An interesting perspective...

[crunch]

Thought this would make for interesting conversational fodder, this came in email this morning...

Crunch:

Big Steve forwarded this to me from his son. Worth taking a look at in light of our recent "where is the industry headed" discussions....

Ed



So apparently, one of the new music torrents floating around the internet
came with this little message:
--------
Hello listener...downloader...pirate...pseudo-criminal...

If you can read this, then you've more than likely downloaded this album
from a peer to peer network or torrent.

You probably expect the rest of this message to tell you that you're
hurting musicians and breaking just about every copyright law in the book.
Well, it won't tell you that.

What I would like to tell you is that my record label understands that a
large portion of people pirate music because it is easier than buying it.
CDs scratch easily, most pay-per-download sites have poor quality and
shitty DRM protection, and vinyl is near impossible to find or ship
without hassle.
In many cases I wonder why people buy CDs at all anymore. A few like the
tangible artwork, some haven't adapted to MP3s yet, but most do it because
they have a profound love for music and want to support the artists making
it. Kind of restores your faith in humanity for a moment eh?

So, now what?
Like the album? About to go "support the artist" on iTunes?
Well, don't.
Alphabasic is currently in a legal battle against Apple because NONE of
our material (Sublight Records included) receives a dime of royalty from
the vast amount of sales iTunes has generated using our material.

Want to buy a CD just to show your support?
If you don't particularly like CDs, don't bother.
Retailers like Best Buy and Amazon spike the price so high that their cut
is often 8 times higher than the artist's. Besides, most CDs are made out
of unrecyclable plastic and leave a nasty footprint in your environment.

If you do particularly like CDs, buy them from the label (in our case,
alphabasic.com). After manufacturing costs are recuperated, our artists
usually receive over 90% of the actual money coming out of your wallet.
In addition, all of our physical products are made out of 100% recycled
material.

Want to show your support?
Go here and browse our library of lossless, DRM-free downloads.
Already have that?
Then feel free to donate whatever you want to your favorite artist. 100%
will go directly to them.
Hell, you can even donate a penny just to thank the artist.

If you really like 'The Flashbulb - Soundtrack To A Vacant Life' and want
to show your support without it going to greedy retailers, distributors,
and coked-up label reps, then click the button below.
If you send us your mailing address, Alphabasic may occasionally send you
various goodies (overstocks, stickers, even rare CDs) in appreciation and
encouragement for your support.
---------


I thought this was a creative way of adapting to a new generation of music
pirates. It's be interesting to see how well this strategy works.

Caleb


FWIW, most of the label reps I know just drink too much coffee...

:grin:

My point in posting this is simply this; the systematic devaluation of music is happening RIGHT NOW.

[Bob Olhsson]

It happened the moment research began to show that the only profitable products that could be sold on the internet were access, porn and music.

You can't realistically float an initial public offering for selling porn so do the math about what's left. Microsoft got over by being sleazier than IBM could imagine and the tech stock crowd is getting over by being sleazier than the entertainment industry could imagine.

[weedywet]

yes. And thank you Bob for pointing out that this IS sleazy.

Like us? Then help us screw everyone in business with us.


On another front, this begs the question : why CAN'T someone float a well written, well rearched IPO for an Internet porn business?
there's NO good reason. Anyone can see it' a a proven money maker and anyone can equally see that business has no intrinsic morality (Enron anyone? Halliburton? Blackwater?)

Part of the silliness of a country founded by puritans.
Might as well pretend that no one buys coffee. Porn is about as popular.

[crunch]

The only issue is that no one has figured out how to put the right gloss on porn, or even give it the right name, in order to market it publicly without outcry. Ironically, we/marketing folks use "porn" (ok, photographs of desirable people) all the time to sell everything BUT porn, and it works all the time. People like a pretty face, hubba, hubba. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Because of it's very nature (and people who enjoy porn typically wanting to keep that part of their lives private) the internet is the perfect delivery mechanism that gives the illusion of privacy, whereas it doesn't do so terrific using other delivery methods. I'm sure DVD sales are still hopping though...

Everyone is so desensitized from TV, movies and the internet that the ability to sit and simply listen to something and be moved one way or another is a tall order. An important time for us all to be doing our very best work.

[weedywet]

without wishing to get permanently off topic:
if it's clear that tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of Americans buy porn one way or another, then should not the right answer be " who CARES about the 'outcry'?" the so-called outcry is from that tiny Puritan minority who still hold much too much influence.

