tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371233932024-02-06T22:10:36.085-05:00RecProAudioMiscellaneous MusicCayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.comBlogger336125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-60047399234423842892008-06-21T12:08:00.004-04:002008-06-21T12:32:56.169-04:00Cost of Touring Undermines Free-Music Theory<strong><em>Free-music subsidized via tour income - widely utilized as an excuse in the justification of music piracy - has always been a long shot, unchallenged concept; but the rising cost of gasoline has recently shed light on just how difficult it is to make a living by touring - even in the best of times. Adding insult to injury, artist's creativity is now further taxed with deriving new ways to hit the road without going bankrupt in the process.<br /></em></strong><br />From Luciana Lopez, The Oregonian<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>Tune up the bikes and scrape up the french-fry grease: It's summer touring season for bands. As gas prices climb ever upward, musicians have had to get creative at something more than their music. Portland band Blind Pilot, for example, is traveling under pedal power, and nationally touring psych-rockers Apollo Sunshine are converting their van to run on vegetable oil. There's an easier way to save gas money, though: Portland rocker Michael Dean Damron is just flat-out canceling dates.<br /><br />Different solutions, but all applied to the same problem: how to balance the need to tour set in motion by declining CD sales against the skyrocketing cost of gas, which makes touring more expensive and less profitable.<br /></em></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/music/index.ssf/2008/06/bands_on_the_run_from_high_gas.html">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-32313552033131228542008-06-13T18:56:00.000-04:002008-06-13T18:58:08.112-04:00Music Performance Fund in PerilFrom Mike Boehm, Los Angeles Times<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>For 60 years, the Music Performance Fund, an unsung charity financed by a small fraction of record company sales, has paid the piper -- and just about every other kind of musician -- by helping to bankroll thousands of free concerts annually all over North America.<br /><br />Now, though, the popularity of music downloads and file-sharing via the Internet has eaten away at record company revenues. And as the industry has dwindled, so has the performance fund's ability to underwrite pro bono shows.<br /><br />"'Dwindled' is an easy way of saying it's gone to pot," said John Hall, the trustee who has managed the Music Performance Fund for most of the last 18 years.<br /><br />At its peak in the early 1980s, Hall said, the fund got more than $20 million a year from record companies. Last year, the figure was $3.4 million. In 1984, the fund helped pay musicians' salaries for 55,000 free performances. Last year, there were 9,060. The organization's staff is down from 36 to eight.</em></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-freemusic14-2008jun14,0,6349136.story">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-56627280305312343952008-06-09T16:05:00.001-04:002008-06-09T16:07:31.918-04:00U2 Manager: ISPs Strangling Music IndustryFrom Patrick Frater, Variety:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>U2 manager Paul McGuinness launched a blistering attack on the world's Internet providers Wednesday, accusing them of strangling the music industry.<br /><br />Speaking at the Music Matters confab in Hong Kong, McGuinness likened ISPs to "shoplifters" and accused them of "turning their heads" away from the music industry's troubles and "rigging the market."<br /><br />"The recorded music industry is in a crisis, and there is crucial help available but not being provided by companies who should be providing that help -- not just because it is morally right, but because it is in their commercial interest," McGuinness said.</em></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117986863.html?categoryid=19&cs=1">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-20708968156947432642008-06-09T15:58:00.004-04:002008-06-09T16:02:15.939-04:00Last.fm Loses Warner Music on DemandFrom Peter Kafka, Silicon Alley Insider:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>Warner Music Group (WMG) has pulled its catalog out of </em><em>Last.fm</em><em>'s "on demand" free streaming service, which the CBS-owned service launched to </em><em>great fanfare</em><em> in January. Users can still hear Warner artists via the site's "radio" option, which doesn't allow you to select individual songs. But you can't order up individual songs from WMG artists.