Everything is Changing

The old way of doing almost anything is going by the wayside. For example, read anything in the media and you'll see that this Summer has been the time for upheaval.

Newspapers are firing, laying off, retiring and rearranging as fast as they can. They have added a video camera to the still camera person's tools. I still can't find anyone younger than, say, 30 who actually BUYS a physical newspaper outside the big-city East.

Well, maybe a few yuppies on Sunday.

Change is not in the wind for newspapers; it's gone with the wind.

The country music business still seems to want too do things the old way for a little longer. Stay tuned. It's too soon to throw it all to high-tech, but the old "buy the CD at WalMart" is going the way of the VHS and maybe just as quickly.

TV is a mess, from network TV such as NBC to local stations. Not many young folks watching the traditional TV stuff. People are still watching TV, but last night I watched the Military Channel for an hour. How many people are watching HGTV every night, not to mention TLC and every other niche TV channel? A lot -- and more than is being counted!

Local TV news coverage is all about mayhem, scaring people with weather coverage and sensationalism. I just watched a week of it from Tulsa to Buffalo. I knew things were odd, but that confirmed it. YUK. Why do I care about some crackhead shooting another crackhead on the other side of town?

If you saw the ABC CMA Music Festival ratings, they were sure nothing to jump up and down about. They threw a lot of young acts at you in HD - and it got a 1.9 rating 18-49. That's underwater for a major big-four network in prime time...Network TV viewership is highly unpredictable, especially in the Summer. Does anyone still watch anything on NBC other than a variation of "Law and Order"?

Radio. Well we all know the issues and evolution in this world. It seems like the jukebox-vs.-service debate will never be settled. Outside morning drive, what is going on? How has group ownership helped any city in America?

The record companies have an agenda and I am not sure that it always agrees with what Country radio is or should be. Is or should Country radio be a medium that chases 20-year-olds? I'm not saying it should or shouldn't, but the label folks must have those folks who do buy the Underwoods, etc. Is Country radio the new Top 40? See the picture here?

Change ... Change ... it seems to come so fast ... and when it does come, it's like a flash flood.

The Internet is the wild card. Try to immerse yourself in that subject and you may drown. There is so much to learn and so much no one knows. It's the wild west, from sex pervs on My Space to trying to find a non-fly-by-night web designer.

The recording artists of tomorrow don't know what to do, either. Do I go for a label's attention or do it myself? Do it yourself is still too crazy, but it may be coming in some shape or form.

How does a big, heavy label or a TV production company, for that matter, compete with wedding shooters with tiny cameras, home Mac studios, HD home cams and studio-grade home edit systems that burn DVDs?

The word to the wise this Summer: While you are at the pool reading Harry Potter or resting on vacation, your world is like a subway under your feet, from a possible shaky economy and a nervous stock market to the never ending Mideast mess. Now we hear about inebriated astronauts at NASA. (What do you think the penalty will be for Orbiting While Intoxicated?) The world is a goofy place right now. Is it just me or do you feel it, too?

Put aside the five country stars you can name real fast, the ones who are selling real concert tickets, and what else do you have on Music Row right now? Same for Hollywood box office sure things. It's almost like those false street fronts at the movie studios. Lots of people patting each other on the back, but overall for the last three years, most of what's been produced has been pretty week once you get past a handful of huge hits.

The Internet is still too immature, but like the cell phone, when that boom comes ... watch out!

Fatcat big shots stealing money at corporations may soon be seeing more jail, just like Nicole and Mindy. YouTube and Mr. Bill are talking to Presidential candidates. There is change in the air. You can either ride the wave or be crushed by it. Either way, the change is underway. I can't be the only one feeling it.