Record sales plunged another 14.5% in the US this past year, on top of double-digit dips for half a decade now. And yes, that's factoring in downloads - at least the legal kind. Labels have reacted with a steady stream of panicked layoffs - with more to come, no doubt - while some of their biggest-name artists have, essentially, turned around and done the same thing to them. They're abandoning the labels' once-cushy ranks to seek innovative contracts of their own. Given a scenario so chaotic and changeable, it's no wonder many observers have come to view music itself as dying, or at least contracting. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, music has rarely been healthier or more ripe with possibility. It's only the industry that's sick. (Daily News)
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