</em></em></blockquote><a href="http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/6/warner_music_wmg_pulls_out_of_last_fm_cbs_">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-85999741009764300572008-06-03T14:26:00.002-04:002008-06-03T14:30:03.502-04:00International Labels Push For Baidu Boycott Over Music PiracyFrom Dow Jones:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>Chinese and international record companies called Tuesday for an advertiser boycott of Baidu.com Inc., the country's leading search engine by search volume, over complaints of music piracy.<br /><br />The statement was signed by record companies including Universal Music Group, EMI Group PLC, Sony BMG Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp., and local Chinese companies.<br /><br />The group of companies and associations has sent a letter to advertising companies asking them "to carefully consider whether they should continue to place advertisements on pirating media," the statement said.<br /><br />Baidu's search engine provides links to thousands of sites that carry unlicensed copies of music. Record companies have filed a series of lawsuits against the site in<br />Chinese courts.<br /></em></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.smartmoney.com/breaking-news/on/index.cfm?story=ON-20080603-000080-0315&afl=yahoo">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-18307955965116713392008-05-30T15:28:00.003-04:002008-05-30T15:33:45.624-04:00Recording Industry Lobbied $1.5M in 1st Quarter 2008<strong>From AP:</strong><br /><strong><em><blockquote>Recording industry spent $1.5 million in first quarter to lobby on piracy, Internet broadcasts</em> </strong></blockquote><em><blockquote>The Recording Industry Association of America spent more than $1.5 million in the first quarter to lobby on copyright theft and other issues, according to a disclosure report.<br /><br />As the main trade group for music recording companies, RIAA lobbied the federal government on legislation to strengthen U.S. laws against counterfeiting and piracy, including online theft of music. Piracy is one of the top issues for RIAA, which says music theft results in $12.5 billion annually in terms of lost jobs and wages, tax reeves, personal income tax and lost corporate income and production taxes.<br /></blockquote></em><a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080530/recording_industry_lobbying.html?.v=1">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-43473356102023317142008-05-21T20:46:00.001-04:002008-05-21T20:46:49.601-04:00Strawbs - Part of the Union - 1973<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KdOCWUgwiWs&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KdOCWUgwiWs&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-41992895035616825462008-04-30T11:55:00.005-04:002008-04-30T12:16:48.888-04:00Still No Proof of the Existence of Bigfoot, Ghosts, U.F.O.s, or Music 2.0<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZSk5I-KQD8gNZ0bRYh1PQmP2rSPX4szuyYNoLK3qkEdYsNWgd4eGfGlXMCElWfDwGlrQhicPv91lAizpscIWFWNuiq550zCDYEjPrKTJrcF84LtqVP5KaSv73kci9NJuihJI/s1600-h/bigfoot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195069113262299378" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZSk5I-KQD8gNZ0bRYh1PQmP2rSPX4szuyYNoLK3qkEdYsNWgd4eGfGlXMCElWfDwGlrQhicPv91lAizpscIWFWNuiq550zCDYEjPrKTJrcF84LtqVP5KaSv73kci9NJuihJI/s200/bigfoot.jpg" border="0" /></a>From Register.co.uk:<br /><em><br /><div><blockquote><em>"I think it was a one-off response to a particular situation," Thom Yorke said of the band's decision last October to let viewers pay what they wanted for digital downloads of the new album "In Rainbows."<br /><br />"Yes. It was a one-off in terms of a story. It was one of those things where we were in the position of everyone asking us what we were going to do. I don't think it would have the same significance now anyway, if we chose to give something away again. It was a moment in time."<br /></em></blockquote></em></div><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/30/radiohead_in_rainbows/">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-60544703418036297452008-04-18T15:50:00.002-04:002008-04-18T15:51:38.066-04:00A Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers<strong>Created by ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers</strong><br /><br />We have the right to be compensated for the use of our creative works, and share in the revenues that they generate.<br /><br />We have the right to license our works and control the ways in which they are used.<br /><br />We have the right to withhold permission for uses of our works on artistic, economic or philosophical grounds.<br /><br />We have the right to protect our creative works to the fullest extent of the law from all forms of piracy, theft and unauthorized use, which deprive us of our right to earn a living based on our creativity.<br /><br />We have the right to choose when and where our creative works may be used for free.<br /><br />We have the right to develop, document and distribute our works through new media channels - while retaining the right to a share in all associated profits.