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Author
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Topic: The RIAA Won't Take My Money (Nov. 2000)
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Kevin Ott
True Believer
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posted 10-30-2000 02:02 AM
   
It’s kind of sad that the porn industry learned to harness the financial power of the Internet before the mainstream music media did. I’d like to live in a world where Bob Guccione has less business acumen than Hilary Rosen, but I’d also like a pony, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon either.In a perfect future, the chief brain cells at the RIAA will clear the vacuum tubes out of their brains and realize that the best way to compete with moneyless online trading is to provide a knock-yer-damn-socks-off alternative at a reasonable cost. If we finally got this whole email-virus-attachment problem licked, we could have sort of an online combination of Columbia House and shareware. Like Dave said, you could subscribe to a service and have free reign over a library of songs. The company could email you snatches of songs, or even whole songs, encouraging you to buy more or increase your subscription rate or whatever. Artists themselves have provided a pretty good example of David leading Goliath. Independent artist have their own sites – good examples are www.glenphillips.com and http://pages.prodigy.net/hotelfauxpas – where they either offer free downloads or links to sites that can provide them. The result: I can’t wait for Glen Phillips to come out with a new CD. I’ll be first in line to buy it. Here’s the problem: If Napster continues to exist, it continues to pose problems, real or imagined, for record companies. And if the record companies can develop a subscription or pay-per-copy system, there’s no way to stop those tracks from showing up on Napster a few days later. I agree with Dave; Napster has its fair share of problems for users, and there’s always some cretin who unplugs just as the progress bar reaches 85 percent. But you can’t beat the cost. And that little kitty logo is just so darn cute.
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Pattie Gillett
True Believer
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posted 11-02-2000 10:24 PM
Truth be told, the “Napster fiasco” hasn’t exactly been tops on my list of injustices to fight lately. I’ve been slow when it comes to upgrading my musical delivery systems. I still have a cassette player in my car and there’s nary an mp3 to be found on my hard drive. It’s probably just as well, though. There is not quite the same demand for free downloadable country files as there is for, say Metallica. (I have to say, though, if I was on the fence with this thing, Metallica’s whining would have been enough to make me get the Napster logo tattooed somewhere on my body.)
Nevertheless, I can appreciate the principle behind Dave’s argument, particularly when you realize that services like Napster do not take large sums of money directly away from the artists, in most cases. Because of the structure of the recording contracts, most artists don’t see a profit from their work until they tour. Royalties from record sales primarily go to the record company, who then turn over what literally amounts to pennies to the artist. (Read the Courtney Love article that Dave mentioned if you haven’t already.) With that in mind, I’d gladly hand over $40 to $50 for a ticket to a concert for an artist I really like rather than fork over $15 for a CD. That way I’d be giving my financial support using a method I know will benefit them to a greater degree and, moreover, I’d be supporting them in person, watching them do what they got in the business to do: perform.
One final note, I think BMG showed some foresight in breaking with the pack and dealing with Napster. Rather than ding in their heels, they made a decision that could move the entire industry forward. It’s the kind of move that makes me proud to pay full price for my one CD (and Get 567 Free!)
[This message has been edited by Pattie Gillett (edited 11-02-2000).] |
BJ
One of the Regulars
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posted 11-05-2000 09:05 PM
Dave's ideas are great, pay for a subscription to download the songs. This way, the law will have a hard time touching you. An alternative, though, is to have a site that has already paid for the rights to songs and provide them for free. It is completely legal and is done by Audio Galaxy( www.audiogalaxy.com ). I have e-mailed Dave about this. From what my brother tells me, this site will continue to download while you are disconnected from the internet. Pretty amazing.
