Part of my morning routine involves reading the international news section in several online publications. So, like many avid readers, I'm used to hearing about world conferences, protests and gatherings about world peace, animal preservation and global warming, not to mention the endless meetings to make the underdeveloped more developed brought by the G-7, G-5 and so forth. They are all good causes. The bottom line is that, like Michael Jackson once said, we are trying to make this world a better place.
To my delight I came across a rather interesting set of panels revolving around MUSIC. Hosted by Georgetown University, the Future of Music Policy Summit '09 hosted several speakers involved in the music industry - radio hosts, producers, managers, executive directors, and music curators.
I did not personally attend the event, but listened to several panels via live-webcast thanks to web.illish.us, and found one particularly interesting. NPR Music: Making music Matter on-Air and Online, was particularly relevant to today's stance. The main focus? The media as an effective vehicle to reach those unreachable through the radio tower. Many people can agree with me that internet has revolutionized the music industry, to the point where the MySpace revolution and file sharing has forced record labels to find alternatives to get revenues (cause clearly record sales are no longer profit generating). In fact, artists do not necessarily seek record deals, hence the "indie" revolution - indie = independent, get it? haha (you'd be surprised as to how many people don't know this etymology). Bob Bailen, Host and Creator of NPR's All Songs Considered, delivered what to me is the biggest dilemma of many online listeners: The amount of music on the web is overwhelming. The problem is not how to expose listeners to new music, but get them to care for music - how to become tastemakers, gatekeepers, music curators! and... being highly democratic/realistic, the need for radio stations to serve their right niches.
The summit also considered the importance of websites -like CONSPICUOUSLY- that feature music, just for love of music, not seeking revenues. The bloggers of the world are now considered main drivers of the music industry and bridges between the three main components of the music industry: artists, fans and investors.
It's always fulfilling to see that the leaders of the world and people up their in the hierarchy are actually considering what people want and need, and, especially, begin to evolve with the industry. Change is good, and in this technological era, it's kinda hard not to go 2.0.
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