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Grammy Award winner John Legend weighs in on the future of the music industry and life on the road during a recession.
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-- -- waiting -- Superman you know.
Better -- -- well now our next guest John Legend Grammy Award winning singer songwriter.
Artist and he is back on the road with shot -- the the maintenance that's right and nine time Grammy Award -- good to see you.
Good to be here -- first time owner of Fox Business are.
-- -- We'll go easy on bubbles that are -- We said earlier we're gonna talk about the music kind of business in general and where you see things as you so much said about how the -- business is changing and yeah.
Economy's been rough few last few years where are we.
Well the economy is is still a bit.
Rough for the music business one that we we have the bigger trend of you know downloading and there's always ways to get music for free yeah.
And so we had the bigger challenge of -- so.
A product that people can get for free pretty easily so.
I don't think wherever.
See you.
The sales of recordings be what they used to be in the ninety's.
Or you know days or any time before that.
Because you know people can have so many ways of accessing music for free now so we we just have to adjust to that reality and record labels have had to shrink for that reason.
Selling a lot of records now is defined down compared to what used to be.
So you know when -- outside -- one of the things.
They they say about her she sold 150 million records -- -- which is mind boggling and an artist -- starting right now it would be very difficult.
For -- to -- a 150 million records in this climate and with the way things work in the industry now just won't happen.
The whole music industry yeah kind of gotten on board with what collection country -- new long time ago -- got to sort out beyond the -- got a -- around like 300 days a year.
You're on the right -- I thought I how is the economy our.
Well you know.
What -- is recovering from the recession but it's -- for fairly slow recovery you know.
And the unemployment rate still pretty high and so I think people don't have as much money to go and spin for a pretty expensive concert ticket.
And so one of the things that music industry is doing is we're combining.
Headliners into one show so a lot of people would say John you could headline your own show.
Why would you -- shot a flow yet to be a little more creative in this market.
To sell an arena out.
A lot of times you need to big artists to sell that are -- -- whereas before you might have been -- -- do with one.
Do you see that different parts of the country by the way is -- What if you go around the entire country is it's softer in certain areas have you noticed that a well.
I know from a couple of years ago I was headlining.
We had more problems in the -- upper midwest which is where I'm down accents from like Ohio and yet again.
-- -- -- on the auto industry was suffering and and the manufacturing jobs are disappearing -- so you you would have a little more trouble selling tickets in those areas.
And I'm from that area so I understand it very well and I know a lot of my family members are struggling in that same way and -- my dad was a factor worker for thirty years and so we know what that it's like.
And we we we we grew up with that environment and we saw the decline happened.
And so you can understand why those areas might have softer -- -- You are connected with the economy and so many ways and we have for one you just made this investment in this hit companies quite -- water company hit prodigy it was started by a husband and why did how did you.
And up.
Even knowing that this company -- -- -- I just saw the I saw the drinks and whole foods Starbucks and and I'm always looking for you know cool stuff and and I think a lot of water -- a lot of kind of healthy beverages and I saw this new.
Drink that had a hint of fruit flavor but none of the sugar and -- the -- that a lot of times we drink.
And and that it was cool my manager saw -- in Starbucks as well.
And somehow he came across the couple themselves and -- met them and and saw their passion for what they were doing is -- John you got to meet these guys they're awesome I think you would love working with them.
And the more -- talked to them the more I talk to them the more I saw their passion and the more -- believe in the product.
And I believe in the message of the product which is drink water not sugar because so -- the beverage is that we consume.
Contribute to obesity you know lots of sugar.
Even this so called healthy looking drinks.
There you know fruits and vitamins and all these things you still like in just a whole bunch of sugar with that your.
And indeed a diet soda you know you're getting on the the chemicals they -- the user make that which.
Pretty much crap most of time to -- that market yeah actually it was -- so it I just felt like this product was so timely.
And taste good and you know there's something -- -- of the -- Right you got now they'll come out early next year you're working on it but please compact I would love to the president we got that everything here is cuts we love you John -- alleged.