<br /><br />We have the right to choose the organizations we want to represent us and to join our voices together to protect our rights and negotiate for the value of our music.<br /><br />We have the right to earn compensation from all types of "performances," including direct, live renditions as well as indirect recordings, broadcasts, digital streams and more.<br /><br />We have the right to decline participation in business models that require us to relinquish all or part of our creative rights - or which do not respect our right to be compensated for our work.<br /><br />We have the right to advocate for strong laws protecting our creative works, and demand that our government vigorously uphold and protect our rights.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ascap.com/rights/billText.aspx">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-61677483317054720722008-04-18T08:58:00.002-04:002008-04-18T09:01:31.437-04:00In the US, 58% of Music Isn't Paid ForFrom Guardian:<br /><br />In 2007, there was an increase in the volume of music acquired for nothing and a sharp decline in the amount paid for, according to NPD's annual survey of Internet users.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxRI3REHJrrmlfIEMNjD5kfgxKXsHS-k3D8YgEuAm5EC36Og04WCa8UlD7Qqur0wGTMOzsBhSX9OFMjKp5d9wYwWVAMMtNd745z8cMh8yKJU-9XAlDgDhVkZRIMRuwo2sMKya/s1600-h/NPD--Slide1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190569538420960370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxRI3REHJrrmlfIEMNjD5kfgxKXsHS-k3D8YgEuAm5EC36Og04WCa8UlD7Qqur0wGTMOzsBhSX9OFMjKp5d9wYwWVAMMtNd745z8cMh8yKJU-9XAlDgDhVkZRIMRuwo2sMKya/s400/NPD--Slide1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/04/18/in_the_us_58_of_music_isnt_paid_for.html">Link</a> </div>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-19224432592341394142008-04-08T14:39:00.003-04:002008-04-08T14:43:54.559-04:00Music Piracy is About the Money<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vGm9TqUOXYP9Q2p-NWq5Qe1dxoqNzenk7Sif3nEg0LwtuY8kcuYANNCvQtVREUva9-e5ixrOi21x2fLOXIuTaC-64IZbGuCFrL0q3y2mugBtvhKF2n4QmDSDb6RaoDpEu1kJ/s1600-h/jrds.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186946692760684162" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vGm9TqUOXYP9Q2p-NWq5Qe1dxoqNzenk7Sif3nEg0LwtuY8kcuYANNCvQtVREUva9-e5ixrOi21x2fLOXIuTaC-64IZbGuCFrL0q3y2mugBtvhKF2n4QmDSDb6RaoDpEu1kJ/s200/jrds.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>If the reasonable logic that follows is accurate, then nothing short of an ISP filtering mandate will save music.<br /></strong><br />From Chuck Klosterman, Esquire:<br /><div><em><br /><blockquote><em>Whenever writers try to explain the collapse of the music industry, they inevitably blame the labels themselves; they point out how wasteful and inefficient the corporate structure was at places like Elektra and Chrysalis, and how unfair it is to charge kids so many dollars for a disc that costs pennies to make, and that modern consumers have come to the realization that "music longs to be free." This may all be true, but I'm not sure it's a viable explanation for things like huge layoffs at Def Jam. Lots of industries succeed despite being poorly modeled. What happened is this: Young people needed more money to pay for their rising levels of self-imposed debt, so they unconsciously gravitated toward the first technology that provided a cost-saving alternative. Because four-minute digital-song files are relatively small (and thus easily compressed), ripping tracks for free became the easiest way to eliminate an extraneous cost. It wasn't political or countercultural, and it had almost nothing to do with music itself. It was fiscally practical. It was the first, best solution.</em></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.esquire.com/features/chuck-klostermans-america/klosterman-0408">Link</a></div>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-74128057623462686992008-04-07T10:23:00.008-04:002008-04-08T15:09:35.923-04:00Chris Castle on WMG's Jim Griffin's ISP TaxFrom Music Technology Policy:<br /><br /><strong>Capitulating to the wisdom of mobs:<br /></strong><br /><em><blockquote><em>I view the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ACS</span> (alternative compensation scheme), voluntary or involuntary, as capitulation. Supporting these systems means that you have lost confidence that the legal system can enforce laws and that you are going to simply define the problem out of existence by making something that is illegal into something that is legal, the alchemy of mere analytics, the chorus of consultants, the wailing of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">amicii</span>, the proselytizing of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">professoriate</span>. Boy, I’m glad that they solved that problem.<br /><br />Agreeing to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ACS</span> is like agreeing that the mob is right. And that’s a very, very dangerous step in a democracy.