In an article by Anmar Frangoul for The Sunday Times, Jon Bon Jovi states:

Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it.

God, it was a magical, magical time. I hate to sound like an old man now, but I am, and you mark my words, in a generation from now people are going to say: ‘What happened?’ Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business.

HT: MacDailyNews

Really?

Steve Jobs is PERSONALLY responsible for killing the music business?

Not the hundreds of music labels and thousands of record executives who FAILED to change with the times, but Steve Jobs?

A few thoughts come to mind:

• I may have just started collecting vinyl in the last year, but I am old enough to remember going to stores and buying CD’s based solely upon the cover art. IT SUCKED. While there were a few gems here and there, there was also a high probability of getting stuck with crap. With iTunes, I can preview any track, at any time, 24/7/365, and then purchase it with one click. And once it’s downloaded, it’s there. No more looking for lost CD’s or replacing scratched ones.
• iTunes (along with Amazon, Rhapsody, etc.) makes discovering new music easy and fun. And it makes getting discovered just as easy. The biggest complaint against the music business in the days that Bon Jovi is so fond of was that artists had to practically prostitute themselves to the music business in order to make it in the music business. People can talk about “the cream rising to the top” all they want, but the reality is, there are countless bands out there that end up having to call it quits simply because they aren’t pretty enough, or aren’t trendy enough, or don’t have a look, or have an outdated look, or whatever. Think about it: Anvil is one of the most influential bands of the last thirty years, yet outside of the rock stars they influenced, no one had ever heard of them until the last two years (thanks to a great documentary). But I bet you can think of a dozen bands from the last thirty years that don’t deserve ANY of the recognition and acclaim they’ve gotten, yet they’re played on Top 40 radio incessantly. These days, bands don’t have to appease record executives or radio stations – they can bypass the traditional channels entirely to reach their audience. Artists such as Trent Reznor and Radiohead are truly embracing this by distributing their music through their websites first, and later through traditional channels, such as brick and mortar stores. And more artists are catching on: all of Page CXVI’s releases are handled through their website (where you can purchase digital downloads, or download + CD), and Derek Webb has done the same for his most recent releases. Metallica is even considering adopting this model, as they fulfilled their contractual obligations to Elektra/Atlantic with the release of Death Magnetic.
• iTunes is the largest LEGAL source of music downloads.
• In 2008, iTunes passed Best Buy and Walmart to become the largest music seller in the United States, a position it holds to this day.

In other words, Steve Jobs didn’t kill the music business; Steve Jobs revolutionized the music business. Sorry Bon Jovi, but I like knowing that all 2,063 albums I own are on my MacBook (as well as an external hard drive, just in case). I like having the ability to take hundreds of albums with me wherever I go via my iPhone. And yes, I still buy the occasional CD. But guess what the first thing I do with it when I get home is? Yup, import to iTunes.

Of course, I never hear struggling artists complain about the so-called “death of the industry”. It’s always established veterans. First it was Stevie Nicks, then Prince, now Jon Bon Jovi. People who, the last time they were “struggling”, I wasn’t even alive.

***UPDATE***
Greg Puciato (Dillinger Escape Plan) was recently asked for his opinion concerning online file-sharing and it’s effect on the music industry, and he has some really good things to say. Click here to read his response. My favorite part has to be when he says,

…bands and record companies need to let go of the idea of the CD as the product. The CD is not the product, it’s a means to distribute the product…

So true.