I had the pleasure of taking an exam today in business studies. Slightly weird I know but this had been due to the fact that this essay question appeared:
'Using your own knoweledge of a product, industry or marketplace, 'To what extent does the Internet pose more of a threat than an opportunity'
Obviously a gift of a question. When it came to writing this with an hour's time limit I had to really question why and how illegal downloads threaten the Industry.
Now don't get me wrong, I ALWAYS maintain my habit of purchasing songs (If available of course) and that's just it!
If the industry want's to stop this then why not use more DRM? sure its annoying for us end users, but really why not? Not just for downloads but copy-protection on CD'S also. So when an artist gets pissed off that pre-release stuff goes public, it makes you wonder who's fault it really is after someone leaks a demo.
And another thing, why on earth do these labels have terratorial rights anyway? This was never the case with vinyl, only now does it spark more demand for getting the songs you want legally or illegally. This just makes life worse for everyone, the labels and the end-users.
The labels who come on these blogs to complain have every right to, but really antagonism is not the key. Labels have much to gain from free word of mouth so why fight it? If they wan't to stop this then tackle it from the beginning, not half way down the line.
I still urge you to rid of these songs post sampling!
Let's hope I aced that paper ;-) What are your views?
8 comments:
Quite right mate.
Let me explain one or two things to you. Firstly, why don't labels use DRM? Because there's no point. Legitimate users who've bought the music find themselves being restricted in what they can do with their music, which is wrong. Once you've paid for a track, you should be allowed to use it for any legal purpose which you want. When DRM was introduced by the record labels a few years ago, complaints soon mounted about this. Also, many CD players were unable to play the new music. There were even cases of computers crashing when they attempted to play CDs or downloads with DRM technology.Those who are determined to post them on file-sharing websites can easily get around DRM. It's far from being an infallible technology. EMI was the first major to drop DRM, on the grounds it costs more to implement than it's worth.
And why do labels use territorial rights? These have always existed, to a certain extent. Take the track "What Planet You On" by Bodyrox, for example. This was first signed by a German label called Phonetic Records. When it was signed by Island Records in the UK, they wanted to make sure people bought it from them and not Phonetic, so they put restrictions in place. However, there's so many ways round it now that the technology is virtually worthless. The record label doesn't want you to buy a vinyl or CD copy of a track they've got which is signed to another label, but they can't physically stop you from making the order, or physically stop the order from being delivered to you, can they?
There are also some producers who have started using the Internet for promotional purposes. Speaking to some in the industry, one or two producers have deliberately leaked out records in order to see the reaction before deleting them a little later. Can't name them for obvious reasons, of course.
Used properly, the Internet can be a hugely useful (and financially enriching) tool for the music industry. It's a potential goldmine which we're all still working out. The Internet is still relatively young compared to many technologies, after all.
Thanks for taking the time to reply, it cleared up some of the DRM issues certainly.
However for physical downloads on Beatport, some tracks are not available (For me) to download even if loads of labels have it on their lists (or even a single label). I try using other sites but, for example, dylan drazen's remix of B1tch is extremeley difficult to get hold of, only on Beatport and is on Ultra records. Even if I go to the record's e-shop itself it still checks my IP adress and card details. So I still find it ridiculous that Ultra (a big label) do not have the means to sell to the Uk? (a relatively big market)
I can understand multiple label issues but for some of the most popular tracks only on a single label, they still limit licenses...
I'm not sure about that. I use Beatport, DJ Download, Trackitdown and the like, and I've never really had any problem with Ultra Records. However, there are some cases of tracks not being available in other countries. There may be legal reasons for this, but generally, it's a silly policy.
Remember, if people can't buy the track legally, they will get it illegally if they really want to have it. Record labels have got to realise that it's their profits which are at stake here.
I'm gonna ask Beatport more about this. I'll be in touch if and when I get the reply.
nice posting, man. made me think..
"Labels have much to gain from free word of mouth so why fight it?"
Free word of mouth is great and should be encouraged. Giving tracks away for free without permission on the other hand is not. Don't kid yourself that your doing something that's beneficial to labels here.
I was not referring to my blog. My argument is a generalisation.
Besides if you read the future issue of Mixmag last year,
"Increasingly more lables are finding that if you beat'em join'em. Or rather use them to your advantage."
"La Decandanse, a popular well known blog site, is run by people in the industry with contributors who work for Modular and Get Physical. 'Were friends with the bloggers' says Modular 'we sort of rely on them to promote a release'.
Other specialist labels like relish and Kitsune already work closely with blogs to break new artists - expect the bigger labels to get in on the act"
"In fact perhaps the biggest threat to the future of blog won't be copyright lawyers, but them becoming part of the machine they appear to endanger"
Seriously Mr anonymous, if you are not prepared to accept compromises then I have to ask why the hell are you even on here?
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