Vinyl which is 10% of physical sales generates more revenue than streaming which is to be saving the world

Last week I saw this go up on a digital news site.  L O L*...  and it caught not only my attention, many of my friends have been emailing, texting and face booking me about the fact that vinyl makes more for the creators than streaming, which any reader of this blog already knows

( LINK to the original article about this on Digital Music News)

So, let's really break down this situation. (Industry technical term I got a situation) By taking the numbers via Nielsen SoundScan (BTW this week there was a surge in digital going up 33 percent WTW for a total of 49% of sales - to round it up-  out of it's 2015 range of 43-46 % of sales.

Now as I pointed out in the title, Streaming is supposes to be the format saving the world and the Vinyl Records was supposed to be dead back in the 2000's.   Think about this streaming is supposed to be the fasting and best hope of the offerings from even the best Digital Distribution Deal

Considering I say all the time Vinyl wholesales for what CD's retail and now it's clear steaming within digital don't pay that well.   Sadly the all digital all the time manta still wins and  is the prevailing mindset way to often in artists and the press ~  just not the fans they want it physical always have and always will.

Vinyl as a format that was just .08 precent of total sales back in 2008 go to earning more than all of streaming the savior of music (or maker of tech dork billionaires) today in 2015 doesn't get near enough press coverage I have to ask?. 

We know elected officials are blind to the existence of what a vinyl pressing plant (story about DistrictVinyl.com coming next blog) or these independent merchants (mom & pops like CrookedBeat Records  to regionals like Dimple Records) are doing for their communities while dealing with local government that doesn't get or even want them sometimes, Not to leave out  Congress which keeps failing to fund creators on the front end via the MusicAct* when we already know that investing in Music raised our GDP and will continue to do so if we only start to support US Made Music.  Now  what do we have to do to get the ourselves out of this induced stupor for all things only one way.

Let's remember each (artists, band or ground - creators) is a means in and of themselves for commerce, culture and jobs in our local economy an when connected together {Network Effect} with labels, managers, promoters, studios, socials/pr and wholesalers we're now talking about trillions of dollars. Furthermore!  None of the Majors are offering to help any local community. And, in fact drain the best talent out of them as they Haliburtonize music by failing to export their artists bands and groups as Made in the USA products.

Since none of Majors export their music from US shores it would seem getting the non Majors or the the local music makers as our product to support would be on the top of every US officials agenda -- from Commerce, EXIM Bank, to State that keeps taking about "Cultural Diplomacy" via music which is impossible since we don't export it.  Not sure how we got so lost, yet lost we are and until we start rethinking some of what folks assume is working reality (Digital Rule) our Nation's and our future is being robed from us one song at a time.

Let me just say it here,  If we took one place DC and the Mayor, who is a smart capable leader, put the same amount of money into #DCMusic as #DCTech I would wager that at the end of one year that the payouts, earning and accolades for DC and the businesses involved would strongly favor the Music.

"I look forward to an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft."  --"Remarks at Amherst College upon receiving an Honorary Degree (439)," October 26, 1963, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1963.

W/ Jess at the NEA 50th Anniversary in DC

*This will be one of the most visited post's for them and its not the stories that they thought they'd be publishing when naming it Digital Music News....

Music increases US GDP and some still debating if it's a viable industry?

Gotta give a huge shout out to Glenn Peoples and  +Billboard for putting out this article about something that I've been saying for years.  Music has value. 

To me music has always been the why not the how.  Something along the lines being the medium.. well without the intent to communicate there is no need for a medium.  And! it now seems that the  U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) agrees with me on this and decided to give the US Gross Domestic Product a 3% boost and a HUGE win for those of us in the music world. 


Or in Glenn's words 

"TAKEAWAY: The music industry has always punched above it's weight in profile, but didn't always have the influence that matters. this GDP shift could help fix that disconnect. 

According to Bloomberg's Peter Coy   this rise of the Intangible economy is for real and a couple of quotes from his article got my attention: 

"The effect of the revision will be immediate. Measured GDP will get a one-time boost of about 2.7 percent when the government starts counting R&D and artistic creation as investments. (New Mexico and Maryland will get the biggest lifts.) The future growth rate will probably be fractionally higher, too. With R&D treated as an investment, measured economic growth from 1959 to 2007 would have been 3.39 percent annually instead of 3.32 percent, the BEA estimates." 

 "If all forms of intangible investment were officially recorded, they would exceed investment in bricks, mortar, and machines, according to estimates by economists Carol Corrado of the Conference Board and Charles Hulten of the University of Maryland."   Link 

The Rise of the Intangible Economy: U.S. GDP Counts R&D, Artistic Creation

It also seems that the Secretary Pritzker, from the Commerce Department is getting in on the act too by touring Music making facility and promoting USMADEMUSIC  on the Sec's blog.  which also points this fact out. 
"In fact, entertainment, literary and artistic originals contributed $74 billion to the U.S. economy last year, according to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis."








So will these new “intellectual property products.” ( which is a now how cost of new music and other artistic endeavors are to be categorized) bring in the investors that are seeking sustainable returns like the double digits one I' recently blogged about as well as those that want to be part of something more. IMHO music has always been more than most of us can put a handle on and this new way of our economist looking at it helps others start to see the more too.

Terrance and I Capital Hill~ Grammy On the Hill 2013