the future of the music business

[rittman]

http://www.futureofmusic.org/articles/arsfinal.cfm

[Nightwolf]

[Didier]

Hi Rittman,

Thanks, interesting read.

Didier

[Alistair]

Hi Rittman,

Thanks, interesting read.

Didier

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And a great cartoon. Maybe if I performed in my underwear I'd get more attention....or perhaps not!

[FinnArild]

They argument that it's the "end of the copyright era" and base the rest of their article on that. The "copyright era" isn't anything near over. The fact that people are negligent of copyright does not make it any less valid in court. A person manifesting a piece of art (or c++ program, for that matter) is still legally held as copyright holder for it in most countries in the world.

I'd take that article with a shovel of salt, especially what it predicts as "Worse for the indies". Independent labels take more and more of the collective revenue of sales. Also, picking out a group like collage students for causing the losses is faulty argumentation. College students have never bought much CDs (or Vinyl, for that matter) - before mp3 they used cassette tape to copy and listen to their music. The people who buy the most CDs have been, and are in the older, demographic. Established, middle class, music/hifi intrest. That they don't buy Britney Spears shouldn't scare most Indie labels. These trends could actually manifest themselves in good quality music being a trademark again (instead of a nice ass).

And the media is developing too - we now have SACD, people make their own broadcast-quality music videos, there's a revenue from cell-phone music ... I'm putting on shades and conclude the other way: the future is bright.

[nigel lawry]

nicely said finn

it's a new world out there and as ever with change comes fear

keep buying the shades!!

peace

nige

[Alistair]

It's an interesting point of debate, so thanks rittman for posting it.

But it's a poor article because as a manifesto it is simply too long to hold anyone's attention.

And, I think it shoots itself in the foot in the very first line:

It is our belief that indie artists will be disproportionately affected by a loss of revenue in a post-copyright era

Most indie artists don't receive any revenue at all. If anything, on-line music downloads might empower us to get revenue we might not otherwise have got. So I think the article concerns the few rather than the many.

[Lazz]

I thought it was a very "pro" article in that it provokes some controversy - which is regarded as a sign of journalistic success. The length didn't bug me - always tough to be concise, often impossible, especially dealing with any topic that has depths - and I like to read. I found it amusing in style and content. But it's true the content is wildly off-beam and the central plank of their platform is unerringly free of context.

In other words, it's almost complete bollocks.

The big money boys have considerable and increasing interest now vested in the international regime governing the ownership of intellectual property. While this state of affairs continues (and I see no likelihood of change) there is no chance the future will ever involve "the end of copyright".

There are developments and changes taking place, of course, especially to do with evolving accomodations with the spread of new media technologies. They occupy the fringes of copyright rather than its core, however, like considerations of exactly what it is that can constutute a "fair use" of otherwise copyright material.

The other thing I have found interesting is the way a number of recent actions for breach - i.e. the pursuit of illegal down-loaders and file-sharers - which have foundered in face of other laws and principles that have been framed to protect privacy and individual rights.

But then it's probably only wierdo-s like me who find that stuff remotely interesting.

[Alistair]

The length didn't bug me - always tough to be concise, often impossible, especially dealing with any topic that has depths - and I like to read

I, on the other hand, am very superficial!

[john]

Hey

To be honest it's all subject to change. On-line music is still a fledgling business within a fast moving technological environment. You can guarrantee that as soon as they can re-establish an effective way not to lose money through piracy, the main stream industry will be trying to get the indie genie back in the bottle.

Cheers

John

[FinnArild]

Hey

To be honest it's all subject to change. On-line music is still a fledgling business within a fast moving technological environment. You can guarrantee that as soon as they can re-establish an effective way not to lose money through piracy, the main stream industry will be trying to get the indie genie back in the bottle.

Cheers

John

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

John - granted lacking some solicity for his statement ...

[john]

John - granted lacking some solicity for his statement ...

?

[FinnArild]

?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry - had had one to many beers and it got a bit cryptic. What I meant was that although I also see such changes in the "crystal ball" theres really very little we can tell about where things are going.

I think we're very much at the crossroads right now.

[john]

Hey Finn

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I tend to think that it's up to the indie scene to create something more effective in the void left by the mainstream industry, and the web is certainly a great leveller.

Exciting times to involved in music.

Cheers

John

[hariossa]

one thing we know for sure, p2p sharing of mp3 won't be stopped, and every anti-piracy gizmo the industry release will be cracked.

it's a good idea to teach the people to support their favorite local artist, I mean, what's the point on giving britney spears more money?

if you have a limited amount of money for music, why not to give that money to the one that you want to keep making music?

local artists do need that money to keep creating and releasing more stuff... and eating too!.

[FinnArild]

one thing we know for sure, p2p sharing of mp3 won't be stopped, and every anti-piracy gizmo the industry release will be cracked.

it's a good idea to teach the people to support their favorite local artist, I mean, what's the point on giving britney spears more money?

if you have a limited amount of money for music, why not to give that money to the one that you want to keep making music?

local artists do need that money to keep creating and releasing more stuff... and eating too!.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep - and I think that is one thing you could see happening and it would be great. The last 20 years have been more and more dominated by big record companies pushing image instead of music. This new "order" could result in a focus on quality again. But as the old Norwegian saying goes: "nobody knows where the hare hops".