Future Look (Part II)

Music trends and our business: Historically, country music and rock formats have tended to do well in difficult economic times.

Prediction: this means that country music and rock are in for a pretty good three to seven year run, because the 25 year super bubble that was the U.S. economy over the last two decades has now burst and the general public is very much aware of that fact.

The last “Greatest Generation” rose to the occasion of World War II. All of us who work for a living are about to be tested in the same way. This time, it’s not a war or a tyrant, it’s rethinking where our gross national product is going to come from, how to tax that, how to start growing the retail Main Street economy again, protect the environment and our security, while competing/cooperating globally against/with extremely powerful forces.

The free market and Democracy are powerful allies in our corner, but there’s no painless way to treat what ails us short term. Strong leadership, truth telling and sacrifice will be required.

The stakes are very high.

I am betting that Americans will recover our former economic strength at some point in the medium term future, but it’s not a sure thing, if we continue to delay the hard choices which affect our competitiveness in the world.

(click to read my first stab at predicting our tomorrow and request for yours too)