Re: [rumori] Terror in Tune Town (fwd)


From: Zechariah Harvey (szhATumr.edu)
Date: Wed Jul 26 2000 - 06:50:03 PDT


> ->What I hear is that record sales are up. mp3's are the greatest
> ->promotional tool the record industry's ever had.

We are currently coming out of a CD boom that started before the widespread
use of Napster. So as of right now, the boost in CD sales cannot adequately
be attributed to Napster and other SAYSF (seek and ye shall find) programs.
Therefore, neither side can claim that statistic. What the Napster and other
programs will prove in the court to keep from being shut down is that no
irrepriable harm has come to said companies and associations by way of their
programs. Well, Napster's case is different. Scour.net's is pretty much that
tactic. Napster is going for the Pontias Pilot method. (What? stolen MP3s?
*wash wash scrub scrub* Don't know what you're talking about...)Though, the
figures in a year will be interesting. That's where we will be able to tell
aside from the CD boom we are coming out of now wether these programs are
the spawn of Satan as the R&MIAA want us to believe.

> I think the author of the article is definitely delusional, if not
> paranoid (are you paranoid if you're hoping something will happen?)
> He represents one extreme. There are others on the other. I don't think
> either one will be right. As usual, there will be some middle ground where
> things end up. Some capitalists will still be making lots of money from
> other people's creativity. Some freedom fighters will still be resisting.
> The battle will continue... that's my opinion.....

As of now, the middle ground has almost been reached. Scour.net was working
with big companies to devise a way to not break their copyrights when
artists under them are offered to the public via their program. But then
Sony (one of the companies they were dealing with) sued them
out-of-the-blue(can we say bandwagon much? or perhaps strong-arm
name-recognition tactics?)...so that will be interesting how that plays out.
Napster is working with Liquid Audio to do something vaguely mp3.com-ish in
the ways of protocols and ways to distribute without violating copyrights as
well. It seems both companies are trying to play ball...no, more like dance
while Big Business fires a gun at their feet. The downside to them
cooperating is that people will most likely have to pay per download for
these services. This reminds me of the saying about free lunches. Though, I
think there is such thing as a free lunch. Those who say there isn't were
just too slow to get one before it was all gone.

> Which means, I think, that the real power, in the future, will lie with
> those whose business is promotion and branding, who have the marketing
> muscle.

That's always been the case, hasn't it though? In some subverted way or
another, aren't most people who fall into the pop genre of music falling for
successful marketing? I personally listen to a great many things outside of
the pop genre, but every so often when I see a Britany Spears advertisement,
I think of her songs...which is then proceeded by a saliva increase and I
suddenly feel hungry for a doggy-treat...I don't know why.....

: : Zechariah Harvey

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