Artist Direct

Artists, Music, Audiences Change Labels Find it Tough

"Hey, Riley, we're all plugged in and checked up... yeah, we're ready." – Buddy Holly, The Buddy Holly Story, ECA Productions (1978)

Music is dying if you believe the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).

Music is a growing business if you believe Apple, Google, Spotify, Yahoo Music, Artist Direct, My Space Music, Pandora and hundreds of other options.

They're right … all of them.

The "good ol days" are gone.

Everything lives in phases … music is no different:

• 8-tracks had their peak in '78 of $3.1 B according to the RIAA
• LPs had their peak in '78 of $8.1B
• Cassettes had their peak in '88 of $6.1B
• CDs peaked in '99 with $16.4B
• Albums began their rise with downloads of $1B in '10
• Singles jumped out with downloads of $1.6B in '10
• Mobile "sales" is going to be huge but….