The State of the Music Business: Editorial by John Mellencamp

In light of all the hoopla around the latest Neil Young Archives news, there's been quite a bit of discussion around what's in store for the music business. Certainly, the latest NYA news at SXSW provoked another round of how to get everyone involved -- artists, fans, labels -- into some sort of healthy state.

So is the Blu-Ray format of the Neil Young Archives box set the future of music? We think not. Although -- for our money -- the BD download feature is the camel's nose under the tent. Our prediction is that someday all music will be streamed from servers as uncompressed downloads via torrents.

But we digress.

Here's a rather brilliant rundown of the current situation by John Mellencamp: The State of the Music Business:

"Over the last few years, we have all witnessed the decline of the music business, highlighted by finger-pointing and blame directed against record companies, artists, internet file sharing and any other theories for which a case could be made. We've read and heard about the 'good old days' and how things used to be. People remember when music existed as an art that motivated social movements. Artists and their music flourished in back alleys, taverns and barns until, in some cases, a popular groundswell propelled it far and wide. These days, that possibility no longer seems to exist. After 35 years as an artist in the recording business, I feel somehow compelled, not inspired, to stand up for our fellow artists and tell that side of the story as I perceive it. Had the industry not been decimated by a lack of vision caused by corporate bean counters obsessed with the bottom line, musicians would have been able to stick with creating music rather than trying to market it as well."

Full editorial by John Mellencamp: On My Mind: The State of the Music Business.

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