Slow Year for New Music?

ishmael81 wrote:

I read this the day (or maybe two days) after you posted it and meant to reply.

Strong suit is a term from cards - specifically bridge. When you have several high cards of one suit in your hand, that's your strong suit - you will win each hand with that someone leads with that suit. It carried over to mean what it does now - something you're skilled at doing.

So it doesn't have anything to do with a great working suit of armor.....good to know. 

So the Christain music is slowly dying. now?

I'm looking forward a new Galactic Cowboys album in the future . . . whether it's late this year or early next year.

rockerVu2 wrote:

So the Christain music is slowly dying. now?

I don't think that the music industry is dying per se.  I believe it to be in a slump.  Artists haven't figured out how to be profitable in this digital music age where streaming has replaced buying.  Labels haven't figured out that there is more to the music industry than just playing it safe by flooding the market with worship music that is easily reproduced by a worship team.  You've lost a huge piece of the market by not getting involved in multiple genres.

The secular industry is kind of in the same boat.  They are signing less and less rock and metal bands.  Indie labels have popped up to take their place to provide the types of rock and metal that fans like.  Blues labels are doing the same.  Still, they struggle to recoupe what they spend on marketing and getting albums recorded as fans still don't buy music like they used to.  That's why they are doing so many vinyl albums right now as it has become trendy in the past few years to collect it.  They are just jumping to make a profit.  Still, though, the bulk of music fans now prefer to stream.

So, what is the solution?  There is no one answer.  One thing that would help is to somehow make streaming services pay the same royalties that radio does per play.  Then, they'd have to make everyone subscribe.  That would either dry up those services or create a profitable model even for us indies.  If my song is played, it is worth the same as say....Lady GaGa.  If I am making some money, then I am likely to keep making and selling music.  If not, I am just making music for nothing except self-expression.  However, the musician inside knows that music was meant to be shared.  Without that, there is no point.  I could write poetry or express myself on a message board.

Since I got married, we've created a budget for ourselves and that includes some music money for me.  Last month I bought a couple songs on Bandcamp and this month one song - totaling about $4 or something (well under my budget).  There just hasn't been much of anything that's piqued my interest.  There are a few albums in the works that I'm excited for, but lately there just hasn't been much at all...