Music Cycles

"As the bigger picture illustrates beyond any doubt, the record business is inherently cyclical. Fallow periods tend to follow bumper harvests. Today's predicament, in which an ever-dwindling generation of rock 'n' roll impresarios finds itself tiptoeing into the terrifying crosscurrents of the digital age, can only make sense when viewed within a complete time frame. Difficult as market conditions are today, our struggling record business has not become extinct; a tribe of indie diehards is currently trudging through the desert--surviving on weeds, puddles, and their undying belief in music. In fact, today's open field is probably the place of immense opportunity. When the rivers flow again, the elected will build viaducts, hanging gardens, new temples, and new marketplaces" (Gareth Murphy, Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Music Industry, xi).