Out With the Old
Jan 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Kylee Swenson Remix Editor
A month after 9/11 happened, I had the good fortune of going to China for a few weeks. It was a pivotal time, right before China became a member of the World Trade Organization. As the country opened up its doors to the outside world, you could actually see the economic change before your eyes.
My cousin's wife is from Guangzhou in southern China. It's a city of 11 million people, and one of the first “open” cities. While we were there, I saw dilapidated 20-story walk-ups patched up with found materials (sheets of tin, cardboard) standing directly next to state-of-the-art skyscrapers made from the most expensive-looking granite and glass. The economy was changing overnight. I've never seen such a massive shift happen right before my eyes.
On a less profound scale, that's what I noticed the last couple years with the music industry. But you had to look harder to see it. The dilapidated buildings were record-store chains (Tower, for example), major labels and radio stations, and they were closed down in favor of the ever-growing online world. Being an artist, it's hard to know which way to go these days. Do we try to align ourselves with labels? Do we go it alone and hire services (online distributors, publicists) to help us put out and promote our music? There are many opportunities, but which way leads us away from the dead ends and out of the maze?
It's not just us lesser-known artists. Even much-revered music veteran Q-Tip has been having a tough time making his way in a crumbling industry. But as you'll read in this month's cover story, he persevered. If you don't dust yourself off and try again, someone else will, right?
With our third annual “Go Forward, Move Ahead” feature, we want to help you navigate out of the mess and into the future. Obviously, we don't have all the answers, but Remix editors and writers put their hands on the tracks to see when the next trains were coming, and there was quite the rumbling. Check out the industry predictions from industry analyst and attorney, Bob Lefsetz, whose blogs have been making us gasp and cringe for months. Also, see which new artists and producers are making waves, what trends are on the rise, how the music industry is going green, what space-age gear is coming down the pipeline and who is renovating the way we market and promote our art.
But you can't just live for the future, right? You should also count the blessings of the present, too. So while we look ahead to 2008, it's also time to appreciate the greatest studio and stage advancements of the last year with our annual Remix Technology Awards. There's still plenty to be thankful for…. Then it's time to take a deep breath, recharge the batteries and forge ahead.
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