</em></blockquote></em><strong>Sampling mechanism could just as well facilitate filtering:<br /></strong><br /><em><blockquote><em>First, how do you answer the question that artists and songwriters will ask, namely “how much do I get paid?”<br /><br />One way to divide up that money that advocates often raise is based on some kind of sampling of usage. (Jim’s EFF seems to think this is how <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ASCAP</span> divides up their revenues.)<br /><br />This sampling idea is, of course, dangerous ground for the defenders of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Grokster</span> at EFF. If you are going to sample peer-to-peer or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">BitTorrent</span> files in order to divide up that disaggregated chunk of money, you need to identify tracks. That can be done with fingerprint technology, and there are several companies out there with fingerprinting tools. I personally don’t think fingerprinting works very well at the network level, but can work very well at the client level. There would have to be some discussion of how to get at the client.<br /><br />If you can identify the tracks on P2P systems enough to sample—and this is where you would probably lose the EFF and apologists for piracy--you can identify the tracks enough to block and filter—meaning you could stop illegal tracks from ever getting onto the network in the first place.</em></blockquote></em><strong>Beating a dead horse:</strong><br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>This idea has been vetted, argued, legislated and rejected for a good five years, and actually goes back even further than that in the Internet world. Discussing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ACS</span> is like going to Thanksgiving dinner with your crazy uncle who always wants to argue who lost Poland. You get really tired of it after awhile.</em></blockquote></em><a href="http://music-tech-policy.blogspot.com/2008/03/tarzan-economics-and-same-old-vine.html">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-57607322860515115432008-04-03T10:48:00.003-04:002008-04-03T11:12:40.492-04:00EMI's Ex-Google Merrill Clueless Out of Gate, Offers Platitudes, Panders to PiratesCayocosta<br /><br /><strong>Piracy bad, file-sharing okay. The industry's fight against piracy just got harder now that EMI is on record stating that it all depends on how you look at it:</strong><br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>"I'm passionate about data," Merrill said during a phone interview Wednesday with CNET News.com. "For example, there's a set of data that shows that file sharing is actually good for artists. Not bad for artists. So maybe we shouldn't be stopping it all the time. I don't know...I am generally speaking (against suing fans). Obviously, there is piracy that is quite destructive but again I think the data shows that in some cases file sharing might be okay. What we need to do is understand when is it good, when it is not good...Suing fans doesn't feel like a winning strategy."</em></blockquote></em><strong>Try anything and see what sticks - never mind how long this is going to take to deploy (and quantify) and that we might run out of cash first:</strong><br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>More specifically, Merrill said he would see whether a Google ad model will work for music. But he's willing to try music subscriptions and even an ISP fee. Certainly, what came across about what strategies Merrill intends to use is that he's not married to any one idea.</em></blockquote></em><strong>We've already witnessed ten years of failed experimentation, with the looting worse now then ever - systemic and virtually unfettered - yet EMI is keen to embark on a costly super-complication of the distribution of otherwise free content:</strong><br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>"I think there is going to be a lot of different models," Merrill said. "Those are two (subscriptions and ISP fees) you can imagine. I'm not sure that either one of those will be the most dominant model. But they are both interesting. We should try them and see what the data says. Other options will be things like you can imagine supporting music through relevant targeted ads, the Google model. There is a dozen of other things...we should try them all. We should see what the data says and whatever it says, we should follow the data, and follow our users and let them help guide us. We should engage in a broad conversation about art."</em></blockquote></em><strong>Spoken like a true geek department; or, <em>now</em> might be a good time to study the history of Motown, Atlantic, etc.:</strong><br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>"I think it's important to figure out where can record labels add value," Merrill said. "I don't know the answer."