The music industry is the name for the way the music we want to hear is delivered to us. It is part of the Creative Arts Business which includes cinema and theatre, where music is an integral part of their activities.
The aim of the music industry is to make money from a product which in this case is music, in the same way that a washing machine manufacturer makes money by designing and selling a product – a machine to do your washing.
The basic business concept is the same – to sell a product for more than it costs to make it, and so create a profit that is used to pay the creators of the music.
It seems harsh to call the music that we love and have such an intimate relationship with, a product.
But if it is not treated as a product then musicians, composers, and many other people would not be able to make a living from doing what they do best.
The product ‘music’ is created by talented composers and musicians and then produced by a record company. It is delivered to us the public in a way that we can hear it (CD, download) as recorded music. This is called distribution.
Performances are arranged so that we can see the musicians perform live in a suitable venue such as the Glastonbury Festival.
As this is a very competitive market promotion is used to inform the public about what music is available. Record companies...
