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Music Industry Snobbery: The Inferiority of Issues

Brimage from thewvsr.comuce and I run a fairly niche publication and sometimes it’s interesting to compare the conversations that we are having with that of the mainstream media.  There’s a story on CNN that begs the question, “Is the death of the CD looming?”  It’s not that it isn’t a great, relevant question.  It’s that it just isn’t even headline worthy in the world of Hypebot.  Why is that?  To a degree, it’s music industry snobbery.  The issues that we contend with on a day to day basis have, on many levels, evolved beyond that conversation and onto different ones.

I would imagine that if I wrote a story, posing that question our readers tomorrow, that they would, in effect, snicker at me.  You know, it’s just not the kind of thing that we’re curious about anymore. Given the right quote, from the right person, sure, it could become middle of the week cannon fodder, where we isolate the interesting part and link back.  But, in the numerous interviews I have engaged in over the last two years, it would have never occurred to me to ask Steve Knopper or Mike King what their thoughts were on the fate of the album format.  The issue, to some degree, has become inferior to us, not even worth bringing up.  Does that make us snobs?  Perhaps, not. But the contrasts been our interests and that of the more mainstream conversations about the industry fascinate me.  Because its them, not us, who are responsible for shaping the perspective of the public.

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6 Comments

  1. You can’t fault the mainstream media, they pick up what is relevant on the radar and is relevant to their readers. Hypebot IS a niche blog, catering to a relatively tiny audience.
    To their (mainstream media’s) credit, they’ve been all over the Christina Perri “#10 iTunes song sans record label” story yet AFAIK, you guys have been totally asleep at the wheel on this one.

  2. Your audience is ahead of the mainstream audience. There is no need to ask that question because we are beyond it. Hint the new music business. Hypebot is looking for new and creative ways to work in the music business not be concern about CD format dying. Everyone who visits here knows that already so no you not being a snob.
    @solyyash

  3. I have to say, that's the first time I've heard of her….  To my knowledge, it hasn't shown up in any of the usual places…  Your right, that is also the kind of thing we would definitely cover.

  4. It’s funny. The industry does know what is going on and does adapt to the changes happening right now. They are multi national corporations shifting their dynamic slowly but surely.

  5. This blog is the top on my radar, period. You are right on the money in terms of headline grabbers in other publications. It seems to me that other publications are writing to impress the industry giants looking for a new way in the world, whereas you guys already have a sense that nano, quantum, DNA, internet technology is simply creating a reality that will not support the old infrastructure.

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