A Picture Is Worth 1000 CDs: Can the Music Industry Survive as a Stand-alone Business?

By Catherine Moore

The business consequences of combining image and music are signifi- cant, not only for those who manage music companies, but also for creative artists and consumers. Today, image is the dominant partner: blockbuster entertainment properties such as Star Wars or Friends have music only at their perimeters, and catch phrases such as "video killed the radio star" imply that pop culture has moved into an irreversible multiple-media era in which the music industry must capitulate to the business interests of other industries.1 This article proposes a very different path: one of autonomy, not capitulation to synergy.