Back to Napster, the sharing of music has actually helped boost the sale of CD's. How is this possible you ask? When Napster first came out, CD burners were a thing of the future. Not many people had teh concept of putting files on a CD. So, by downloading songs, the people learned to like a particular band, but couldn't listen to their songs all the time. Solution: They went out and bought it. Only since the invention of the CD burner has Napster been in the public eye of copyright infringment for sharing music.[This message has been edited by Kevin Ott (edited 11-06-2000).] |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 11-16-2000 01:45 AM
As the various court cases involving mp3s get settled, I'm wondering if there's anyone who thinks this is a bad thing; I've seen people accuse Napster of selling out by settling with Bertelsmann, and I wonder what the consensus is around here on that issue. As I said in my article, I think it's a great thing that Napseters' settling -- it's a business, its purpose wsa always to make money. Now maybe it can make money doing something good. |
Kevin Ott
True Believer
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posted 11-16-2000 11:27 AM
Check out this link to Napster's press release to read more about the situation, to make comments to the people at Napster, and to find out their take on the "selling out" claims. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 11-21-2000 04:32 PM
Remember how I mentioned that I wouldn't trade MP3 tracks that I bought from EMusic on Napster? Well, apparently I'm in the minority, and EMusic is trying to do something about it. They've going to be putting digital fingerprints on their tracks, and if you swap one of those on Napster, you get an IM telling you that if you don't cease and desist, EMusic will get your Napster account locked out. According to EMusic, Napster has been uncooperative in dealing with this issue, so they're playing hardball. Kinda makes you wonder what steps Napster will take to protect its for-profit tracks when the new service debuts. |
Pattie Gillett
True Believer
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posted 01-04-2001 05:45 PM
There's a good piece on Business 2.0 wondering just where the financial evidence of the supposed "damage" done to the record industry due to the proliferation of Internet music swapping. Apparently, the industry profits continue to rise. I guess nobody knows the troubles they see. Read the article here. [This message has been edited by Pattie Gillett (edited 01-04-2001).] |
Kevin Ott
True Believer
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posted 01-04-2001 10:44 PM
I guess it goes to show that the massive marketing machines of the big-time record labels are a pretty good antidote to a few million college kids downloading Eiffel 65 songs and taping Pearl Jam bootlegs.I mean, c'mon. We all know that the PJ Harveys and Luscious Jacksons and John Mellencamps aren't what line record execs' pockets with hundreds. It's the big sellers - N'Sync and Britney Spears and all that VH1 Diva nonsense. The stuff that's highly anticipated, the stuff that's big enough to generate a following. I saw copies of the Backstreet Boys' new album in B. Dalton while I was Christmas shopping, for God's sake, so no industry exec is going to tell me anything about anemic record companies destroyed by Napster. Metallica might have a case in saying that they're losing a few bucks, but I'm not going to shed any tears for David Geffen. C'mon. (PS -- Isn't Metallica big enough to self-publish now? Isn't that a possibility? Tom?) (PPS -- I don't know if Geffen has made any complaints per se, but he's the only record exec besides Hilary Rosen whose name I know. Anyone who pals around with Spielberg can't be all bad.) |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 01-04-2001 10:45 PM
Of course, the record companies are gonna claim they would have sold even more records if it hadn't been for those pesky kids.Interesting anecdote -- someone over at the Warren Ellis Forum asked some of the creators over there what the reaction would be to a Napster-for-comics, to promote less well-known stuff. The basic gist was that if anyone tried to do that with anything they owned, the creators would come over, cut off the perpetrators' genitalia, and shove them down his/her/their throat(s). So there are apparently some strong feelings on the issue. I really wonder how much of it is connected to how strongly the creator in question feels they're getting a fair share of the profits from a given work . . . ah well. |
Kevin Ott
True Believer
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posted 01-05-2001 05:49 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Dave Thomer:
Of course, the record companies are gonna claim they would have sold even more records if it hadn't been for those pesky kids.
And their mangy mutt. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 01-09-2001 03:11 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Kevin Ott:
(PS -- Isn't Metallica big enough to self-publish now? Isn't that a possibility? Tom?)
Hell, shouldn't someone other than Prince be sounding the call for digital distribution as a way for artists to cast off the shackles of burdeonsome label contracts? |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 01-21-2001 12:50 AM
In a continung effort to use former members of Toad the Wet Sprocket as examples in this thread, I thought I would point out that Lapdog has promoted itself almost entirely through its website and MP3.com. They put up demos for free download, took preorders over the web, and paid the bills to make their album with the money from the preorders. Not a bad deal. |
Pattie Gillett
True Believer
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posted 01-30-2001 02:01 PM
Well, according to this, BMG hopes to have its paid-version of Napster up by mid-2001, although it seems they forgot to tell Napster. I really hope this doesn't get bungled although given that there are large-multinational corporations and highly-paid executives involved, I may as well wish for a ride on Kevin's pet pony. [This message has been edited by Pattie Gillett (edited 01-30-2001).] |
Kevin Ott
True Believer
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posted 02-01-2001 11:03 PM
From what I read on the wires, it looks like the Napster we all know and love will be around for a while, but BMG will introduce the Napster-plus site as well. I hear it'll cost anywhere from $5 to $15 a month, and it looks like it'll be devoid of all the hassles that mark Napster (unavailability of songs, poor downloads, cretins who think Tracy Chapman sings "Son of a Preacher Man," and so on). For that, I'll gladly pay $15 a month, and $5 would be even better.I'll still use Napster for the hard-to-find stuff, though. And I'm wondering if artists will be able to use the new service to market their products. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 02-01-2001 11:40 PM
Have Napster and Bertelsmann gotten their stories straight yet?Agreed, 5 or 15 bucks a month sound pretty good, depending on the breadth of the library. |
Kevin Ott
True Believer
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posted 02-07-2001 10:42 AM
Hats off to the Washington Post for creating a page that offers mp3s from Musicians in the DC area. It's great to see a newspaper supporting local music like this.There's a great FAQ page directed at musicians who might want to post which nicely describes the Post's attitude toward the format as well. |
Pattie Gillett
True Believer
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posted 02-12-2001 01:37 PM
For those of you who spent your weekend stockpiling mp3 files from Napster, your time was apparently not spent in vain, this story is still coming out but . . . this round may go to the RIAA.
