Napster or Crapster?

["Mark R. Leaman" <mleaman@sccoast.net>]

> What do you mean by "central locations?" 

Keets:

I mean a place everyone knows the location of.

> More companies like Napster?  The 
> next generation is already out there and operating.  Gnutilla will steal
any 
> kind of software for you, from anywhere on the web.

Their time will come.

> series, but when I catch the videos on VH1, I been getting a lot of Ms. 
> Britney.

That's what you get for watching VH1. But it's not JUST them; look at what
aired on AMC last week. I think TV is more accepting of older artists than
new ones.

> catering a little bit to the current money-makers.  Rhino did exploit a 
> niche very well, but it's still a fairly small company within the
industry.

And there's a label which picked up bands like Warrant and Ratt,
C-something. And others labels too, I just don't have time to find them
all.

> It's not, but clinging to the old system (which doesn't pay too well 
> anymore) IS being a dinosaur.

It must pay pretty well, considering all the people trying to do it. I'd
take it.

> The smart, agile, sharp-toothed little 
> animals are already staking out new territory.

This, however, is a territory killer.

> Get rid of the current record companies and a new structure will form up
to 
> provide the same services.  I think it's starting to become visible just 
> lately.

Show me, then. I don't see it. I see the music being sold and given away. I
see no legal way to prevent it at the moment (but I equate that to not
seeing a legal reason for OJ to be walking around free).

> Mostly they seem very tightly controlled right now.  From the consumer
side, 
> you can't even call in a request to the local radio station

Yeah, well that's why MTV etc. came into being. However they were not
industry killers...instead they helped. I'm all for helping. Napster could
help, but that's not what's happening.

> not on our marketing department's playlist!"  It must be even more 
> infurating to artists.  Hence the stampede to the internet.

But again, not to give the music away in digital quality. The Internet to
promote is a wonderful idea, and I'm all for it.

> sell your own material online, you're going to need to form an apparatus
> that works like a mini record company to do it, find out how to most

Brian:

Yes, exactly. Someone has to be the expert, and someone has to take the
financial risk the band is unable to do.

> posters,you name it. And not just them. The big companies stuck with
> artists even though some of them were not all that commercially
successful. 
> the late Rory gallagher comes to mind.

Derick:

Right, again I'm in total agreement. How many bands do they lose money on?
More than they make money on. Before one starts shouting about how the
labels rip off an artist, they need to look at everything the label spends
money on.

> music away for free, how pray does the band make money? By live
> concert only ? What am I missing here ?

It has been suggested that bands can make the money on touring and
merchandising. I guess these people think that $250 (Atlanta) isn't enough
to pay for a ticket, and $30 isn't enough to pay for a T-shirt.

> of competition, technology etc.. Sony tried to stop home video and
> home audio taping etc... but their fear is genuine,it's their business
> being threatened,it's only natural they'd want to protect it.

The big difference here is making one copy of something and 100,000 copies.

> That works for the interim.  I'm not going to complain that TED are out 
> there doing it.

LB:

However, they made NO money on their last tour...remember? And Daltrey lost
money on the symphonic one.

> If there's no money in it, artists will stop making recordings.  It's as 
> simple as that, and for a lot of artists, already at that point.

And this is MY fear. It's not a fear for me personally, because I have
enough music to get me through the rest of my life (probably) but instead
for the younger people who will never get to be as excited about a band as
I have been about The Who.
It's also not a fear for my business (as some might imagine), because
business is up. WAY up this year. And as I'm flexible and prepared, I can
and will deal with anything that happens...after all, have you been on EBay
lately? These CDs I have here will be collectors items once people download
all their music...I'll be able to get a LOT more for each than I ever could
now.



"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
                         George W. Bush, Presidential Candidate

      
                    Cheers                  ML