What's happening to the recording industry? and its future?

[waitup]

Bah! So the "industry" has changed! Industries change. You reckon mining companies will be able to pull stuff out of the ground for money forever? no way. Things change, that's life.

I'm not old enough to have experienced the "golden age" of big budgets, big studios blah blah...

All of my (4) and my friends bands are playing shows, making recordings having fun. My sound engineer mates are getting by and having fun. I don't reckon it's all doom and gloom!

My apologies if this post has come off as dismissive or smart, just wanted to offer a different perspective.

[ether]

I would have to say that I'm a little more optimistic about the whole thing.

We need to forget and move on from what budgets were in the past. The 80's gave a once-in-a-lifetime lottery win for labels, in that they were able to resell their entire back catalogue in the form of CD's for doing nothing. This artificially distorted music business revenues, and this has now dried up.

For as long as I've been doing this, there has been no budget. I get annoyed when a band spends more on the photography and artwork than they do on the recording (this has happened a number of times) but that's their choice.

I also always hear of bands saying they have no budget, that they can't afford to do this/that however they walk in with their new ipads/laptops, having just come back from an overseas holiday with a nice car parked outside. It's just what people choose to spend their money on - and either you can complain and protest, or you can just roll with it. Don't forget that the whole service sector pricing is distorted at the moment - I can go to bunnings and buy an electric fan for $12 whereas someone to repair a broken fan would cost at least $60/hour (which is why hard rubbish day looks like such a travesty).

Speaking of Bunnings - has a $25 Ozito power saw eliminated the need for artisan cabinetmakers? Or has self-diagnosis via the internet eliminated the need for specialist surgeons? Yes there are now plenty of dodgy pergolas out there, and I'm sure many people are taking pills and supplements for ailments that they don't have. But the democratisation of music creation and all that goes along with it hasn't devalued truly great music - anyone with ears can pick a great song with great production, and my god does it stand out now more than ever. People make great records - not gear - people with skills and experience and talent. So there will always be demand for such people, I just think that ~those~ people need to get together and decide collectively that they aren't going to work for mcdonalds wages.

From the music consumption side, yes piratebay has resulted in a lot of piracy, but I don't think in most cases the downloader would have bought the music anyway, so it's no different to when I was 14 and I used to record songs off the radio onto my cassette boombox. I don't think that's the reason for the music industry pain we're feeling.

In this endless sea of bad recordings and shithouse music, there's never been a better time to make great music and stand out. Do something different, do something new and carve out your niche - it is still possible, and when you manage to do that you can STILL go out and sell a million copies of an album. I've seen it first-hand.

Chris

We'll said, and pretty much the position I'm taking.

However, I do think you downplay the change that the internet and piracy has had and is still having. The impact of having everything at your fingertips at little to no cost is profound, and profoundly changing many industries and aspects of society. And there's much more change to come...

[rick]

Times are tough for me right now .. unbelievably tough ..
So what ..?

Getting a record label to call you and book you is as hard as its ever been .. but no harder
it still happens around here .. always has .

The labels are still in nice offices with pretty girls at reception acting like THEY make the music.

For the most part I see musicians funding their own dreams trying to get labels to see what they are up to so they can get a chance to amplify that dream 100 times .
perhaps they should be smarter or wiser .. ? so what ?

I have no faith in labels .. or musicians to show me the way through I never have .

One must gather what you know .. adapt to the changes and do whatever you can to make ends meet.

If your just starting out .. well I tell people what I was told ..
"its impossible you cant earn a decent living
but if it sticks you can have a very decent way of life ".

I put my shingle out to Produce records again six months ago nowthat my kids are at school and divorce has set my weekly timetable in stone and I can actually plan my life ..
this is after an absence of 7 years in that area
I did it because I am good at it and I enjoy it and frankly mastering has tanked its going to go the hell over the next 5 years "
one must tend the nets .. all of them .

Every week something happens to me in the Production end of the market i like how that feels .. I have a bunch of stuff to do now and a bunch coming up ..
The budgets are low .. the talent pool is high ..
If the talent pool was low I would rethink I am sure .

As i just said and please note it ..Mastering has well and truly tanked ..
I was like the First independent mastering engineer in the country before the mastering market even existed
( labels owned the mastering suites historically)
I have enough work from people that understand what I do
but there are so many people doing a version of what I do for next to nothing
I cant compete with them
so I don't .

