Times are a changing for music industry

Quincy Jones knows a thing or two about entertainment. The 74-year-old has seen a lot during his 60 years in the industry, but even the 27-time Grammy award winner doesn’t dare guess where things are heading for an industry already on its heels.
“This is the best and worst of times,” Jones said here during a question-and-answer session at the Mobile Entertainment Live event. “When you go through these times, there are a lot of bad things that happen, but there’s a lot of room for change.”
The sheer amount of ideas that meet his eyes and ears are frightening, he said. “I think it’s going to be pretty drastic too, I don’t think it’s going to be what everybody thinks it’s going to be,” Jones said.
“Nobody’s figured it out yet. Nobody,” he said. “Everybody’s scratching their heads.”
There’s no lack of want when it comes to music. The art form is as pervasive as ever, and plenty of recording artists have proven their ability to succeed against the grain.
“The passion for music is higher than ever,” Jones said.
While he may not know which model will rise to the top, Jones is sure it will come from the likes of Silicon Valley or some free-thinking types from elsewhere. Jones frequently gets together with the minds behind many of the top companies that call this area home and they talk at length about the future of their varied industries.
“That’s how it works. It reminds me a lot of jazz,” he said. “Let the subconscious mind loose.”
There is one thing Jones is sure of: attacking the consumer will do nothing but cause more friction.
“I think once you’re starting a war with your consumer, you’re asking for trouble,” he said. “You have to remind yourself who you’re dealing with.”
Jones reminded the audience that “rock music has always been useful as a rebellion tool.”
Plenty of changes have come Jones’ way in his illustrious career, and he’s always welcomed those new tools and technologies with open arms. “It’s just been astounding to ride on technology,” he said.
At the close of the century, USA Today asked Quincy Jones to name one item that changed his industry the most. He harkened way back to the Fender Bass circa 1953.
“Without that instrument, there’d be no rock ‘n roll, no Motown or anything,” he said. “It’s amazing to see things change over a period of time.”
While Jones appears largely sold on the opportunity for music running on cellular devices, he’s unsure if that same insatiable thirst for music will translate to television and film.
When the Oscar winner was asked if he’d ever consider producing a film specifically for mobile, his response was pretty flat.
“I never think about it like that, you think about content first,” he said. “The same amount of energy goes into it” no matter where it plays.
“We’ll see, we’re going to have to use a lot of innovation though,” Jones added.