The Music Biz in the 90s
Fantastic article in the Times (UK) yesterday about the music industry in its 1990s heyday. In “‘Til death did we party: the music business in the heady Nineties,” former A&R man John Niven describes cocaine- and vodka-fueled trips around the globe searching for the next big act, which usually never came. Niven notes how the advent of the compact disc and its hefty profit margin propelled the business to such precarious heights, from which it has obviously fallen in the past eight years.
It is interesting to think of the 1990s as the music industry’s “last hurrah,” as Niven calls it. Of course digital music has changed the entire landscape, but part of me is anxious to see if popular music as a successful business is really on its last legs. The music industry continues to adapt, but it has consistently fallen behind in the new millennium. Quite a shame, as that A&R job sounds like it was a blast.
Enjoy the full article in the Times Online.
(Via Stereogum)