I have been hustling for work since the day I left the label ..its just how it runs
you cannot make work happen if your not in the right headspace ..
or if you feel the generation gap whacking you too hard in the face .
I have had a go at both of those issues at times in my life .


The important thing to put out there for most of us is we make records or want to make records ..
you cannot understand everything .. and selling is something i have never really liked or understood .

So selling our wares .. realising the value in the copyright and promoting the worth of a song as an Mp3 is a red herring .. for must of us

but in my opinion .. the entertainment is the asset .. not the plastic it sits on .

Big Concert tickets are WAY WAY up

and yes BTW the rise and rise of vinyl is absolute F@#$ing fiction !
sure there IS vinyl but is a money losing promotional distraction
( nice a distraction as it is )

So how do you value and sell entertainment .. ?
well the whole world is finding out in all areas of our distracted lil online lives .
I hope somebody figures it out and lets me know sooner rather then later !
.....

The other day I mastered a local bands e.p for a major label the band they have a worldwide 5 album deal .. they are barely "living" in a share house in surry hills no advance just the live shows to live on and whatever jobs they maintain .

Its the 2nd time I have done the e.p ..this time it included a couple of remixes so because of a change of plan I get two jobs from the one contact point .. this IS how I have always made money .. unplanned repeat business .

Anyway hipsters from overseas have reworked a couple of tracks in a remix
"what does a remix like this cost" I asked the ( uber ) manager ..?
"$6k per track" he says .. ( ok somebody is getting paid well to make music? )

"how the f@#$ does that make sense to pay that in the mp3 market " I ask ..?

"oh easy" he says " for 6k we own the remix track outright and we can use it how we like for the good of the band
we just got both included on the ministry of sounds chill-out compilation .. ( on a different label ) their licence fee to us more then covers the cost of the remixes .. now the band have a chance to get in the ears of 500,000 kids that would have never heard them before ..
Its just value added marketing ."

Point being is that how money is being spent and made in the big end of town all the while the band share a shitty house in surrey hills scratching around waiting to get famous ..
that feels exactly like 1985 to me ...? ( 1985 over the top compilation anybody ? )

iTunes is a buck a track , singles used to be a buck a disc .. torrents are free.
Nobody I ever knew in australia raced up to me and said look at all the money the label just gave me for selling my singles .. !
Its always been advances .. recoupment issues ..
its never a straight line from checkout to wallet .


I think the inherent value of a song is outrageously low right now .. its agreed
ok ..
so its agreed thats a start .. its fucked .
might as well start from there

but we are in the entertainment business

somedays I just have to settle for entertaining myself .. I don't have the bucks for much else

Music has always been a hard way to make consistent money .. thats why the inconsistent money is like lotto ..
its pretty entertaining though .. I spent 4 hours last night noodling on my guitar while my kids slept .

Chris V on this forum has produced that passenger record .. its been number one in every country I can think of and on its way up in america this week .. some 50,000 us sales in a week and up it goes ..
to date I don't think he has seen a cent in royalties but there are statements coming in .. some money will either turn up or not
how much he gets will of coarse be his business .. but that is the point .. its his business ..its what he does he backed himself !.

He could be you or me or them .. but he is one of us. its a crap shoot always has been

Andy stewart is part of the Goytes teams success he has some kind of royalties ebbing in to his bank account now ..
he backed himself .

both these guys are on this forum .. and again I say they could be me or you or us or them ..

point of this rant is its business as usual

the only difference i see from the good old days is you have to back yourself as a "technical type "

actually speaking of serious money I think Sia is still a member on this forum
but I don't she has logged in for a while .. she backed herself to !

.. sure the sky is falling in chris T .. I see it .. its real and I mean nothing but respect .
and sure its no good individually for lots of us.. myself in that lot

thats just the way things are ..

I have no answers ..I cant change the world .. just the little bits I rub against
if my head is on right .

My head has been feeling pretty close to right lately .

[ChrisW]

Bah! So the "industry" has changed! Industries change. You reckon mining companies will be able to pull stuff out of the ground for money forever? no way. Things change, that's life.

People still enjoy music. People still make music. Music from 30 to 40 years ago is still very popular (Stones, Floyd, Zeppelin, Beatles).
I'm not sure what therefore has changed in the artform, other than the people making it get less compensation for the work.

