Corrupted Sounds A Lot Like Corporation

            Who is your favorite artist? Michael Jackson, Elvis, Linkin Park, maybe even 3Oh!3?? Every single one of these artists has been, or is, owned by one of the six major music corporations. The six major music corporations are: Capitol-EMI, CBS, MCA, PolyGram, RCA, and Warner. Each one of these corporations is controlling a portion of the music industry, and slowly destroying it. If you thought that an artist is discovered based off of their musical abilities and that the public makes them popular, you are in for a major shock. The music industry is not, in fact, about music. The music industry is all about profit, and if an artist is not helping to make a profit than they are cut. If music is for the consumers then why isn’t it what we want?

            The Six owned over 80% of the market in the U.S. by 1974 (Miller 367). When records were thrown out a replaced by CD’s , which was all thanks to the Six. Now, the Six are trying a new technology. DVD’s are their newest invention, and by doing this they are making us consumers choose between an old technology or spend money on this new technology. Unfortunately, now the music business is all commercial. The music industry is focused on profit more than the consumers and all they are worried about is making a quick return. They don’t want a musician who is going to take a while to catch on. They want an artist who will catch the public’s attention and be the next “big thing” (Miller 368). Have you noticed the newest trend? Young males with all about the same voice, same music style, same looks, and same attitudes are all over the radio. This is what the Six had planned! They want the next big thing, so first there was Taio Cruz, then came Jason Derulo, and who knows what’s next. Only the Six can decide.

            There are so many things that the Six could do to take the focus off of the profit and move their attention over to the public. They could go out and find something new and exciting, instead of finding duplicates of what is already popular. They could also take surveys of what the consumers are looking for. What music do they enjoy the most? Lastly, the Six can stop making new technology! I am so tired of having to replace my old technology for new technology. I remember when I had cassette tapes, then those were replaced by CD’s, and now I have an IPod. You don’t see people walking around with cassette players or CD players, instead you see them walking around with their IPods full of their favorite music. With IPods, we get to decide what we listen to, instead of listening to the radio which is only playing what the Six wants us to hear.

            The Six should focus their attention on the public instead of the profits that accompany the music industry. If the music corporations were more focused on us I think there would be more music that we like and enjoy. There would also be newer music styles. I feel like on my favorite stations I hear the same exact style of music over and over. What if the Six went out and found something new and tried that out. Then WE could decide if we liked them or not. This would make the music industry more diverse and, eventually, about us instead of the profit.