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How iTunes Has Saved the Music Industry

Clive Bull says those who decry iTunes and other music download platforms need to think again.

By Clive Bull

4 Nov 2011, 19:12

Pete Townshend grabbed the headlines this week after his John Peel lecture. He told the audience he was the only genius in The Who, that rock music is junk and that John Peel played some terrible records. But it was having a go at iTunes that really made waves, probably because he got it so wrong. To my mind, iTunes has almost singlehandedly saved the music industry and his “digital vampire” remark was, at best, misdirected.

When you’re a rock legend, a household name and part of the old recording industry empire it’s probably easier to look back to the good old days. My memory of the way things used to work is different. As someone who played in bands, toured and searched for that elusive record contract I am not entirely convinced by the picture Townshend paints. He talks of the caring, nurturing side of the traditional record labels and pleads that Apple should be doing the same. Although originally a budding musician, it was as a radio presenter eager to help potential artists, that I spent quite a few hours in A&R men’s offices.

In the pre-internet days, the routine was like this. You practised a lot, you got some gigs, you hoped someone from one of the big companies would come along. You got excited when a rumour went round that the friend of the brother of a talent spotter’s hairdresser might be coming. More often than not, you were disappointed. There were eventually smaller, independent labels, but the power of the mega record companies was immense. Not only was getting a deal unlikely, getting heard by anyone was an achievement.

The other route was to record some tracks and send them in. This meant the expense of hiring a studio, often a producer, and then demo tapes, cassettes or, later on, CDs would be produced. It saddens me to think of the hope, energy and money that went into such tapes, when you see what could happen to them at the other end. I have sat in A&R offices and seen sacks and sacks of cassettes. Some listened to for only thirty seconds, some not at all. When I see now how easy it is to record and distribute music I think it is truly fantastic. Apple (yes them again) include Garageband for example with their computers. A wonderful way of making, recording and mixing music that gives so many people a way of expressing their musical talents. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but neither were most of the expensive demo tapes I listened to in the 80’s and 90’s. The great thing as well now is that you can distribute your music more easily via the web, with no need to sending anything off in a jiffy bag.

As for the caring and nurturing, I’m sure that went on. But Mr Townshend makes it sound like that was out of the goodness of their hearts. I think investment in your property might be a better way of looking at it. Whereas what he is asking Apple to do is charitably invest in fledgling artists. Sure they can afford it, but is it their business? I look at iTunes as a shop, not a label, and I don’t think it’s their job to be managing artists anymore than it was the job of Woolies or Our Price.

Of course there are many downsides of new technology on the music world. The biggest concern of all being piracy. And if there are digital vampires about then they’re surely the pirating sites, not iTunes - which after all has given us a working model of how to make money out of music on the net. The old ways may have served Pete Townshend well, but many regarded it as a closed shop. The internet has opened things up for musicians and we should thank Apple for finding a workable way of charging for it. I think they’ve saved a music industry that never looked like coming up with a solution themselves, indeed they had to be dragged into this century, protesting and complaining and with their fingers in their ears.