Music Industryn : rant

[Brij]

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol ... 144585.ece

God, all of this is making me so blinking angry!

I share music with friends, so technically I guess that is illegal. But the rest of my music I have bought, either on CD or downloads. The downloads I've paid for almost always need converting because the DRM makes life a nightmare!

Yet had I downloaded it illegally there would be no blinking problem for me to play the blinking files!

Blinking grrrrrr!

[hamster]

It's a weird one. I've always played instruments or sung in choirs and sharing CDs and recordings was part of the culture of being a musician, even before digital music made it easy. People were always copying things for each other and lending things. I think that some musicians have been able to really capitalise on downloading too - lots of new bands can let people download their music for free and promote themselves that way and there was even a group (whose name I can't remember) who were promoted as an iTunes download and got to number one in the charts without having released a physical single. Bigger bands can use it, such as Radiohead's latest album for which you could pay whatever you wanted directly, and this isn't quite the same but I read that by allowing newspapers to give away a free CD for example, bands can make it back in ticket sales for example.

A lot of the fuss about illegal downloading in some ways smacks of the industry and big bands wanting to protect their profits. As somebody who eventually wants to make a living in the creative arts, I am concerned about artists not getting royalties, but more broadly it allows artists to connect with their audience directly and cut out the managers, record labels and record stores if they choose and I think progressive artists are doing this and are finding ways to make it profitable. Downloading has real power to democratise music, imho.

I don't feel comfortable watching telly online though (not through iplayer or things like that, but on websites where people upload whole series). I just don't feel it changes the way I relate to people who make television programmes. But maybe that's just cos I like music more than telly...

[Super.Niki]

calm down! Calm down!! have a hug! ... ok that smiley reckons it's a 3som... so have a pint instead!!

I have to admit most of my stuff is either downloaded illegaly or copied (mostlly form my dad's stuff!), especially some of the bg folk arists! However all the unsigned bands' stuff I've got... all brought legally!

It's all very well ISPs signing up to give away free tracks or a monthly subscription to download tracks... but everyone has different tastes. What they consider "the latest tracks" may, infact, not be what some of their users want to listen to... I'm guessing the "latest tunes" aren't going to include the folk arists I want to listen to? Or maybe the classical arists Fred wants to listen to or the electronia that Bob wants?

grr.. that's annoying!!!

[smbm]

bands can make it back in ticket sales for example.

I guess this is why gigs are crazy expensive these days.

I download (illegally) most of my music these days or copy it off friends. Partly because the music industry has made me redundant twice now so I figure they owe me a few albums. Partly because I go to a lot of gigs and pay for the, in my opinion, massively over priced tickets. And partly because of the DRM and it's lack of support on Linux or for example iTunes purchased stuff not being able to work on anything else.

[Annpan]

It hasn't been reported in the press but there is a great independent label that I have had ties with (I won't name them as it is hardley the place for a scoop)

They have recently become hard up for cash and are trying to raise extra funds - the no1 reason is because people don't buy the records (a sign of my age there )but they get copies off of their friends (or just random no-bodys on the internet)

It was different in the days of record to tape copies because the copy was always of inferior quality, tapes only last a certain amount of time before they deteriorate, etc.... Many people would usually upgrade to their own copy of the record.

I see at close quarters the small players in the industry suffering because of illegal down loads... it is really sad, and people are loosing their jobs, their businesses and the ability to fund new acts. The big fish don't loose money... they can always hedge their bets and the next Madonna or Christina Aguilara album is still going to sell millions... its the little, important labels that suffer.

[smbm]

It hasn't been reported in the press but there is a great independent label that I have had ties with (I won't name them as it is hardley the place for a scoop)

They have recently become hard up for cash and are trying to raise extra funds - the no1 reason is because people don't buy the records (a sign of my age there )but they get copies off of their friends (or just random no-bodys on the internet)

It was different in the days of record to tape copies because the copy was always of inferior quality, tapes only last a certain amount of time before they deteriorate, etc.... Many people would usually upgrade to their own copy of the record.

I see at close quarters the small players in the industry suffering because of illegal down loads... it is really sad, and people are loosing their jobs, their businesses and the ability to fund new acts. The big fish don't loose money... they can always hedge their bets and the next Madonna or Christina Aguilara album is still going to sell millions... its the little, important labels that suffer.

Despite what I said previously, if it's an independent label or promoter or a local band etc then I will splash out.

I think it's important to financially support people that are actually doing something creative.

I've got little time for the big boys though who are just cycling through sure things by massive artists (like the example in the last paragraph of the quote) just to generate large sums of cash for shareholders.

[Turtuga Blanku]

hi folks,

good to hear that you and other people do think it important to support music of independent, original musicians out there.

I'm working in the independent music industry and will (relatively) soon launch my official website (www.turtugablanku.com) as the base of my creative activities.

Big record companies are in it for the money, not for the creativity. Independent musicians and small record companies are in it for the creativity, but still need money.

With my recorded sunrays ( www.myspace.com/turtugablanku ), I'm in it for creativity AND promotion of renewable energy. However, I can't live on sunshine alone, so support will always be welcome for independent musicians like me.

I do not think it that strange that the average teenager illegally downloads music. First of: with internet developments a lot of music is not available in the (hardcopy) music stores anymore.
Secondly: there are not that many options for a teenager to buy something from the internet.. A teenager does not have creditcard and usually no paypal either. Right now, they only have means to pay cash: from one hand to another. In the U.K. something smart has been developed and is being used: paying through SMS! If that would become possible all over the world, I'm sure it will decrease the amount of illegal downloads.

If you don't have the means to buy something, then stealing it is not a fair option, but is IS reality for music. With that reality you have to work and try to provide ways for people so that they at least have workable options to pay.