Re: Zoe Keating in NY Times article.@borisfx.com

[Steve Uccello <stevebassbird@yahoo.com>]

I have only been skimming through on this thread, so not sure if this totally fits in to it, but I think this awesome, ranting blog post by bassist Jeff Schmidt would interest some of you...?

http://beautiful-bass.com/blog/?p=398

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From: mark francombe <mark@markfrancombe.com>
To: loopers-delight <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 11:57 AM
Subject: Re: Zoe Keating in NY Times article.@borisfx.com

I wont comment on the issues you pointed out on others posts, just mine...

On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 7:55 PM, Todd Elliott <toddbert@gmail.com> wrote:

The record companies before, at least came from a standpoint of loving music, now the music business is being strangled by the distributors (Apple, Spotify etc) Its of course ther own fault for not jumping in quick and building their own online music services, and spent too much time stamping on Napster instead... Now the CEO of Napster is a Board member of Spotify and hes considered a legit businessman... Go figure!

Nope. Record companies have always been in the business to make money

Didnt say theys weren't, and I dont think that makes them bad per se either. I have 2 business, and Id like them to make money, (one does the other doesn't)

 

(even Dischord, or whatever your favorite punk rock label is; they at least want to cover their own expenses, which involves selling things for cash).

No problem with that, where ARE you getting that i want record companies to work for free? Did I say that? I think not!

 

They got better at it over time (pop music is now largely a series of formulas, with as many as 8 songwriters working on something).

You say NOW largely formula, I can vouch that it wasn't so in the 90s, a pair of song writers maybe, but not 6.. So THATS what it takes to sell a record now does it, ok, I rest my case, there is OH SO NO money in the business for creativity, that they have to resort to these so called formulas.. how sad... 

 

The basic, original business model of record companies relied on them controlling distribution.

This is purely a US-centric situation, because the biggest record shop in the US was Wallmart.. or some such shit... the majors in Europe often had to go thru distribution networks that were wholely seperate, and Indie music in particular, which became so all encompassing that all majors had a few fake indie companies under their belts (I should know I was on one) had to go thru indie distribution to, A) get in the Indie charts and B) got on alternative TV, like MTV after hours, 120 minutes etc...

 

When people figured out how to (re)distribute it themselves, they decided it wasn't worth as much as the record companies were charging.

Not true, didn't happen like that at all...

 

When it became easy to get for free, they decided it was free. 

Also not true, they stole when it became easy to steal, decided it was free??? What kind of bollocks is that?

OK; Heres something interesting.

There IS something good about Spotify actually!

In Norway and Sweden, record sales have been dropping steadily since 2001 by 17% per year... Now they didnt manages to start factoring in the sales of Downloads till 2006, but it turns out that for the last 2 years RECORD SALES... stop.. damn force of habit... MUSIC SALES HAVE INCREASED!!! The number of people prepared to pay for music, HAS INCREASED. Why? Because Spotify makes it SO DAMN EASY!!! Yes, IN Norway, people would rathe pay 10 dollars a month for unlimited access to music, than A) Have Adverts, or B) be bothered to track down torrents and steal it.

So Spotify is getting people USED to paying again, thats a good thing!

So, music sales dead? I dont think so, its just that in the cusp between technologies, it was easier to download all the Beatles Albums in one go from Pirate Bay, than to login to iTunes (can ANYONE remember their Apple ID??)

So now, because of that Spotify can charge what they fucking like and pay artists what they fucking like. 

And that the only thing I don´t like... IS THAT SO BAD?

Man in Supermarket: How much is that Tin of Beans?
Shop Keeper: 2 cents

Man in Supermarket: A bargain, Ill have 100 tins then

Shop Keeper on phone to bean manufacturer: Send more beans they´re selling like crazy! Oh and Im going to pay you 1 dollar for a million tins

Bean Manufacturer: Fuck off *click*

You can either 

1) sell your stuff for a reasonable amount or

2) give it away or

3) give it to someone else to make all the money from.. 

I choose the first two

M

--
Mark Francombe
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