The big music companies systematically killed pop music, because they were so insanely greedy about it. They would rather nobody made any money, than that anybody but them made money.
A great example was that for many years, recording contracts included a clause, unenforced, that composers and musicians were just “fee for hire” employees, like any minimum wage type employee, and that the music companies owned all the rights to their music, “and derivatives”, in perpetuity.
However, out of the blue, the music companies went to congress to get the law changed so that this clause was enforceable. If they, the music companies, felt like it.
And this was on top of the music companies demands that composers and musicians had to pay for all the production and editing, and pay for the actual printing of the music as well as the advertisement. Then the music companies would truck it to record stores, and give a small cut of their net to the composer/musician.
“You do all the work, you pay for all the work, and we get all the money. Sounds fair.”
Finally, one of the greatest advertising mediums for music existed with Music Television and VH1. But after years of giving the music companies high quality advertising FOR FREE, suddenly the music companies decided that Music Television had to pay them exorbitant royalties to show music videos. Which killed it dead.
Seriously, this was Daffy Duck quality greed.
But while it lasted, MTV and VH1 burned dozens of pop stars and hundreds of songs into the public consciousness. If you were to take somebody who was a teenager or older in the 1980s to name groups and artists, they could whip out dozens. In the ‘90’s, maybe a dozen. In the 2000’s maybe just a few.
So who is going to buy music sound unheard?
I hear a lot about the music companies today (a friend going through that crap) but your explanation really opened my eyes. Thanks.
Back in the 80s if you heard a good decent song in a commercial, the first word out of your mouth was “sellout.” Now everyone is cashing in, because it’s harder to make money.
Please tell me, what is your user name? I’ve been wondering for years, and in my mind somehow you are the Question Bunny. When I glance at your name, I see Frage, the German word for question, and for some reason bunny, which is not actually in your name.
Your tag line — DID HE REALLY SAY THAT?? My dad, in that case, saved a lot of money educating me at a state school, if Harvard law graduates don’t understand English. Love it.
Yep, I read about Van Halen, their first album went through the roof, the boys went on tour, came home and Warner Bros. records said “Well done, and oh, by the way, you owe us a million dollars.” Nice.