Bon Jovi: Steve Jobs Killed Music Industry

Tom's Guide ^ | March 14, 2011 | Kevin Parrish

[decimon]

Bon Jovi's lead singer blames Steve Jobs and iTunes for killing the music business.

Musician Jon Bon Jovi has taken a personal shot at Steve Jobs, accusing the Apple co-founder of killing the music industry with the launch of iTunes.

As the lead singer of one of the 80s' biggest hair bands, Jon Bon Jovi's voice brought millions to the band with "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Wanted Dead or Alive." But now his voice echoes previous comments made by other musicians, record companies and retailers who have taken a blow to the wallet thanks to the decline of physical CD sales, whether it's related to piracy or the shift over to digital distribution.

In an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, he admitted that he's saddened that the "magical" experience of buying records and discs is fading away due to the shift away from physical media. Some music lover may agree, those that love the smell of a new, just-opened CD while flipping through every page of its insert again and again. With a disc, the consumer has a physical connection with the artist-- digital downloads offer nothing but sounds and virtual pages.

"Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it," he told the magazine.

[TheVitaminPress]

I think a lot of the mediocrity (at best) in music is a direct result of label execs fearing whatever acts they have waiting in the wings will not be nearly so good as the artists they are intended to replace. Genius isn’t an on demand thing.

I’m not certain that there could ever have been another Beatles, but if there were I don’t think they would have been signed. Just because it would condition people to expect better music than they could always provide. Of course when you have one trade union controlling everything this sort of thing can very easily be done.

I’m don’t know that the Velvet Underground could have ever found a wider audience than they enjoy now . . . well maybe Loaded could have. They are one of my all time favorites (don’t get me wrong) but wide appeal seems to -in most cases- carry far more of a “least common denominator” aspect than they had.

It’s funny. I had always thought of Cash as some corny country singer that I had no interest in (what did I know when I was fifteen!). But my dad really wanted a copy of “Tennessee Stud” for Christmas one year and the only version I could find was on the first American Recordings. Boy did I learn just what a small minded moron I had been.

[Revolting cat!]

Here’s the new wave:

David Wax Museum have issued their two disks on their own and you can buy them via Amazon, or iTunes. They don’t even pretend to name “their record company” on the disk or in the notes. You can bet they are pocketing more than the $1.50 that established acts can get per disk sold.

A published writer with a page on Feisbuk has just sent me (and other fans) a note saying he’s distributing his new novel via a CD, in exchange for a small fee. Earlier, he’s noted that no publishing house is interested.

There won’t be any million sellers for the industry, but so what? Discerning readers and listeners will find the writers and the performers, the non-discerning will be as always buying Gaga, Bieber, Green Metallica and Danielle Clancy-King.

[lmr]

It all LOOKED good on paper that there were big $$$ in the music industry, but it went to crooks (some of them real gangsters). Pink Floyd reportedly turned their back on the stadium tour circuit in the 1970s when they started counting the number of actual seats as opposed to what the promoter told them had sold.

I am sure quite a bit of people were cheated back then, including Pink Floyd, but I doubt any of them are making nearly as much money now, even if everyone and everything in the business is legit. Surprise. The rest of the world is punking you. That happens in every business even these days. They should have had better agents/lawyers.

[SIDENET]

I hate to put it this bluntly,

but Bon Jovi has, and always will SUCK BALLS.

Who cares what their has-been band leader thinks?

[truthfreedom]

kylesa and helmet are playing one show at sxsw together, dan deacon i like. innerpartysystem played with foo fighters last night. royal bangs dax riggs bad brains black lips j mascis black angels queens of the stone age eastern conference champions the antlers okkervil river low vetiver james blake j roddy walston lady lamb the beekeeper ted leo bob geldof widespread panic emmylou harris old 97s the strokes fishbone wu tang clan trail of dead the greenhornes the kills surfer blood jad fair wiz khalifa cee lo green devotchka cold war kids jimmy gnecco david wax museum fitz and the tantrums north mississippi all stars noah and the whale portugal the man tv on the radio lucinda williams pains of being pure at heart men without hats ariel pinks haunted graffiti Toro y Moi denison witmer times new viking wye oak wild flag screeching weasel kurt vile man man bright eyes meat puppets with roky erikson the almost matt nathanson the raveonettes deer tick leila broussard panic at the disco the bravery

[a fool in paradise]

Willie Nelson HAD agents/lawyers etc and still wound up being cheated by his own staff.

[lmr]

Willie Nelson HAD agents/lawyers etc and still wound up being cheated by his own staff.

Yeah, all I was saying is their is less money in the music business for big stars these days. But on the bright side, some of the lesser known acts do have loyal fanbases and they can make a living. I guess, in a way, music has been democratized.