Are we living in an increasingly-splintered music world? I think so. In fact, can you name a few trends that set apart 2008 from previous years? Nope.

This article titled The good, the bad, and the ugly spotted a few observations worth mentioning and we added a few thoughts of our own. Hopefully, you will find this information valuable.

1) iTunes became the Largest Retailer

Digital retail stores like iTunes are convenient as we can download songs directly to computer. No more driving to record stores. The bad news? No more albums. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins hit the nail on the head when he recently said that he would no longer write albums since listening patterns have changed. Unfortunately, more acts are liable to focus on 3 minute sound bytes rather than pouring their emotions into an album.

2) Artists Blogging

I love this line. “In 2008, musicians took to blogging like they used to take to cocaine”. Today we have blogging overload, as artists are embracing the net and telling their life story. That means we no longer need an interviewer or a questioner. The good news? Artists can communicate with their fans directly. To illustrate, Axl Rose refused to do a single interview for Chinese Democracy, instead, he posted a rant on a fan website. The bad news? Music and the art will suffer. I have witnessed to many artists focus on their blogging skills while they should have spent more time on their songwriting. Do you want to be a musician or a blogger?

3) Music Videos

Can we say music videos are passe? I think so. YouTube was a game changer as it provided the platform for millions of videos to be posted online. Music videos have lost their luster and it won’t break an act anymore. If you want to invest your dollars into a video make sure it’s unique, take some acting classes and maybe you will beat the odds.

4) The Tabloid Industry

Once again, the gossip world proved to be a leader as music and the art remains in fourth place. The good news? The gossip blogs and tabloid biz will soon lose their impact. The tabloid business is built on the foundations of bling and greed which is losing its cultural relevance thanks to tough economic times. The masses will no longer care that Miley Cyrus bought a new dress as our culture will have to many other problems to solve. Escapist entertainment will dwindle.

But what about music?

I read this comment on the Idolator message board – “It’s like we’re in the middle of a larger art crisis in our culture, and, frankly, it sucks. It makes me sad we don’t collectively value these things more.” Bottom line – It’s going to take a revival to put music back on the map. It will take a generation of artists screaming “enough is enough”. Well, certainly this year could be the start of something big. In many cases, tough times and tribulations breed prosperity, change, and new ideas.