[ChrisW]

the only difference i see from the good old days is you have to back yourself as a "technical type "

Differences.....
Every sensible businessperson knows there is no money in selling records. back in the day, there were businesspeople, managers, indie labels all happy to invest in an artist they liked. That no longer happens. You do everything yourself, and some label might put it out.
You spend months making your EP, you pay for everything yourself. The day after it's released a 'fan' shares it with all your potential customers. Your investment in time and money is now worthless.
I never trained as a recording engineer. I know nothing about mastering. I have limited skills as a keyboard player. I'm not a record company businessman. If I want to still do anything I have to perform all those roles, whether I'm any good at them or not. And people say music sucks now, or the quality of recording sucks.

get over it and adapt?
Sure. I have. Most people do, or you would get a day job or chuck yourself in front of a train. But part of adapting is resisting the creative landgrab by the mighty tech corporation. They need our music, but they don't want to pay for it. If they do pay for it, they want to pay as little as possible. So you shout about that and resist for the sake of your finances, and for the finances of young musicians in the future. Or you roll over and accept everything that's done to you.

[ChrisW]

From the music consumption side, yes piratebay has resulted in a lot of piracy, but I don't think in most cases the downloader would have bought the music anyway, so it's no different to when I was 14 and I used to record songs off the radio onto my cassette boombox. I don't think that's the reason for the music industry pain we're feeling.

It's not the only reason, but the most popular pirated artists are the most popular artists. So it's common sense to conclude the people doing the downloading actually want the latest Usher track, they aren't just downloading it for grins. The most pirated TV show is Game Of Thrones. Would you say if people couldn't pirate it,m they wouldn't watch it? It's a highly rated program, which is why more people are attracted to access it for free, before it's shown on the network that paid for it.

[The Tasmanian]

Well - I'm glad we are all in, discussing this.
Its like a boil - it needs to be burst.
I'm not at all concerned about myself - Ive had, and still have a great career in this industry, over many decades.
I'm one of the lucky ones. But - I've made my own luck.
No-one handed me the luck. I started with nothing - no gear - no reputation - just determination to be great at what I did, and really look after my clients.

Wiz - I'm not leaving the music industry, nor am I bitter.
Dont read it at all as that - its a discussion of an issue that I'm passionate about - valuing artists work and skill sets.
I will continue in this industry, saying yes to my good clients, adjust to their budgets - and say no to fighting for anything that smells like a shitty job.
Got much better things to do with my time. (like even do a few days carpentry - do some gardening even..)

Ive found/developed a way to still be a composer/musician/producer and engineer on my creative terms, in new formats and still be a studio producer/mixer/engineer for other artists.
Life is very good. I have balance and enough income to survive, a killer studio, amazing clients and an outlet for my creativity.
I have no nostalgia for the good ol days - they were not that good from my POV.
Except, music and musicians, proper studios, producers/engineers were valued in the good ol days.

But the whole thing that upsets me is the devaluing of the artform and skill sets we have given so much for, and developed over decades.

When such great talent and lifetimes full of incredible skills is basically getting to the point of volunteering, whilst thieves steal their work, multinationals take a chunk of what tiny amount is available - that breaks my heart.

I'll always stick up and fight for the musicians getting respect, and their work valued.
Same with the dedicated studio professionals, mastering experts etc.
Hence the topic is a passionate discussion for me, and one I feel is apt on this forum, we should all engage in.

[ChrisW]

I agree with every word. Couldn't agree more in fact.
It looks like I've had very similar experiences to Chris T. And like him, I'm much more worried about the present/future generation than I am my own circumstances.

[The Tasmanian]

Chris W

"get over it and adapt?
Sure. I have. Most people do, or you would get a day job or chuck yourself in front of a train. But part of adapting is resisting the creative landgrab by the mighty tech corporation. They need our music, but they don't want to pay for it. If they do pay for it, they want to pay as little as possible. So you shout about that and resist for the sake of your finances, and for the finances of young musicians in the future. Or you roll over and accept everything that's done to you"

Great points!

[rick]

If you see what i wrote chris

I wrote the only difference I see ... ( and everybody has a different angle .. )

I see labels behaving exactly like they used to , Just less of them . I see sales types , promo girls, promoters managers , marketers , all types all on the record company tit ..
I see bands lined up to get signed , i see kids dreaming of being kayne

but there is SO many more bands and songs I could not even guess the numbers but lets make it simple

In 1985 australia could survive putting ALL its released music out through 3 companies factory plants and just 10 mastering people did every release local or overseas songs .. big or small
that is every song in the australian public domain ran through those plants either i did it or one of the other 9 did it
understand this .. every single song anybody heard in australia !
( hell we even controlled the imports)

So the state of things is its a pretty easy way to qualify it locally ..

