Music and its evolution: Compact Disc (1/2)

In the early 1900s, there was the Vinyl, a two sides 12” record. Beginning of the 1960s, the cassette was introduced, and twenty years later the Compact Disc. Like any other product, the music industry has been evolving. So, what does this mean for music artists and record labels?

The Compact Disc era

Firstly, let’s rewind to the ’90s and 2000s, where every artist’s journey began with a record label whose role includes (simplified):

• A&R (artist and repertoire)
• The signing of the music artist (Terms and Conditions)
• Recording of the Album
• Marketing
• Distribution of the Album

Before, artists had to knock on the record label’s door with their demo or EP. Thus, here is where the A&R comes in handy. Namely, they are responsible for listening to the songs and screening for the potential before passing it forward.

For example, rapper J. Cole’s signing to Roc Nation was due to an A&R. When initially handing his CD to Jay-Z, he declined it. It was later when an A&R played some of Cole’s songs to Jay, which led to meetings that turned into a record deal signing.

In addition, the T&C is crucial. For instance, a good contract will allow musicians to have a lucrative career, whereas a bad one will prevent them from ever dropping (worst-case scenario). Every now and then, we hear from artists trying to get out of their contracts.

Once a record deal is signed, the recording of the album begins (vocals, mixing, and mastering). Afterward, the marketing process takes place.

Back then, artists had to venture on a marketing tour that consisted of visiting local and overseas news and radio stations, promoting their singles, videos, and albums.

Furthermore, the distribution of music is vital, which means shipping the compact disc on a worldwide scale. Therefore, the entire process for an album rollout; from the production to marketing to finally releasing the CD, took 1-2 years.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been tracking sales since the 1950s and Billboard publishes them on a weekly basis. Moreover, CD sales were huge back in the day as shown in the next tables.

The 90s & 2000s CD sales

Worldwide CD sales in the 90s (*Data may vary)

Worldwide CD sales in the 2000s (*Data may vary)

In addition, an artist had to fully convince the consumer (the listener) to go to the store to buy an album (standard/deluxe version), which was mostly priced between 10.00-20.00 USD. Also, measuring sales was straightforward.

A threat that the music industry faces up to this day is piracy or the so-called bootlegging. In the 90s and 2000s, most LPs didn’t survive their official release date before being hacked and sold on the black market. Thus, the ones who lose economically are the artists and record labels, who depend on each other.

To summarize, the music industry has evolved and offered new products to the listener, who were always keen to buy the album in physical form. However, a bigger threat besides the leaks was on the horizon for the industry and compact disc sales: Online Streaming.

Stay tuned for Part 2! In the meantime, feel free to read my previous musical posts.

• “Half Written Story” EP: Hailee Steinfeld recovers from a breakupMay 20, 2020
• How J. Cole’s “2014 Forest Hills Drive” vinyl became the blueprint of lifeJune 17, 2020
• Juice WRLD may be gone but “Legends Never Die”July 11, 2020
• Jay-Z comes clean and reveals the blueprint on “4:44”July 31, 2020

1. Photo by Surya Urs (Unsplash, 2018). ↩︎