I find the premise of this article silly. If new music had wider appeal (ie if it was better
quality, more interesting, in the sweet spot of more people's taste), it would sell better. There
are still hits, so some artists are doing plenty well. Older, beloved music is beloved for a reason.
I recommend people google Fusilli's articles in the WSJ and check out music he is championing on
Spotify, and decide for yourself. The one point that is true is that the old model of A&R
professionals who scouted out and then nurtured young musicians are pretty much an extinct species.
I blame mega-glomeration and then the post-Napster coring out of the music business. There is a much
smaller profit pie, and bean-counters demanding maximum profits per quarter. There's no room for a
long game in that environment. So artists have do DIY it. Some are better at it than others. We've
also discussed the decline of live music culture at the grass-roots level.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Pultz" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 22, 2016 7:07 PM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Stop buying reissues


> I've bowdlerized his message, but I think Fusilli makes some good points,
> especially this one:
>
> "I don't think the industry knows how to market music to grown-ups ... I
> don't think the industry knows how to hand a grown-up a piece of music and
> say, This is really good for the following reasons, and none of those
> reasons has anything to do with clothes or hair or who they're dating or
> whatever."
>
>
>
> http://www.salon.com/2016/02/20/stop_buying_old_bob_dylan_albums_every_time_
> somebody_buys_a_reissue_theyre_just_taking_money_away_from_new_musicians/
>
> -Carl
>
>