otis_sh
join:2007-05-04
Ann Arbor, MI
2 edits | fired If I were a wealthy, famous musician and MY manager made a speech like that, I'd fire him on the spot.
Yes, it's true that we need a company like Amazon to start offering flacs for download. If Amazon had flac downloads, I'd be a very, very, VERY good customer... believe me. There's lots of really cool albums they've got I'd like to have - and I'll gladly pay what they ask. The mp3's just don't cut it, sorry.
My opinion -- he's just way off base there - I didn't even bother finishing the speech. My opinion - you can't logically come to the conclusions from the facts presented. He's entitled to his opinion, though. But if he worked for me, I'd fire him on the spot. But of course, that's just me.
10 years from now, 20 years from now, 50 years from now, people will remember this speech. That is NOT a good thing.
Is rock dead? Will rock and roll ever die? A few more speeches like this and it'll be ancient history.
The situation, as I see it, is fairly simple. Music is about sharing. Friends would make tapes of other friends' LP's - people would gather around some central location in the house and share stories or sing songs - kids telling ghost stories around the campfire -- families singing in the car together driving down the highway.
This is something that is so engrained in the human species that it probably (if you believe in evolution) existed in one form or another before humans being ever set foot on land.
It's the classic have your cake and eat it too -- on the one hand -- these industry folks suggest that just because it's "virtual" doesn't mean it's not illegal. In other words, theft is theft and you can't hide behind a mouse or whatever.
On the other hand, however... just because the gathering around the campfire is virtual (e.g. OiNK), DOES NOT MEAN that it isn't real. See? OiNK, for instance, fulfilled a biological function that predates the internet, the 78, the player piano, the harpsichord, the bone flute. File sharing, no matter how unsophisticated and commercialized, fulfills a biological function - that of human beings getting together and sharing music, stories, in short - the biological function of sharing the human experience -- in a virtual environment or otherwise -- no matter how untalented, stereotypical, boring, or repetitive the performers might happen to be.
In some of these peoples' minds, the laws apply to virtual environments, but what gets overlooked is that the storytelling function, the sharing of the human experience function is ALSO every bit as REAL in a virtual environment. As well. This is something people fail to realize. Theft is theft, but hanging out is hanging out. Virtual or not. Ok, so it's a rather large party. Welcome to the virtual future. I realize that being a rock and roll manager is a tough job, but if you can't stand the heat...
Obviously, the best solution would be to simply remove all material off the "net" from all artists who don't want it there. The problem they'll run into though, is that this new "net" has become the store shelf. Remove your music from the "net" via DNA fingerprinting or cease and desist or what have you, and it's like taking your music off the store shelves. Don't want them playing your music at the mega-block-party? Well then, lesser-known artists won't mind -- they'll be happy to have their music shared because in doing so, they'll realize greater album sales.
There are two types of artists -- those who are helped by p2p, and those who are harmed by p2p.
To sum up, people won't forget this speech. The "scene" is going to change. Emotions are powerful. Music is delicate. Intentionally or not, musicians who are "hip" will slowly begin to gain ground over the "quantity over quality" engineered acts.
It's so unfortunate, that one of the things that has characterized music in the USA is that music gets the "short end of the stick". Not enough respect for the music, everyone just wants money. And see -- strange how it goes full circle, doesn't it -- artists get screwed over, and the big wigs make money. But it's a REAL stretch to say that people only get fast internet connections to steal music. That's just too much of a stretch. If p2p were to go "poof" and disappear, people would still want 100/100 fiber optic connections. "It's a coincidence... it's not scientific".
I sincerely look forward to the day when all RIAA/IFPI musics are completely removed from this so-called "evil" net. Then we won't have to listen to their nonsense anymore. I have better things to do than write THIS... |
