In this era of selfies taken with cellphones, where people don't even bother to buy good cameras anymore, how could it be any different for music?
I believe I may be part of the last generation who while as kids, or teens, would gather around the latest releases in gangs, and just S.T.F.U. while "savoring" the music on one of the gang's hardly earned stereo...
Those were the days, huh?
*THIS is where I put the blame: "We were watching TV... watching TV... We were watching TV... watching TV". (and playing videogames all the time, cellphones, tablets.. just.. STOP!) ...and the brickwalled song headed to Trial...
Ji eff.......I come from a different era where we had ONE TV in the house, One Car, NO computers and a Kodak Brownie Instamatic for 'family portraits.' Very few families had even decent stereos [or at most, table radios] and 45s were the rage.....a buck a piece with a b side.
Don't get me started on modern culture (or lack of it). The Me Me Me, self~absorbed generation probably started in the early 90's. Parents were tripping over themselves to give their children what they never had as children......Mistake #1, IMO. Instead of being parents they became 'friends' to their children. I had to work for EVERYTHING I had working Summer jobs for $1.25 an hour (which was taxable), six days a week to buy myself a decent camera or a stereo component which I very slowly built up over the years.
But I always appreciated GREAT music and GOOD Sound. But of course the turntables and receivers of the days were woefully inadequate unless you had the BIG bucks to afford separates.
Even back then Vinyl was sucky so I saved up and purchased a cheap reel to reel from a local bargain basement store with detachable speakers. From there as my 'fortunes' changed, I was able to afford better equipment including separates but I had a friend with multimillionaire parents who spent literally thousands on VERY high end equipment. Of course that also changed my life. I wanted what he had and today I have equipment which VERY comfortably eclipses anything he had in his arsenal (and I'm a NICER person, besides....he once stole $$ from me...as IF he needed it).
Unfortunately, ji eff, the disposable society has now inherited the earth. Selfies on cell phones which are replaced like underwear as new models emerge every year. You can now shoot 4K video on those cell phones which if you've ever seen some of the Apple commercials looks better than a lot of semi pro cameras. But the music, of course, has been reduced to ear buds and MP3 ....but despite that, if I was a mixing engineer I would still want my finished product to reflect what's on those master tapes despite the fact that the majority might play it on subpar toy audio equipment.
The VIDEO companies get it. They're starting to produce 4K (in Japan, NHK is working on 8K which is in its prototype stages). Movies are still shot on 35mm or 4K and better Hi Def cameras and transfers to Blu ray are usually quite stunning with great state of the art audio as well.
Why do the music divisions of these same companies feel they can get away with SHIT? One can buy a quality BD~V for $5. Why do SACDs cost $30? A LOT more work goes into replicating a motion picture even going so far as to remix an original mono soundtrack into 5.1 (and still giving the option of enjoying the film in its original mono).
My analysis: The movie companies and their music divisions are different divisions altogether but why can't they come together to ensure the quality control which exists in their movie/home video division is on par with their substandard music divisions.
Why do reissue companies (MoFi, AP and AF) do a better job at releasing audio products than the Major studios which control the masters? Nobody cares....that's why. Schmucks run the music divisions at the Majors. And seriously, why they don't fling open their moldy vaults and fling those unreleased QUAD/5.1 Masters at these reissue companies for a much smaller stipend and make some quick cash on them instead of making it SO difficult to license them and pay ridiculous fees is really C.R.A.Z.Y.
They say Lawyers and accountants run the music and movie industry. Not surprising since they're probably making ALL the money. Artists today have to tour to make any kind of real money and they probably make more on selling merchandise at their concerts than the record companies pay them in profit.
A sorry state, ji eff, and NOT likely to change. 'THEY' say that the meek shall inherit the earth.......HUH?....well, not on my watch as far as I can tell.
As a musician, ji eff, I wish you THE best of luck. It's a crazy world out there.....yes, indeedy!
