Comments on: Why Bloggers Don’t Run Record Companies

by: Podcasting News » Will 2007 See The End Of DRM?

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:05:31 +0000

[…] We’re not convinced that the mainstream music industry is ready to dump a $12 billion/year business built on controlled distribution for a model based on unencrypted MP3s. The oft-cited eMusic, which sells MP3s of primarily indie artists, does a tiny fraction of iTunes’ business (less than 1%), so it’s difficult to imagine it driving music industry strategy. The industry is caught between a rock and a hard place. Its traditional music business is shrinking, and its digital music business is largely controlled by Apple and a few phone companies. […]

by: Hummingbird Mentality » Blog Archive » More on eMusic

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 04:15:17 +0000

[…] The folk at Axehole have responded to my post (responding to their post) about eMusic DRM and the like. Gareth Stack posts a well reasoned counter-argument to this post at his blog, Hummingbird Mentality. It’s an interesting read, though we’re not convinced. […]

by: Leftover Cheese - On Digital Rights Management

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:21:37 +0000

[…] According to Axehole, “Tech bloggers are freaking out about the news.” […]

by: axehole

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:26:15 +0000

tinfoil

Musicians shouldn’t expect to make much money on eMusic.

You put your blood, sweat and tears into making an album, you publish it on the site, and then you make $6.25 a song. Not a good plan.

I’m with you 100%, though, thinking that musicians deserve to get paid well - I’m just not convinced that working as a musical sharecropper is a good strategy.

Musicians today are better off creating their own site and using MySpace and other popular free sites to help establish themselves. This is probably not going to lead to the mega-success, though, that lots of musicians dream about.

by: tinfoil

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:02:02 +0000

Axe, I understand the distinction now that you point it out, and I will grant you the point.

I still stand by my point that the musicians stand to make more selling directly via services such as emusic than they do with the labels.

I do like to see musicians paid. It would be an understatement to say that it is vital. I am a musician and have made my cash. Thankfully I’m done now and have a day job.

by: axehole

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 01:07:45 +0000

tinfoil - you don’t pay for individual tracks - you pay for a subscription that gives you x number of tracks per month. This may seem like a subtle distinction - but you can bet that at the end of the month there are a lot of people downloading @#$# that they wouldn’t pay for otherwise.

Nathan - the post discusses why bloggers don’t run record companies and how eMusic’s milestone doesn’t really mean much to the music business. Why do people like you think this means that I prefer a monopoly?

It doesn’t - it just means that it’s common in the blogging world for pretty smart people to talk out their rears about the music business without taking a moment to through their positions.

I’d like musicians to get paid and music to be free. I also like puppies, babies and hope for world peace.

by: nathan

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 14:26:05 +0000

sounds like your issue is more with non-apple digital music sales in general rather than emusic in particular. really, you’d prefer a monopoly on digital sales. to each his own i guess, but i kind of like the idea that i don’t have to buy from one place whose songs won’t play on my sandisk mp3 player.

as for artists not making money, is there any way they actually do make money from record sales? not that i’ve heard of, unless they’re britney spears.

it’s also odd that you call non-DRMed mp3s “a new option” when it’s DRM that’s the new thing.

enjoy your restrictions.

by: tinfoil

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 14:21:43 +0000

Huh, interesting article and you do make some valid points.

1) You are correct, for now. DRM still hasn’t penetrated the market to such a point where it inconveniences the general public. Still, when a user upgrades from an older PlayForSure device to a Zune or iPod and finds that the music they purchased isn’t going to work on it, they are going to be a little pissed.

2) Que? Seriously, you do keep the music man.

3) Yup, you got that one right, which is why the labels won’t like it. Thankfully there is a small, but growing, trend for bands to skirt the majors as the majors seek to reduce royalties, cut into ticket & merch sales(1).

4 & 5) Again, spot on.

6) That’s more than they get from the majors now man, and the labels want to reduce what they are getting now(2). They will get more cashish from emusic, not that royalties or CD sales where the sweetest cherry.

–
Bloggers are doing the preaching now because they are, generally, more technically inclined and can see the problems that a DRM’ed future bring.
(1)http://tinfoilmusic.net/content/view/1734/2/
(2) http://tinfoilmusic.net/content/view/1724/2/

by: blah blah

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:15:56 +0000

so when artist can’t make money who is going to pay for them to eat. Music could be free when musicians can go into any shop and not pay for anything they take. Roll on the non paying world of Nirvana where everything is free but untill then…..

Why do bloggers happily pay internet companies for access to the net, pay mobile phone companie to use a mobile, buy computers, buy cars, buy food, buy electricity, buy alcohol and cigarettes but object to paying for music….they must all hate music.

by: Hummingbird Mentality » Blog Archive » Why eMusic doesn’t suck

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 03:11:44 +0000

[…] I try to stay in touch with the quirky world of American indie music via the excellent Brooklyn Vegan blog, normally it’s dishes of Alt Country, New American Wierd, Post Punk and other musical gumbo are served just the way I like them. However, a recent post has left a bad taste in my mouth (titter). Brooklyn Vegan links to an article on Axehole (another music blog) entitled “Why Bloggers Don’t Run Record Companies“. The article, itself a response to the Blogosphere’s excitement surrounding the announcement that eMusic (a DRM free digital music store) have reached 100 million songs sold; and suggests that this figure is irrelevant next to the awe and majesty of music sales through the iTunes music store. […]

by: blah

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 21:41:42 +0000

the money COULD be at non-DRM if and once more people get on it. itunes only makes the money it does because the ipod drives people to it. 99 cents per song is a rip off, especially for the quality they are providing.

by: brooklynvegan

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 20:38:43 +0000

“Why Bloggers Don’t Run Record Companies”…

“These guys need a reality check. Like it or not, sales of non-DRM’d music are trivial in the context of music industry sales, they are insignificant compared to the sales of DRM’d tracks at iTunes, and they don’t offer artists……