EMP Panel Says Recording Industry Doomed

Per Seattle Times report:

“Where Do We Go From Here?” That was topic Thursday at Experience Music Project, where a panel of experts tapped into an optimistic, can-do mood at the packed JBL Theater. Organized by EMP and the Future of Music Coalition, a think tank in Washington, D.C., the panel was moderated by EMP senior curator Ann Powers. Their verdict?

The record industry as we know it is doomed. And if artists and independent entrepreneurs don’t band together, current alternatives, such as the Internet and independent radio, soon will meet the same fate. Dave Allen, a member of the explosive, politically-charged ’80s English punk band The Gang of Four, offered a succinct summary, out of the gate. “The music industry,” he said, “doesn’t deserve to exist in its current form.”

To varying degrees, the other panelists agreed. They were Dave Dederer, of the late Seattle band the Presidents of the United States of America; Sandy Pearlman, legendary producer of Blue Oyster Cult and author of the term “heavy metal”; Reggie Watts, lead singer of Seattle’s Maktub; Nirvana member and JAMPAC co-founder Krist Novoselic; and Jenny Toomey and Michael Bracy of the Future of Music Coalition.

This epitaph-in-advance for a multibillion-dollar industry apparently stemmed from the perception that corporate consolidation — in recording, radio and concert promotion — has made the industry so top-heavy it is falling over of its own weight. And the democratic spirit of the Internet is giving it a helpful push…..

Please find an audio recording of the event here.