Every morning I walk down to work along Bleury, past the *brand new* “Musique World” and I stare in it’s windows with amazement. It seems like a museum – a relic of how I used to enjoy music 10 years ago. How anyone could put money into opening this kind of store now is beyond me. There is never anyone in there… ever.
How can this type of store even think about competing against digital music? Are they being naive? Hopeful for a nostalgic return to purchasing CD’s? Maybe they are just way ahead of the game and are positioning themselves for the time 15 years from now when people buy CD’s as collectibles.
All this was kicked back into my head this morning as I read this NYT’s article about the music industry and it’s plans for salvation – from their “guru”. Rick Rubin is seen as the model for the modern music industry and he’s supposedly been hired to drag everyone else up to his level – kicking and screaming as their old business ways start hitting their bank accounts in a undeniable not-so-positive way.
It’s a very long article, but worth reading, interesting bits on Neil Diamond/Rubin and the spyware issue, the realization of the changes that industry is facing – without any clear $ path, and to his thoughts on subscription/DRM (he’s all for it and sees it as the way forward – best of luck with that).
One response to “Rick Rubin and the Post ‘Big-Label’ age”
when I was 16, I sat next to Rick Rubin on a 5 hour flight. Just the man’s looks were enough to scary the shit out of me but he talked on the “in flight” phone almost the WHOLE flight….. At the time, I didn’t know who he was but WOW, if you’re a creepy, bearded dirt bag looking record exec and you want to let the whole plane know you are in fact, a baller… rack up a +$2000 phone bill.. it does the job!