Music Industry Revelations in Flanagan's book

[ahittle]

I've been re-reading U2 at the End of the World. I expect everybody here has read it at some point. The last time I went through it was when it originally came out, so it's been interesting to read it again.

Anyway, I was knocked out by the amount of space given to the idea that the music industry was going to be changing dramatically. It was 93, and the U2 camp was already looking ahead and contemplating a different delivery system for music. Of course, this is years before Napster and MP3 become household terms, but I was struck at how prescient some of the writing was. Flanagan, and I assume the U2 camp, were already talking about finishing a record, loading it into a computer, and letting the fans download it, bypassing a traditional record company altogether.

When I read that stuff in the early 90's, it probably went right over my head.

That's all.

 

[Rosebud]

They're smart cookies.

 

[digitize]

Yeah, I kind of thought "whoa" when I read this section.

 

[AtomicBono]

Yeah i just re-read that recently too. they're smart guys ...very cool and forward-thinking.

i absolutely love that book

 

[U2DMfan]

And yet they didn't really capitalize on it at all, did they?

I mean, they could have been doing all sorts of things, in terms of using unique release models, but they are still (all these years later) stuck on the old model.

So, yeah, credit to them for being ahead of the curve in spirit but not in practice.

What could they do? I don't know, they could find ways to release more music, more often, that would be my biggest wish.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Fuck the revolution

 

[ahittle]

And yet they didn't really capitalize on it at all, did they?

I mean, they could have been doing all sorts of things, in terms of using unique release models, but they are still (all these years later) stuck on the old model.

So, yeah, credit to them for being ahead of the curve in spirit but not in practice.

What could they do? I don't know, they could find ways to release more music, more often, that would be my biggest wish.

That's what I thought, too. The revolution just swept over everyone, especially the giants of the industry. But, you know - that's a whole other conversation.

It definitely was interesting going back. Right now I'm on the part where Grohl is saying that he would never play in big places!

 

[U2girl]

And yet they didn't really capitalize on it at all, did they?

Weren't they the first major act to release the entire catalogue in digital shape ?

Also, how many acts back then did internet broadcasts of their shows like they did in 2001 ?

 

[U2DMfan]

They probably were one of the first to release a digital box set, that's a good point.

ahittle, haha, yeah I guess Dave Grohl had a change of mind, huh?

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

his description of Nirvana piling into that old car and driving away is equal parts funny and sad.

 

[AnnRKeyintheUSA]

Grohl has also been quoted as saying he was tired of artists whining over the pennies potentially lost by downloading. Does he still support that view?

 

[ahittle]

Yeah. I'm not playing "gotcha" with anyone here; everyone has a right to say crazy stuff and then change later, Grohl included. People change and rock stars say crazy stuff.

What's also interesting is that when Zooropa came out, I was 21 years old. U2 were about ten years older and seemed like such seasoned veterans, invincible rock gods. Now I'm 37 and it just strikes me how young U2 seems in the book.