Why Do Musicians Still Need Record Companies?

"Why Do Musicians Still Need Record Companies?"

Another factor is the recordings themselves. Very few musicians have the ability to record an album as well as a record company can.

"09-30-14: Martykl
Truth is, they don't. Which is why record companies are bleeding to death. But...."

The record companies are bleeding to death because they did a really bad job with audio. Instead of marketing based on the quality of the product, they chose to sell on features. An mp-3 player can hold a million songs, the ipod is tiny, you can easily transfer music from one device to another. Those types of things. While those are great features to sell the product, is was a big mistake to not include sq in all this.

If you look at video, its the complete opposite. Why is DVD better than VHS? Picture quality. Why is Blue Ray better than DVD? Picture quality. With video, value in the product is created. With audio, they devalued the product.

Well done, Onhwy61.
Which one of your band-mates is going to do all the legwork and put up the money for a tour? Answer...the record label.

And after they are reimbursed and take their cut, your band will get a little spending money.

Hey, Czarivey, I know a lot of other "disabled" people who don't have the luxury or fallback of being able to play music.

Tostados, me too.

Zd,

I think most data suggests that SQ is the least of the contributors to the problems killing record companies. Consumers overall don't give a sh*t. They want cheap, fast, convenient. Low quality downloads and streams are the fastest growing segments of the business.

BTW, the blu ray argument cuts this way, too. It's a dying segment that Sony (it's chief proponent) expects to shrink by almost half over the next five years.

Digital distribution (as suggested by the OP) has made record companies (and video companies) less important. And less profitable. I'm pretty sure than anyone in either of those businesses would agree with that sentiment.

I think there's a profitable niche business for high quality recordings (or high quality anything, for that matter), but the giant, hugely profitable record company is a thing of the past because people don't need it anymore. And, in total dollars, they won't pay for it, either. SQ notwithstanding.