[This message has been edited by Pattie Gillett (edited 02-12-2001).] |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 03-18-2001 09:58 PM
Not that I am in any way promoting copyright infringement, but . . . Audiogalaxy is a nice, if somewhat slow, file search and exchange tool. |
Pattie Gillett
True Believer
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posted 03-19-2001 07:54 PM
Yes, Dave, I'm sure our attorneys can utilize your ellipses in our defense. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 04-09-2001 06:19 PM
We have attorneys?Seriously, now that the labels have stomped Napster, they finally seem to be getting off their butts. Yahoo! is going to join up the Duet service that Sony and Universal are launching. Universal is also buying EMusic, which has thus far refused to use any kind of download management software in its files which restrict the number of times a downloaded file can be copied. Meanwhile, AOL Tim Warner is working with several other labels and RealNetworks to create MusicNet, which apparently will continue the Net tradition of saving cash by eliminating spaces. Each operation hopes that it will be able to convince the labels that aren't a part of it to license their music to it; I'm hopeful of this as well, but at the very least, they seem to be off to a good start. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 10-14-2001 02:16 PM
Hey, has anyone purchased or tried to listen to any of these new CDs designed to discourage ripping of MP3s? I think I'm going to make a point of not buying any of said discs -- especially because a lot of them are going to try and shove Microsoft Media Player format down our throats.C'mon, record companies, I'm still waiting for that subscriptions service. What is it about my money you don't like? |
Earl Green
True Believer
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posted 10-15-2001 06:57 PM
"Uncopyable" discs? Oh, pfft. That's really going to deter people whose only means of ripping/burning is a computer. Just play it back on a normal CD player and dub it analog on a stand-alone CD-R home audio deck. Sure, it'll be passing through analog instead of being a straight digital copy, but there's a work-around for every solution they try to come up with.Well, according to what I've read, at any rate. Not that I know anything about such things, he said innocently. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 10-15-2001 11:37 PM
Let's be honest, though. Not everyone has something like Earl's Wide World o' A-V Equipment to implement these workarounds, nor the desire to go through a whole lot of cabling and hooking stuff up in order to do it.Not that I think it'll work, either, mind you. |
Earl Green
True Believer
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posted 10-16-2001 01:51 PM
Yeah, I suppose I have a few gadgets that are just a wee bit outside the norm. But I imagine that even the MP3-ripping crowd will find an easy work-around within weeks of the first such titles hitting the shelves. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 10-19-2001 11:18 PM
You're undoubtedly right, but this will put a crimp in some people's copying -- which would be a good thing, if there were an equitable and just alternative way to get music. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 03-20-2003 04:45 AM
You know, I'm thinking of giving MusicNet a shot. Looks like a $4.95 monthly fee, and you can download 100 songs per month. That's what, seven or eight albums a month? Sounds reasonable to me. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 03-21-2003 01:31 AM
I take that back. By 'download' MusicNet (at least the RealOne version) means 'have a version on your computer that you can only play with our player, and can not burn to a CD or transfer to an MP3 device, and that you can only keep on your PC for a month unless you renew it, which counts against your allotment for the month.' Also, the music library's pretty weak.I was going to check out pressplay, the annoyingly-italicized competing service, because they'll at least let you permanently download 10 tracks a month - but they charge about 15 bucks a month to do it, which I don't really consider all that cost-effective. Sigh. So close, yet so far. |
Earl Green
True Believer
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posted 03-22-2003 06:43 PM
I still do the Kazaa thing on an infrequent basis. I think the most recent download was that song that Mitsubishi's using in their latest ad campaign. In fact, the rarified category of "Mitsubishi music" has constituted quite a few of my downloads in the past year. What can I say? They've got a knack for picking catchy stuff that hasn't really caught fire on radio yet.(P.S. the song in question is "Breathe" by Telepopmusik in case anyone's interested.) |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 04-14-2003 01:45 PM
I heard the full version of that on the radio. It was pretty catchy.I took another look at eMusic's site today. They definitely have the format down; I just wish they had a more extensive library. (Of course, if I were the adventurous sort, that wouldn't really be an issue, since they have plenty of artists I have yet to hear. Ah well. |
Dave Thomer
Guardian of Peace and Justice in the Galaxy
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posted 07-12-2003 12:57 AM
Anyone with a Mac and an iPod check out Apple's music store? I've heard it's a little bit closer to the model I describe, although right now you need the Mac to use it. |
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