So what happens if we kill the “music industry”?

Short answer: Nothing.

And I am sorry if Gene Simmons thinks the contrary.  Radiohead’s bassist’s u-turn on these issues is quite surprizing, but some of you know how the saying goes: “Money talks…”

More seriously, should we care about the “music industry”? I may be very “French” in this matter, although my country is quite misrepresented in its culture by our today’s government, yet I find that the two terms music and industry are bit contradictory. Not too much, I also don’t find the existence of a music “industry” not completely odious. But I do find it increasingly irrelevant.

The problem that is at hand here is not so much a matter of business model, or  the scandalous lawsuits from the RIAA/MPAA/SACEM, etc. It is a problem of actual relevance of a whole set of businesses in the digital millenium. That’s all, and that’s a lot. I am not going to discuss these issues, as this article is more of a “point-of-mood” than anything else. But I’m just wondering why some make a whole fuss about the music industry allegedly disappearing and not about, say, millions of people having their daily meal disappearing because of global speculation and the resulting food shortages; what about the mining industry in Europe? And what about the automotive industry in the U.S.A ? And the small retailers whose business is disappearing because of competing supermarkets? That list could be a long one, so I’m stopping here.

Really, I just don’t understand the whole point about the music industry. Is that because of the culture? But the music industry disappearing or striving will not impact the artistic creation in any way. Art has always existed, does exist and will exist as long as we’re humans. And viable, alternative models exist, not necessarily involving money such as Jamendo, Magnatune, and others  Perhaps the only thing there is to understand about the music industry is that this is an industry that does not want to change its business model, and refuses to question its constituencies and its very nature. In short, if some can complain about workers’ union, I complain about the music industry. They have become a nuisance, and a group of special interests who only protects the ones who vouch for them.

This has nothing to do with art, and very few with culture. In fact, the announced demise of the music industry, if at all true, sounds like good news for the future: What will disappear is the industry, but never the music…