So just guess how many tracks around the country are being mastered . or psuado mastered or not mastered at all in preparation for a monday morning release .. today .. i cant actually guess but will say its got to be x 50 on what it was 30 years ago

So a bigger population making MORE music is the thing to start figuring solutions from ..

that would be the 101 optimist in me talking
check back in 5 years for the realist update .

[ChrisW]

Lot's of people were making music and aspiring to a career decades ago. I guess you had gatekeepers.
I don't think the mass of hobbyist, part time or up and coming music impacts the professional scene. Most people follow a few names. I think they largely ignore the stuff they don't know much about.
I'm totally up for competing with non-professional music and musicians. If someone wants to hire a free drummer over me, that's fine and totally understandable.
I think it's in the end bad for consumers when a singer masters their own EP. I think it's in the end bad for consumers when a drummer uses v-drums instead of a nice sounding kit, well recorded.
They don't realise it's bad for them, but I'm telling them it is.
The music industry is going to a Woolworths/Coles model, and in the end, those who seek out quality might have to find a musical farmer's market.
As a lifelong music professional, it's sad for me to see corners cut, pesticides sprayed all over the music, workers unpaid, but that's the stack 'em high, sell it cheap model the tech industry and Pirate Bay prefer.
Yes, maybe I see it differently. But I'm going to say something, not let it just happen, although I realise one or two voices of discontent are being drowned out in a consumer frenzy.

[rick]

"I don't think the mass of hobbyist, part time or up and coming music impacts the professional scene. Most people follow a few names. I think they largely ignore the stuff they don't know much about."


I think we absolutely disagree on this .

[jkhuri44]

im pretty sure skrillex is a bedroom hobbyist who ended up with a grammy?

[Manning]

im pretty sure skrillex is a bedroom hobbyist who ended up with a grammy?

The same can be said for Gotye to some extent, at least in the beginning.

Hang on - didn't ALL of us start out as bedroom hobbyists?

[rob]

I buy music all the time .....

[rick]

your no help rob .. this is a dog fight , pimple squeeze
not a useful report about music lovers being honest with their money .


I had vesta fire four track cassette deck that I bought to use in my bedroom the year .. after I worked started working
at festival on the big neve with the 2"tape and the neumanns ... I used to take the tube u47 and the altec tube mic home for vocals because they didn't need 48 v phantom power which the vesta fire obviously didnt have .
nobody seemed too fussed that I took the old junky tube mics home .. they would have noticed if i took a 421 though ?


does retrospectively count as ALL of us manning ?

[Chinagraf]

That story is kinda related to what I''d say. I totally agree it has changed big time. I started in 87 as digital was pretty much a stereo thing for master recordings (1610, F1) and have travelled through the whole technology change. I completely understand people wanting to go do something else, I have sat up late many a night thinking the same thing. Not sure what I would do though, I have been in studios since I was a teenager and have no experience at anything else.
I was talking with a producer the other day who felt there is still life in the industry but it needs a new approach. I said what is it, he said I dunno. What do Trockers think are new directions? I have found that mobility has created more interest recently than my mix room full of nice vintage outboard. Take a nice mic, mic pre and good converters and head out to someone's home and record in their environment, make it sound great and give them the vocal files at the end of the day. Have a beer, get the cash and bail back to my room which is home base, but not always the centre of production. I've also gotten interest heading down to band's rehearsal spaces and recording them there. Taking the renting a big space cost out of the tracking budget means they are only paying for me and the gear. Sure the rooms aren't as good, but it might also be time to adapt or die? At the same time, I have come across some great sounding drum rooms in ordinary homes, so who knows. Anyone else got any thoughts on adapted/alternate business approaches for the glorious new eon?

[The Tasmanian]

Hey Andy - I don't think there is a particular new approach.
But definitely a new way of interacting with clients, working within their budgets, and being flexible, open minded, offering them something they cannot get elsewhere etc .

I moved to Tassie about 6 years ago, it was a real crazy professional risk, but so many artists from all around the globe come here to work on their albums.
Because I could offer something different. Really different. A beautiful inspiring environment, full of amazing gear, and a lifetimes experience in the field.
I also got in touch with the local promoters - got to know them, so the bands can offset their costs by doing a show or 2 while they are here. Another win for them.

