The bubble of the early 90's record boom which included mostly boy bands and a flourish economy seemed to burst overnight thanks to Lars Ulrich of Metallica and his tiny beef with a company called Napster. Basically, everything in the world comes down to money and if you hippies don't know that already well then it's time to join society. Bands make music and they expect to be paid for it. People tend to get into music for two things: money and to get laid (neither of which I ever obtained while in a band). Art is secondary and for pussies. Money and Sex.

Anyways, you know the history. People don't want to pay eighteen dollars for a CD with one good single and Record Company Big Wigs refuse to change their business model to evolve with new technology and customer demand. iTunes is a step in the right direction but not every song in the world is available to purchase through the site. Sure, you can go the file-sharing route with programs like Limewire or Bit Torrent but again, time and effort are spent on something that may be a virus or the latest shitty Brand New live bootlegs. Radiohead thought they were cool by giving away their album for whatever you wanted to pay and Pennywise pulled a similar stunt via MySpace. At least they're trying.

But here's my genius idea: make better music. Seriously, if your songs rock, people will want them and pay for them through whatever medium they like best. Example: Kanye West last year dropped Graduation and sold something like a million copies in the first week because every song on that album is a banger. Everyone from the hood to the burbs wanted that CD because it was the shit. Find better talent, nurture that artist and don't give up just because the first single didn't take off on top 40 radio. Great songwriters, performers and musicians are cultivated, not born.

The problem is that the market is completely oversaturated with shitty bands, under funded independent "labels" and kids who have no idea what it's like to have a career in music. I could start a label tomorrow, record ten horrible songs in GarageBand, design the artwork and mass produce and album in under a week if I wanted to. The album itself is a relic in today's climate. Think about the classic albums--Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper's, The Joshua Tree-- these albums took months to make and were a labor of love. Nowadays practically everyone with a Mac thinks they're a producer and can make it big in the music industry. The only way bands make money is through merchandising, touring and publishing. Record sales are simply a promotional tool to drive sales through other ventures.

For the real companies that do have money to spend, spend it in the right places. It no longer costs half a million dollars to produce a record (unless you work with Tmbaland). Labels should give money for touring and a first run of various merchandise to be sold at concerts. Other than that, you're on you own. Find a way to make it work. Again, if you put on a solid live show, people will want to come see you, they will buy your crap and tell all their friends to do the same. It's the best form of viral, guerrilla marketing ever invented.

As for pricing, everyone just needs to swallow their pride and get real. Forty dollars for an effing concert t-shirt? Fifty bucks just to get into the venue and sit a mile away in the nosebleed section? An eight-dollar convenience charge per ticket when ordering online? Ridiculous. Ticketmaster and Live Nation will rule the world in seven years. Luckily CD prices have come down over the last few years and I don't believe I've paid over $12 for an album since 2002. Yes, I still buy CDs. I am a dying breed.

So that's it. Bands need to make better music, labels need to trim the fat of horrible bands and consumers can do whatever the hell they want.