The BIGGEST problem I see with the “faltering music industry” today is that there isn’t any music.
Squacking
warbling
screeching
monotonous
grating
noise
does not music make.
Gimme the old America, the old cars, and the old music any day.
There’s still a lot of good music being made, but you won’t hear it from the big labels or mainstream radio. One good thing about the technology available now is that one doesn’t need a lot of capital to produce a quality recording. Here in Toronto, a lot of bands produce their own CDs and flog them at their gigs; I’ve also seen a lot of buskers doing this.