The revenue for the future of an artist is threatened, it is moving way to fast. The future of music is so unexpected. Can the Hardworking artists keep up? The heart & soul that is put into all their hard work, I mean Blood, Sweat & Tears, all the love, and compassion that makes the music and lyrics what it is today. A lot of the concepts of an artist creation comes from different experiences that he or she may have gone through, unfortunate situations un-canning events; a bumpy or stormy relationship, the loss of a someone close to them, Simply put that path that journey within, and they put it all in their music and lyrics; All that joy and pain lights a spark which brings a connection to their audience can relate to, stumbling across that unique sound that catchy hook or verse which moves the artist to write lyrics, & create a sound which touches, taste and licks the soul of whoever listens. The music that is arranged, composed early morning and late-night that it speaks, to the listener and balances the moods of music lovers around the world; That voice that echoes from all the pain, the loss, the joy just to be herd insatiable memories within. 

As time fly’s underground and independent artists, at their best are finding it hard to maintain a steady hand in- regards to a consistent revenue with their creative works. With ever-evolving new tools being created for the convenience of entrepreneurship. There was a time when the music to die for could be sold on the corner, cassette tapes were played in Boom Boxes, and vinyl records were played in house parties, and artists could burn and sell their own CDs and sell them out the trunk of their car. I was always taught growing up that there is no such thing as I can’t, but realistically, The question is now, can the artist ever sell their creation hand to hand again? 

As kids, a lot of us were intrigued about the future, with what we see in movies and envisioned in the books we read. You get a knock at the door “who is it, it’s the future close the trunk,” but you not ready. Did it all start with just a thought proceeded by a vision that went from Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs and now digital; “What’s next”? I mean why does it always change, why does it always affect the artist's revenue, and when and where will it all end. 

There is an artist that made a quarter mill selling CDs out the trunk of his car, many rappers made millions off platinum records, building businesses, from clothing lines to VIP clubs after selling tapes and CDs just from popping the trunk. Master P, Jay Z are examples of some real entrepreneurs, but yes just like the cassette tapes the music Cd is now also obsolete, a lot of underground artist 2018 are in denial, now there I said it, the CD is a thing in the past done stick a fork in it, and we the artist didn’t even have a voice; but everything evolves or that would mean we are not growing as a people, but what is this new revenue for the artist evolving into? 

Thanks to new avenues, like Apps & Digital Streaming services, Underground Artist Are now having to think fast and grow creatively, searching for new avenues and devices to place their music on, perhaps to keep the trunk open. You remember that song “The Day the Music Died” well there’s a lot of truth in it. Radio airplay is a joke now it becomes the laughing hyena, up incoming artist can play their music almost anywhere on the Web, artist can upload Their music to places like Amazon, CD Baby, Pandora, Sound Cloud and the hilarious part about it is the quality can be poorly mastered in front of thousands of viewers. Music is being forced into the future, both young and old musicians forced to adapt, rather you are healthy and talented or disabled and amazingly talented, your only source of income 2018 is to rely on avenues, like t-shirts, & caps, concerts tickets, join a band and go on tours and produce your own income. 

Unfortunately, Digital Streaming and Music Apps, though fast and convenient has really smudged the Artist today, I mean really can today’s artists survive? This unseen Philanthropy is willing to sell the heart and soul of music for nothing more than its so-called greater good. Eventually what is going to happen to music ten to twenty years from now? When will the next evolution take place and what will the artist revenue evolve to next? And will new artists catch on and keep up? “Heck’ here is a vision, what if the new artist kept their work away from the mainstream internet and placed it on their very own website where they owned the rights and controlled their own traffic. 

Will artists fully embrace the digital world today? What if we used our creative minds to design and create devices to protect our hard work, for example, something similar to a USB drives that artist around the world could buy at wholesale at a discounted rate, purchasing through their website through proof of website, artist could upload their work onto their device and sale it to whomever they choose, and their music could not be replicated. Then underground artists from all around could once again go back in time popping the trunk on them; as silly as it may sound, despite whom it may ‘effect; it is considered a bright idea. Some body's wheels are turning as they read this same concept different strategy. 

The Inventors bright idea of the Digital Streaming and Apps is almost pure genius, it shouts let’s control and direct the artist's creations by keeping their music creation out of their hands and let us give the people a variety of the artist songs, easy and fast access that the people will truly enjoy where ever they go; and we will the inventors will grow rich. “well any more bright ideas if so keep them in the dark. “Years to come we the artist hope to see a path for us everywhere to one day bring our stream revenue back to us and to the bank of our very own creation, the likes of which this Millennium has never seen. 

Some entrepreneurs are Money Hoarders, they are on the outside of the artist looking in but never able to understand what’s going on, on the inside. They have no vision for the artist to one day enjoy generational sales from their own music, without all the up and down changes of evolving avenues, and the shortcuts of new paths to make inventors or entrepreneurs rich. 

It is all about the musicians worth, an artist's talent is a gift from God, and it is Insatiable, musicians finding value in themselves once again could be a threat to the digital W.W.W. in the future, so let us as artist use our minds and evolve with new owned devices for our families, fans to better our worth, and help save the music Inside the Artist. 

  

By Timothy Stroud Franklin