want a piece if your precious time. THAT will be the real challenge going forward: getting exposure and being discovered -- the rest is already build into the pipeline. So, brave new music ecosystem -- yes, but not a build-in goldmine."



Read the entire article at www.futureofmusicbook.com



What do you think? Agree with him? Have an opposing view? Post your thoughts here.