So Napster are having another crack at it [DRM free Napster]
In a way I feel sorry for the guys behind Napster, they were too early on the scene and don't have the power, like Apple do, to make the industry change.
It brings up some interesting questions - Just what are we trying to achieve with DRM? Given the option, do you release your music with copy protection or without? Does it really matter?
The DRM free tracks on most providers are better quality and the same price, so why would you buy a protected copy. Perhaps at some point you've just gotta trust that what you're selling is good enough for people to buy...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The price of music... The value of music
As I sat in a coffee shop today wasting time and money waiting for my house to be inspected I started thinking and in my current self important phase thought it might be worthy of sharing... or at least interesting to think about. One of the main reasons people give for downloading illegally is that they can't afford to buy music, independent or otherwise but consider this... At today's prices [according to my local supermarket, coffee shop, iTunes and elsewhere]
A 600ml Coke = 1.71 songs
A medium cappuccino = 2.5 songs
20 litres of unleaded = 18 songs
A month of foxtel = 2.35 albums
I'm sure there's more... it's all about choice too... So what's my point? Not sure but before your mate convinces you he's too poor to pay for music it's something to think about
A 600ml Coke = 1.71 songs
A medium cappuccino = 2.5 songs
20 litres of unleaded = 18 songs
A month of foxtel = 2.35 albums
I'm sure there's more... it's all about choice too... So what's my point? Not sure but before your mate convinces you he's too poor to pay for music it's something to think about
Monday, May 19, 2008
Lars, Lars, Lars...
Some of you may have seen this doing the rounds, but I thought it was worth putting the spotlight on. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich had this to say.
"We want to be as free a players as possible ... We've been observing Radiohead and Trent Reznor and in twenty-seven years or however long it takes for the next record, we'll be looking forward to everything in terms of possibilities with the Internet."
So Metallica now likes the internet? :) Welcome to the club - if Lars can be brought around then I'm convinced that there must be a future in this thing... Don't get me wrong, people are allowed to change their minds, I just like pointing it out when it happens [please extend the same courtesy to me]
So now that some of the major players in this industry have caught on to this digital distribution thing what does that mean for the record companies? What about the independent artists for whom this was going to be a massive saviour? I for one am happy with the embracing, the more people like Trent Reznor and even Ulrich who embrace digital distribution the more indie artists will begin to see it as a viable alternative to physical media - it's true, even the most independent among us are allowed to have major label heroes :)
The other thing I wonder about is, what would define success in the digital realm? For NIN it's probably 100,000 copies - for people like you and me... 100? 1000? I'd be interested to get some comments about what you guys are using as a benchmark. Who wants to go first? :)
"We want to be as free a players as possible ... We've been observing Radiohead and Trent Reznor and in twenty-seven years or however long it takes for the next record, we'll be looking forward to everything in terms of possibilities with the Internet."
So Metallica now likes the internet? :) Welcome to the club - if Lars can be brought around then I'm convinced that there must be a future in this thing... Don't get me wrong, people are allowed to change their minds, I just like pointing it out when it happens [please extend the same courtesy to me]
So now that some of the major players in this industry have caught on to this digital distribution thing what does that mean for the record companies? What about the independent artists for whom this was going to be a massive saviour? I for one am happy with the embracing, the more people like Trent Reznor and even Ulrich who embrace digital distribution the more indie artists will begin to see it as a viable alternative to physical media - it's true, even the most independent among us are allowed to have major label heroes :)
The other thing I wonder about is, what would define success in the digital realm? For NIN it's probably 100,000 copies - for people like you and me... 100? 1000? I'd be interested to get some comments about what you guys are using as a benchmark. Who wants to go first? :)
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