I don't have the overheads of a massive studio, rent etc, so can accommodate smaller budgets without actually reducing what I would get at the end of the day.
Artists even come to write here, as opposed to in the city/homes - with all the great inspiring keys/amps/ doodackies that I know will inspire them.
Recording here - with killer mic's/pre's/convertors/tape etc.
Mixing here is a winner too for the client - I've even flown to France to track, and have the band come here to mix.
The last band to record here a was a 9 piece from New Orleans.

I still use big studios to track where I need a big live set-up, although - I usually use all my mic pre's - cause most studios don't have them. Ive even differentiated my set-up to all of the generic stuff most studios have

I also invested in a van - so I can go to others abodes and do the same.
I'll go anywhere - in the desert - in a cave.. ( maybe not a public toilet - I might meet Alan Jones!!)

So differentiating oneself, your gear, and your skills from everyone else , makes people able to make a strong decision to work with you.
It also weeds out the ones that are looking to do cheap shit - the ones that don't care about quality or experience, as there is plenty of people using cheap shit, and little experience dressed up as "gold"
the software engineers/producers.... ones that read gearslutz for their opinions to be formed.
Zero real world experience.... those type...

So - offer something unique + a lifetime of experience + a lifetime collection of killer gear + a totally different recording experience.
It works - even I'm surprised.

No-one can offer or even copy what I do, and how I do it, plus my lifetime experience - its unique.
That's the way I'll keep it going, and that is one of the main the reasons people come back time and time again to work with me.

And because my overheads are extremely low, I can survive on less work, and have more time to develop my own musical ideas - whereas when in Sydney for decades, it was never ending, just trying to pay the bills meant I had to work like a muthfuka. Never time for myself, a line of failed relationships due to overworking , basically I was a zombie.

When I apply this all to composition its the same concept - do what you do well, build your own individual voice, and don't ever try to be like anyone else. (same as what I preach to the artists I work with)
A complete circle.

Oh - and I get the NBN tomorrow !!!!
That will open up many more possibilities...

[Chinagraf]

We still don't have the NBN in StKilda. I blame Rupert Murdoch.

[The Tasmanian]

Geez - I hope Murdoch does not win the election.

This is one HUGE important issue for the future of the music industry.

Anyone in this game that votes for Murdoch in this election is a complete idiot.
The AU music industry desperately needs the NBN - we can work with anyone in the world with it.
From anywhere in the country.
I'm in the rainforest, just about to connect with the world tomorrow - able to work on any project - anywhere on the globe.

Thank god K.Rudd did the stupid state first!

[rick]

First time I have ever heard anybody claim a win over the nbn
Next thing they are going to let us know about the cloned Tasmanian tiger project.

f@#$ I hope your Internet works out tommorrow Chris
It will gives us all hope !

[Manning]

The NBN will go ahead no matter who is in office.

The libs oppose it only because it was lab's project - as any opposition would. I didn't see Labor reversing the GST despite bitterly opposing it at the time, nor did Fraser ever try to undo Medibank (which became Medicare for those too young to remember)

If the libs win, the NBN will still go ahead with only superficial changes. Turnball's copper idea was laughed away by the industry - the equivalent of suggesting steam trains for public transport.

The AU music industry desperately needs the NBN - we can work with anyone in the world with it.

And no-one in government cares one bit about that. However the banking and mining industries also desperately need the NBN, and they have a wee bit more clout than the music industry.

The only people really opposed to it are CBD office space landlords. Comm Bank has already half left Sydney's CBD and moved to Homebush, and Railcorp moved to Burwood. That exodus to cheaper tenancies will accelerate once truly high volume data lines are available (IAG already teleconferences between floors in the same building).

[The Tasmanian]

Its a frenzy down here Rick -
The NBN has made any house with a creative person into a poss international business, as long as one has the ideas, talent and vision.
I hope everyone gets it in this country.
At least then we then have the opportunity to work with the rest of world - live.

[The Tasmanian]

But Manning - Fraudband is bullshit - choked down, and dumb boxes on every street corner, needing a few coal fired power stations just to run these idiot Murdoch boxes.

I actually believe in scientists warnings - so these stupid boxes are moronic - to put it as an understatement.

Dumb for our industry
Dumb for our industries future
Dumb on every level you look at it.

[Manning]

But Manning - Fraudband is bullshit - choked down, and dumb boxes on every street corner, needing a few coal fired power stations just to run these idiot Murdoch boxes.

