Music industry corrupt - nobody looks surprised
NY Times describes how the recording industry gives gifts, "contest prizes", free trips, and other bribes to radio stations so that they would play particular songs or rewrite their top-lists so that certain songs would "appear as if they were taking off".
Record companies are not against the internet and peer-to-peer because they want to fight piracy. They are just afraid of losing their monopoly over distribution of music. If Internet radios, podcasting, internet stores (such as Amazon), second-hand-shops, and small, independent record companies that can give more money to the artists (like Magnatune - it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that 50% of 1000 records sold is more than 4% of 10,000 records sold) get to compete on an even playground with them, they might lose. Or at least they would have to reinvent their own business, which would mean innovation.
So they fight. They use their income to make the playground less even: Own the radio stations, kill internet radio (it's practically impossible to start an internet radio in Finland due to large fees - only the big media companies can afford it), kill peer-to-peer - the most efficient method of distribution so far invented by mankind. Bribe, cajole and threaten, if necessary. Anything goes, as long as you don't get caught.
Big business. Gotta love it. Better than movies.
(Via Dan Gillmor.)
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| "Main_blogentry_290705_1" last changed on 29-Jul-2005 12:58:15 EEST by JanneJalkanen. |
Comments
Just looking at various friends who started by releasing their own band's record, went forward to release and distribute a bunch of other stuff, started arranging tours etc., it's clear that the big record companies are going to have a horrible time in the future.That's what happens in the long run if your business plan is selling generic shit.
--84.248.29.13, 29-Jul-2005