[mousdrvr]

The only issue is that no one has figured out how to put the right gloss on porn, or even give it the right name, in order to market it publicly without outcry. Ironically, we/marketing folks use "porn" (ok, photographs of desirable people) all the time to sell everything BUT porn, and it works all the time. People like a pretty face, hubba, hubba. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Because of it's very nature (and people who enjoy porn typically wanting to keep that part of their lives private) the internet is the perfect delivery mechanism that gives the illusion of privacy, whereas it doesn't do so terrific using other delivery methods. I'm sure DVD sales are still hopping though...

Everyone is so desensitized from TV, movies and the internet that the ability to sit and simply listen to something and be moved one way or another is a tall order. An important time for us all to be doing our very best work.



:Thumbsup: :Thumbsup:



-mous

[Bob Olhsson]

I think most would-be stockholders, the folks who buy I.P.O.s, think a porn business would be subject to a lot of regulation and censorship if it were a public stock. As far as I know it is still by far the biggest money-maker on the net just as it was in the video store business.

As for sleaze, the closest bar to Motown was located in a fancy hotel across the street from General Motors' world headquarters that catered mostly to that company's top management. A drunk GM executive could rattle off stories about the auto industry that made anything I've ever heard about Morris Levy sound like Sunday school. I've always wondered why the music industry seems to be held to so much higher a standard of morality than every other business I'm aware of. This is not an "everybody else does it" excuse but it is interesting how many people seem to want to jump on anything resembling sleaze in our industry yet excuse every other business for arguably far more harmful practices.

Incidentally, the wikipedia story about Levy paints him as being much less of a sleazebag than numerous first hand stories I've heard.

[crunch]

well, yeah, I would say my experiences with enterprise level companies would indicate that they could and would school the record company folks easily and mercilessly... their best option would be to sell out, take the money and run.

There is obviously already a lot of blood in the water.

In the meantime, what do you think of the donationware model? Comes off kinda desperate to me.. It's asking for handouts which is, coupled with a cardboard sign, not a pretty picture... Kids, smile and give it away like it's no big deal, and upsell for the nicer sounding stuff. That model is risky enough if you ask me...

Maybe the devaluation is a good thing in that it will weed out the hacks (yeah, I'll keep working anyway, thanks guys...) ultimately making the talent curve rise. Hobbyists won't be confused with artists, which is, apparently, a real problem these days...

But I'm so pissed about the present pro audio situation, I can't see straight. I can't get a publishing deal after finally getting out of a really shitty locked-in 8 year deal with some stone cold pricks, it's now all on song submittal basis with little to no agreement, VERY dangerous. Now I gotta get a bunch of new stuff together and try to license it on my own, although with gaming and websites, there are a few new markets. The studio market in Austin has dropped so far, we're working on bullshit projects for chump change. I make the same money playing out as I did TWENTY FUCKING YEARS AGO. At least 20 years ago, in Austin mind you, all the live venues had inhouse pa's and ae's and club owners who, for the most part, cared about quality if it would sell beer, which it always does, and I have been, for sure, a consummate beer salesman for many moons. Now, I'm moving wayyyy too much gear because we have to tote our own PA, because club owners have to be CHEAPSKATE MOTHER FUCKERS to stay in business. Gas prices are through the roof, and, imho, will rise BAD towards the end of summer, if not sooner. How is this supposed to work again?

I say we get pitchforks, torches and a couple of 12 packs and politely kick down the door at Clear Channel, but I'm not sure that will help anything. Aside from being a really good time...

:grin:

Sorry about the rant.

I'm not sure there IS a solution other than "keep at it" and pray it gets better.

Bob, again, where do we go from here?

[weedywet]

the only way a so-called donation model works to me is when a band says to its mailing list " we want to make a record without record company backing, so if you will sen us your $9 now, we'll mail you the record you helped finance when it is done"

That's clean, fair, honest and not trying to screw anyone
assuming of course the record turns out to be worth the fans' faith in it

[Johnny]

As a Puritan fan, can I just interject that they were not the prudes common folklore makes them out to be? You could bring your spouse up on charges if they didn't do their conjugal duty, so to speak, in most Puritan communities.

Carry on.

:lol:

[G cubed]

The moral of the story being that hard work does pay ..... just not to those who actually do it.

[Rosstapher]

Sorry about the rant.

Well ranted. :lol:

[dikledoux]

An important time for us all to be doing our very best work.
...despite, maybe BECAUSE of the challenges.

dik