I actually believe in scientists warnings - so these stupid boxes are moronic - to put it as an understatement.

Dumb for our industry
Dumb for our industries future
Dumb on every level you look at it.

Um, yeah, I'm agreeing with you. We will get the NBN no matter who is in office. The banks and the miners want it, and they are the real power in this country. How else do you think a 40+ billion dollar project got approved in the first place?

[The Tasmanian]

Wrong - we have 2 different systems on offer
1 - is fibre to the house - instantly connected to the world

2 - is fibre to a box full of electronics + batteries, + $5000 to connect to your house.

How do you see these as the same?

[The Tasmanian]

And who gives a shit about the mining industry - or its relevance to us?

This is about our great industry having a way to connect our talent to the world - and surviving.

The NBN is great for OUR industry - not Fraudband with some shitty bit of copper to your house.
Its a joke.

[mylesgm]

So differentiating oneself, your gear, and your skills from everyone else , makes people able to make a strong decision to work with you.

No-one can offer or even copy what I do, and how I do it, plus my lifetime experience - its unique.
That's the way I'll keep it going, and that is one of the main the reasons people come back time and time again to work with me.

And because my overheads are extremely low, I can survive on less work, and have more time to develop my own musical ideas - whereas when in Sydney for decades, it was never ending, just trying to pay the bills meant I had to work like a muthfuka. Never time for myself, a line of failed relationships due to overworking , basically I was a zombie.

This is essentially what I do. Do I want a big studio? yes but I doubt I'll ever make that scenario work for me. Do I want awesome gear? yep but the economics just don't seem to work.

Low overheads, flexibility, being unique and creating work for yourself. These equal survival in the current scenario, well for me anyway.

It's also worth mentioning that we as Australians might lament the current economy or social structure or whatever but we have it so good compared to 90% of the rest of the world. Especially musicians and artists. And whilst that doesn't mean we shouldn't be advocates for better conditions everywhere we need to think about reality and for me the reality is that if you can eat, put a roof over your head, get medical care when needed and a decent education then you are doing very well indeed. I for one think that we in the west just take so much for granted and receiving a "good" salary is one of those things we just think we "deserve".

[Manning]

Wrong - we have 2 different systems on offer
1 - is fibre to the house - instantly connected to the world

2 - is fibre to a box full of electronics + batteries, + $5000 to connect to your house.

How do you see these as the same?

Because no matter who is in power, we will get option 1 (FTTP, fibre to the premise).

Why? Because big business wants this. They do not want Turnball's fibre-to-the-node (FTTN). It is already dead in the water as far as big business goes, and that means it is dead as policy, no matter what anyone says.

FTTN (option 2) does not provide all the cost savings to industry that FTTP offers. I'm on a contract at IAG at the moment, and they are already talking about a heavy shift to teleworking, given that they pay nearly $3000/yr per employee for office space. Add to this the benefit of high volume cloud data management, and business can see an opportunity to offload a LOT of operational costs.

So the Libs will bang on about FTTN until after the election, because they have to say something as the opposition. But no matter who wins, FTTP is coming.

Why does what the mining industry want matter? Well as long as what it wants it aligns with what you want (not a common thing), it is a great ally to have. They have WAY more power than any other industry in this country.

[ChrisW]

I was following the T-Rock edict - no politics. But yeah, the NBN.
I've made quite a few serious miscalculations with my career over the last few years and one was the crapness of Aussie telecommunications.
I'm not sure the miners want the NBN. Why would they?
Anyway, I live about 20kms from minecentral in NSW, and the other side of me is the biggest coal dock on the planet, and most people round here can only get dial up. I get broadband 1 (which is sloooooow) only because I'm 1km from a popular local school.
As I never got a call from an Aussie (page 1 of the thread), all my work partners and clients are still in the UK and Europe. It takes me 8 hours overnight to send a 5 minute stereo audiofile at 96khz.
I'm doing a project that involves studio sessions in London and Sydney, and it's virtually impossible to collaborate, other than carrier pigeon.
From tomorrow Chris I will be seriously envious of you. You are so right. With the NBN every house could be a business, earning foreign currency for Australia, but Turnbull and Abbott keep saying households don't need fast broadband, but they will make sure business parks get fast broadband.
BUt to end, the future of the business? Get people paying for music again. The labels are irrelevant, so I think the best bet is to persuade tech giants that content is worth supporting. Which I can actually see happening.