The Problems With Today's Music Industry

I'm meant to be writing my next daily blog and a couple of concert reviews but I found myself randomly scrolling through Facebook, old blog posts and reading a few things written by various people and it's added fuel to a fire that's been burning inside my brain for quite some time now. I've been contemplating this subject for months on end; I've touched upon it in various blog posts here on 'The Hat Hippie' as well as my old music blog. However it's not a subject to touch upon in just one blog post, spur on people's minds for a short period of time and then be forgotten about after a while. I've recently realised that it's a passion and I need to take it into my own hands and do something about it. Unfortunately, I don't have much stature where I have hundreds of people listening to what I have to say and wanting to help. I'm a seventeen year old girl hiding behind her laptop writing whatever comes to my mind because it's something I enjoy doing and I hope that it reaches even just a handful of people. But what I can do is continually make people aware of what I feel passionate about in hope that over time they too will be able to influence others and so on.

You all know that music is my passion and biggest love in life. It's helped cope with everything life has thrown at me particularly in the past five years or so since my knee surgery. I don't know what I would have done without that escape. Over time my love for music has developed naturally by learning to play instruments, exploring the media side of things using blogging as a source to discuss my passion and becoming a radio presenter where again; I can promote, discuss and enthuse about music. However, it saddens me to say that the music industry and let's face it the arts in general is a dying industry due to the modern world. It's there but it often feels like you've got to already be known in the industry to actually succeed. Sadly, there's big and there's small and a very large gap between the two. It seems there's no way of getting there unless you're willing to enter a TV talent show. Admittedly, I'm just as guilty as everyone else; I tune in faithfully every year to watch and every year another contestant wins the title of being a manufactured pop star who will succeed for a few years and have a few hits or release an album which goes straight down the plughole. Why? Well I can't say for sure but as it seems unless you're young and attractive the officials behind the scenes are not interested. There's been certain contestants that stuck out to me throughout these talents show simply because they're different. Sadly, due to that very reason they were eventually voted off or they got a record deal, an album followed and they're image completely changed.

Is that really what the industry is nowadays? Is there really such thing as music anymore? Has the world seriously overlooked something that provokes power, emotion and perhaps represents a little of ourselves in place of young, attractive artists who solely rely on that to sell an album and not it's content. It bothers me watching true musicians out busking, trying to promote their music and sell an album and yet there's big names out there who truly don't appreciate what they have. Indie artists I'm sure would kill for the chance to perform at Wembley Stadium or to have a no.1 hit played nonstop on the radio.

One of the biggest banes of my life is digital music; I do use it like the rest of us but at the same time I hate it and it's impact on the music industry. Similarly, a few years ago at the rise of the kindle and digital books I argued with every single person I met about how I was completely against it and explained time and time again the reason why. I debated this subject with teachers, family and friends and I heard every excuse underneath the sun. I always believed digital books would be the death of the bookstores and I was right. Recently, I came across an article about how a few years ago the high-street bookstores were on the point of diminishing due to a significant rise in digital book sales. In many respects I've never felt so proud in my life, I'd won my argument, I was right! However people have since returned to opting for a physical book and things seem to looking a little more positive in the literacy world but again, there's still a long way to go!

I see a similar situation with music, thanks to the digital world will we loose our music stores? Think about it, a few years ago HMV was on the blink. They shut the doors of some of the franchise's biggest stores, somehow my local store was one of the few that remained but is it's future really certain? I'm not so sure, the signs are certainly there; it's already recently moved to a much smaller store and I personally feel that the music selection is nowhere as varied as it once was. Somehow, unlike the book world I don't see things getting better anytime soon.

I visited my Grandparent's earlier today and my Gran had recorded a documentary about Top Of The Pops for me so I sat down and watched it whilst I was there. Throughout it my mind kept going back to these thoughts and how things have changed for the industry in the present day. It's certainly not for the better. There's another thing, what happened to things like Top Of The Pop and MTV? Sadly, I'm too young to remember it but have discovered many of it's content through YouTube and on TOTP reruns on TV late in the evenings. The type of content it featured would appeal to me in the present day, I for one would certainly watch it! But sadly, there is NOTHING like that at present! And even if there was would it all be directed towards brainwashing the world with manufactured pop acts?

Like I said earlier, I'm only seventeen but I for one can see a real problem. I've had various discussions with various people particularly in the past few weeks and I've been thinking about it more than you could possibly imagine. I have a chance on radio to make a difference, I have a chance to use this blog and to build something on YouTube in some shape or form to do something and make a change. A picture is slowly beginning to emerge in my head even as I've written this things are popping into my head. I have ideas and I want to develop them and see where they lead because I'm sick of watching what's going on in the music industry today. I'm sick of hearing the same old artists who all sound the same; they all have that stereotypical 'pop star' look and if you don't be assured that as soon they sign on the dotted line making it official; it's something they'll have morphed into them.

I'll leave you all with these words as I go and think some more about what I can do because I'm sick of sitting around, waiting for someone to create a solution. Perhaps I, myself will find one eventually. Until then, I'm going to venture into the subject more and more using all platforms that I possibly can to help me. Let's see where it take me............

If you want to get in contact with me regarding this be sure to use one of the following links:

Email: thehathippie@outlook.com
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