As the cited piece also illustrates, while we say the music industry is declining, that doesn't mean any demand for music has declined. Craig Balsam, a co-owner of independent label Razor & Tie told writer Bradley Bambarger that consumers want "complete portability" but that "the industry hasn't figured out how to get that music to the consumers so they'll pay for it." Unfortunately, he also points to a subscription-based model as the future of the industry. Technological growth has obviously made that portability a very real situation for listeners today, but if the labels continue to fight the beast (downloading) they helped create (by adding tracks to stores like iTunes) while combating illegal downloading, a future with subscription-models may drive even more consumers away.

The greatest innovations recently have come from outside the industry, with artists taking their music directly to fans in new and exciting methods. No matter how many times it is mentioned, Radiohead's move to release In Rainbows online first last October generated enough interest to send the eventual CD to number one. That same model may never be duplicated, but the future is with easy to access online retailing, not a subscription model. Consumers don't want to rent music, they want to "own" it or at least access to it.

In light of the Grammy's 50th anniversary we should not overlook these facts, and the problems of the record industry. It might seem contradictory for the record industry to celebrate in light of massive decline, but as always the awards are not about the industry, they are about the artists. If the academy can break the mold by awarding a jazz album the highest award then maybe there is hope that the record industry can break the mold and effectively deal with the issues at hand. That may be too optimistic, but in the last six months more molds have been broken than the last six years.