OFF: If you pirate music, you're downloading communism!

[Jonathan Jarrett]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 03:35:40PM +0000, Steve Pond typed out:

	<snip>

> It's all moot anyway, I think we're in a transitional phase, the
> obvious end game is an annual "media fee" which will give you access
> to all music on the servers controlled by whoever is charging the
> fee.. 10 mergers down the line and that will be one server and one
> fee. (Ditto movies) the concept of "owning" music is outdated.
> 
> Smaller bands will survive by playing live and offering value added
> content on their own website's, forums with active band members and
> daily/regular blogs from the band themselves, discount live tickets,
> merchandise etc.. think of it as philanthropy.. Like Hawkwind? £5 per
> annum straight to the band for access to the good stuff on the website
> is a) cheaper than an annual CD release, and b) gives the band 500%
> more than they got 10 years ago if you bought their annual CD release.

	I don't think, the way the web is, it can be that monolithic. 
Unless we start heading towards China-like blocks of IP ranges, if 
someone doesn't like the corporate offer they can set up an alternative. 
So there was MP3.com and bands sold CDs through that if you liked the 
MP3s, though because electronic payment was in its infancy they made it 
very difficult except if you had a credit card (I don't and have been 
refused for one so doubt I will have--but now I use Paypal). Then (and 
now) there's people doing that through MySpace. But at the same time 
there's nothing to stop you just selling CDs through your website. As 
search engines more and more become a substitute for actually knowing 
where websites are such sites should never be more than a websearch 
away. They can do all the things you also mention, but if they can do 
any of that they can also sell their music and still make 500% more on 
it than they would make on doing it through a record company.

> My comment was prompted more by my own experiences which are that
> record companies release my music "officially" and I never get paid. I
> call it theft.
> 
> The Calvert Carlisle MP3's we've been giving away for 10 years on my
> website are being released by Voiceprint soon, have Fred or I been
> consulted? asked to supply sleeve notes? offered a free copy? entered
> into any sort of agreement?  Nope. 

	Once again we come to Voiceprint as the lowest common 
denominator of cheap record label practice really, don't we. Yours,
								    Jon

-- 
"When fortune wanes, of what assistance are quantities of elephants?"
	    (Juvaini, Afghan Muslim chronicler, c. 1206)
 Jon Jarrett, Fitzwilliam Museum, jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk