In addition to the Recording
Industry Association of American (RIAA), the International
Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is a wealth of information
for anyone following a career in the music industry. One of the best sources of
information that the IFPI offers is the Digital Music
Report. Every year, the IFPI compiles data from numerous sources in order
to provide an accurate picture of the trends happening in the music industry’s
digital market. One of the reasons I especially enjoy the IFPI’s site is that
it is an international, global association. While the RIAA covers legal
protection and rights of music labels and publishers in the United States,
the IFPI looks at the global trends in the music industry. In the current
Digital Music Report, one can find information regarding the use of digital
content (access or ownership), bundling music for the mass market, news about
what artists and publishers can do to protect online content, and strategies
that other countries are implementing to protect and market their music. The
report contains well-written, thorough articles as well as a myriad of
statistics on music sales, consumer trends, and other marketing data that will
assist any self-respecting music entrepreneur in expanding their brand and
growing their business. They also have a report
archive where the .pdf file of previous yearly Digital Music Reports can be
downloaded, which allows anyone in the music industry to study the trends and
changes that have been occurring since the digital age of music began.
In the 2012 Digital Music
Report (which covers the trends and data from 2011), the chairman of the
IFPI, Placido Domingo, writes about “A digital world that rewards artist and
creators.” He speaks of the challenges artists and creators have in the digital
world in remaining profitable and protecting their content, just as they were
and are able to do with physical content. The IFPI is attempting to create
partnerships between governments, legislators, and Internet partners to ensure
that we continue to develop “…an environment in which the public can enjoy the
benefits from a successful digital music sector”. Only by working together will
we be able to create this ideal environment.
I often say, “Music is my drug.” All of my life, it has been
the one common thread that I could turn to and always find comfort…or
inspiration…or excitement. Music is able to bring out the vast array of emotions in me,
whatever those may be. It brings color to an otherwise very monotone and desaturated life. It
is for this reason that my passion, my dream, is to help artists share their
music with as many people as possible. Music inspires, it heals, and most of
all, it unites. We are brought together as a result of the love of a particular
song and how it makes us feel. Music allows us to share emotions that we would
otherwise be unable to articulate. In his TED talk, Music is medicine, music is sanity, Robert Gupta shares how music actually caused a “profound change”
in a schizophrenic student of his named Nathaniel. When Gupta started playing
his violin, Nathaniel, who was full of manic rage, was transformed into a state
of “understanding, a quiet curiosity, and grace”. One thing I learned when I
was a mental health therapist was that schizophrenia is a very difficult
disorder to treat. There are few, if any, drugs that are actually effective
without serious and undesirable side effects. Music, however, has no side
effects. Yet it has the power to change our brainwaves and thus, focus our mind
in ways we likely never thought possible. Here, for your own inspiration, is
Gupta’s TED Talk:
The effect that music has on the brain is complex. One of
the things I have studied in my journey as a life coach is a technique called brainwave entrainment,
or brainwave synchronization. Use of this technique can have a deep and
profound impact. The specific sounds used in brainwave entrainment can allow
for deeper thought, deeper relaxation, increased focus, and increased
creativity. All this without a pharmaceutical "drug" in one's system. Some say that it’s like an out-of-body experience at times. Here is
a short video from Steven
Halpern that briefly explains how brainwave entrainment works:
This just goes to show that all types of musical sounds can
elicit different kinds of feelings and emotions. It can reduce pain, elevate
mood, and truly has the power to change the mind. Music is a better drug than
anything a pharmaceutical company can create. It is because of this powerful
connection that everything I am working towards has to do with sharing music, promoting
music, and supporting the artists who create music. I thank God every day that
I found a way to live my passion. One of the most profoundly inspiring videos I’ve seen
recently is from Kid
President on YouTube. He asks the simple question, “What will you create
that will make the world awesome?” Watch Kid President’s video here and ask
yourself the same question. Music and coaching artists to effectively create and share their music is my contribution to making the world awesome.
What’s yours?
