> if records and turntables were going to be misplaced..it woulkd have <already happened. My friends and I always talk about how its ironic that >we pump out the most "futuristic" music, with the most "manual" of >instruments. .
I disagree. If there were an adequate alternative, say a mp3 player with the digital cueing capabilities that I currently have with my 1200s, I woudl switch in an instant. With these mp3 players, you could do midi quite easily (well for the consumer) and match effortlessly (even though would take some of the fun out of djing, as well as some frustration -- for me at least). I suggest reading "The Next Economy of Ideas" by John Perry Barlow, which was in the August issue of Wired (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.10/download.html) When Craig said: "I'd be interested in knowing when you think this will happen. Because when it does, I'd like to know what you think will happen to the small independent record labels because of it." This paper came to mind. In response to you, here is what I forsee as happening: Some of the independent record labels out there will fail due to financial difficulties. These could be brought on by an all digital trading network, BUT I think if te independent record labels play their cards right and "get hip with the times" (i hate the phrase), then they may be able to capitalize on the coming revolution of the Internet and our economy by producing and capitlaizing on digital content. I know that if I had the opportunity to purchase high quality mp3s at a reasonable price, or have a website allow me to preview the music, then pay with my credit card (similar to what one would do at a record shop) and allow me to redownload this purchase in case of a systems crash, I would be happy to pay my tribute to the artists. As Barlow shows: "Nope. Most white-collar jobs already consist of mind work. The vast majority of us live by our wits now, producing "verbs" - that is, ideas - rather than "nouns" like automobiles or toasters. Doctors, architects, executives, consultants, receptionists, televangelists, and lawyers all manage to survive economically without "owning" their cognition. " I, for one, live in the "verb producing world". As a consultant and manager, my ideas and thoughts (as well as experience) earn me a living. I think that this adaption could be extended towards musicians also. (As one international DJ I know said "I can't believe these blokes actually pay me thousands of dollars to play music that I got for free.") When I go see a DJ or producer play their music, it not because I havent heard that type of music before, it is usually because I enjoy their style (aka their experience with their machines/tools) Any comments? -mike.davis
