“With or without this embedding problem, we’ll never get 50 zillion views on a YouTube video again. That moment – the dawn of internet video – is gone. The internet isn’t as anarchic as it was then. Now there are Madison Avenue firms that specialize in “viral marketing” and the success of our videos is now taught in business school. But here’s a secret: zillions of hits was never the point. We’re a rock band, and it’s a great gig. Not just because we get to snort drugs off the Queen of England (we do), but because the only thing we are expected to do is make cool stuff. We chase our craziest ideas for a living, and if sharing those ideas takes 40 websites instead of one, it doesn’t make too big a difference to us.”

I think this is the most awesome insight into the state of digital media and social engagement in a very long time. The entire letter is really great and is actually a very reasonable commentary on the state of the music industry as a whole, too.

All the industry has been abuzz with musings about the future of the standard record label…”Is this the beginning of the end?” has been the question everyone seems to be asking.  Well, actually it started the day that someone first figured out how to send their friends music files over the internet, it has just taken awhile to catch on.  While it will still take some time to make this movement a revolution of the system, major bands adopting variable pricing and direct sales shows that the clock is ticking for labels to catch up to the consumer market’s demands.

Today, this got a huge boost: Madonna has announced that she will be releasing 3 studio albums, promoting concert tours, and licensing merchandise through Live Nation, rather than a record label.  While this is still short of direct-to-the-consumer sales, it still shows that big names do not need labels to promote sales.  In fact, in Live Nation’s ‘About Us‘ section, the company doesn’t even say a word about album promotion:

 Live Nation is the world’s largest live music company. Our mission is to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence.

I read this first on TechCrunch, and I can’t summarize this any better than they have written in their headline: “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down…”