MUSIC|MEDIA|DESIGN

Today in hypebot I read about a Forrester Study with a plan to save music industry.  I tried hard not to yawn because Forrester’s ideas are as important as they are obvious: the status quo is unsustainable and change is required.  The suggested changes are, at this point in time, pretty conventional:

• Staggered release schedules for maximum exposure, and rewarding “true fans” without nicking existing income.
• Overhaul products, especially the album (underway at Apple and the majors)
• Free means free: Value-added content is more than a commercial for tours and albums.
• Leverage social media and form fan communities with incentives, and facilitate richer artist-fan relationships

The hypebot piece is light on detail, but we’ve heard all this before, especially the main pitch: The 4 Cs of Digital Content (Content, Convenience, Cost, Community).  ”Digital” is a buzzword we could avoid (vinyl is a viable product with a different mix of the same four dimensions), but whatever.  We get it:  The music industry will be saved by innovative products that deliver music conveniently and affordably to a communities of fans attached to artists.

Fortunately, that is precisely why music|media|design exists!  It’s nice to see the industry coming around to our neighborhood.  It’s about time.