Grammy Museum – The Year in Music – First Town Hall Meeting

The Year in Music:
On Monday Night in a Closed Museum, the Grammy Museum held it’s first, in what it expects to be annual, «Year in Music Forum», with 5 guest speakers, who among them totaled decades of experience in the music business.
The Panel proceeded in informal fashion led by moderator Robert Santelli, instrumental in the development of the Grammy Museum, and long affiliated with The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Questions were put to music critics, music journalists, and music professors.
Seated on the panel were:
Josh Kun: Associate Professor at the Annenburg School, USC
Lorraine Ali: Newsweek, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Spin Mag
Phil Gallo: Variety, LA Times.
Gail Mitchell: Billboard’s R&B, Hip-​Hop editor
Sarah Bennett: The one fresh face, an editor & writer at USC
The searching question was the one on the minds of every music professional, regardless be it the lowly sell my Merch at a dive club musician before I climb back in the van and drive 375 miles to my next location wondering if I have enough gas & will break down … to radio station execs, recording industry executives, and consumers streaming & ripping.
* Where is music trending?
* What devices will people settle on for music listening, or will they ever settle?
* Is there a major world star out there? An umbrella star who captures everyone’s attention? Or are there tiny corners where some people listen to cumbia & reggaeton, while others listen to Bollywood & Bangra, & still others listen to Taylor Swift & Mylie Cyrus … ok this panel didn’t have much love for the last two, but just a point.
* How can anyone ever get paid again?
* Are there taste makers out there any more or does everyone just listen to whatever the F they want to, regardless of the critics?
Let us say the discussion was lively. Nothing was settled. And for the most part it was agreed that with music streaming from areas as diverse as the Ganges, the Amazon, and the Tigres-​Euphrates, that never again will there be a music industry in it’s Glory Days that can dictate consumer tastes and spending.
Disclaimer: This is not a review of the Grammy Museum itself. The Museum Exhibits were closed at that hour, and this was a Panel Discussion.