Anyone existing before the time when the internet made its jump onto the world stage will remember how it created a stir and opened the doors forever changing the world. How a web browser interface and email service were the impetus to a radical change in human communication and interaction. It also was the beginning of a whole new world where information from all spectrums of knowledge was now at everyone’s fingertips and its residual effect on the music and entertainment industry was no different.
I have a little story I’d like to tell. It goes a little something like this.
Once upon a time, there were these great shops and outlets, like Tower Records, Amoeba Music, Barnes & Noble, or Blockbuster where people would congregate and peruse aisles of vinyl records, cassette tapes, laser discs, VHS or BETA videos, books, or ‘new’ media like CDs and DVDs.
Where the latest bestsellers had huge posters crowding the storefronts and the interior walls were congested with posters of rock stars and local bands, renowned authors, or the latest blockbuster movie bills.
In record shops cork boards were overlaid with flyers for underground shows, bands performing at local bars, and wanted ads seeking musicians with various musical influences and skills.
"where people would congregate and peruse aisles of vinyl records, cassette tapes, ..."
A time when the local hot radio DJ would host a record release event with the recording artists in the shop creating much hype, buzz, and fanfare.
When shoppers and fans would walk away with purchased items also known then as the ‘tangible asset’ which the music and entertainment industries made their bread and butter from.
These businesses back then relied on the scarcity, exclusivity, and popularity of their products, as well as the ease and convenience coupled with the physical experiences their patrons had at their locations.
However, the internet changed all that. Like a frog chillin’ in a frying pan, the advent of digital downloads, streaming services, and online platforms took hold like gangrene. Consumers could now access unlimited amounts of endless content anytime, anywhere, and as often as they wanted for free or at a lower cost. What a convenience!
Gradually, the flame under the frog took effect and quickly reduced the demand for and value of physical media, i.e. tangible assets by slow-cooking many brick-and-mortar businesses, making their storefronts obsolete overnight.
Gone were the days of perusing the aisles of vinyl album covers with eclectic, illustrious cover art, and the magazines, and books filling the racks that accompanied them at the end of every aisle.
The new ‘storefront’, however, was encapsulated in the computer monitor.
"Like a frog chillin’ in a frying pan, the advent of digital downloads, streaming services, and online platforms took hold like gangrene."
With the ever-rising ‘mouse and monitor’ culture bewitching the masses, the average consumer succumbed causing many of these businesses to close down or shift to online models, while many struggled to survive and compete with those who jumped onto the bandwagon and hired greasy, geeky dudes for a technical advantage while beefing up their financial war chest. To add insult to injury, it was a time during which the saying went “If your business didn’t have a website, you didn’t exist”.
To reinforce this dilemma, a new generation of savvy shoppers was coming up and was readily born into the digital age, and with the “digital divide” in full effect during those raging times, with all its testicle rocket fuel, crashed and burned with the Dot-com bubble burst. This led to another chain of financial events and set the tone for what was about to change the world into what we know today.
The end.
Image: MaurosArt
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