</em></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9909513-7.html?tag=nefd.lede">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-83748361928347601402008-03-28T15:19:00.002-04:002008-03-28T15:24:03.011-04:00Corporate Sponsorship: Bacardi, Groove Armada in 360 Deal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6xhRn_InIVWtNVIdkZ_oEunSoIy5qXcenD-2zg5d9dO1egwttOBvk9aMZekEWPH5IM3ifwnSiatRXUkCx8lUZlbGIwPz1dGN0jhCS04LYrNetSIdDRjTgyvTVaYts5L_sXQy/s1600-h/bacardi_logo.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182875407361459826" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6xhRn_InIVWtNVIdkZ_oEunSoIy5qXcenD-2zg5d9dO1egwttOBvk9aMZekEWPH5IM3ifwnSiatRXUkCx8lUZlbGIwPz1dGN0jhCS04LYrNetSIdDRjTgyvTVaYts5L_sXQy/s200/bacardi_logo.gif" border="0" /></a>From Lars Brandle, Billboard:<br /><em><br /><div><blockquote><em>Global spirits giant Bacardi has developed a serious thirst for music, via a 360-degree-style deal with British electronic duo Groove Armada.<br /><br />The integrated marketing deal encompasses recordings, touring and audiovisual content, leading Bacardi global experiential manager Sarah Tinsley to declare: "Essentially we are taking over the role of a record label -- producing the music, promoting new music, and the artist is playing at our events."<br /><br />"Bacardi doesn't see this as something that they want to earn money from, which is, quite rightly, something a label has to do," Groove Armada manager Dan O'Neil says. "They are looking at it from a point of view of association, and they're getting access to a license to use the music to implement their strategy worldwide."<br /></em></blockquote></em></div><a href="http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003781852">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-31999510955440773402008-03-26T09:28:00.001-04:002008-03-26T09:32:17.978-04:00Music 2.0 and the New Economy<strong>Don't buy the hype.<br /></strong><br />From Wikipedia:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>New Economy was a term coined in late 1990s by pundits to describe what some thought was an evolution of the United States and other developed countries from an industrial/manufacturing-based wealth producing economy into a service sector asset based economy from globalization and currency manipulation by governments and their central banks. At the time, some analysts claimed that this change in the economic structure of the United States had created a state of permanent steady growth, low unemployment, and immunity to boom and bust macroeconomic cycles. Furthermore, they believed that the change rendered obsolete many business practices. When the stock market bubble burst, analysts soon realized they had been wrong.<br /><br />A lot of start-ups were created and the stock value was very high where floated. Newspapers and business leaders were starting to talk of new business models. Some even claimed that the old laws of economics did not apply anymore and that new laws had taken their place.</em></blockquote></em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_economy">Link<br /></a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-43138603950390912792008-03-19T09:05:00.002-04:002008-03-19T09:08:26.764-04:00Report: Japan to Strip Internet for Illegal DownloadersFrom Yahoo News:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese companies plan to cut off the Internet connection of anyone who illegally downloads files in one of the world's toughest measures against online piracy, a report said Saturday.<br /><br />Faced with mounting complaints from the music, movie and video-game industries, four associations representing Japan's Internet service providers have agreed to take drastic action, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.<br /><br />The newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, said service providers would send e-mails to people who repeatedly made illegal copies and terminate their connections if they did not stop.<br /><br />The Internet companies will set up a panel next month involving groups representing copyright holders to draft the new guidelines, the report said.<br /><br />Company and government officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the report Saturday.<br /><br />The actions would be among the strictest in fighting online piracy.<br /></em></blockquote></em><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080315/bs_afp/entertainmentjapaninternetpiracycopyrightmusic">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-11994205828677673962008-03-14T14:40:00.004-04:002008-03-14T14:44:17.561-04:00Pali Research: WMG Upgraded From Sell to Neutral<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh8JvKiOY4rviBNdTgPoZBR7_UP50ya9ffP0eFcwyaHs7_R_iYRCU5Ri9ys7fizerpoj9QBcDzu4MdbQUd4unar14WEILGv1J_Y8lfeAwznZb8xy0qC5heLgTPDHdCERiHS2b/s1600-h/b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177670034126509202" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh8JvKiOY4rviBNdTgPoZBR7_UP50ya9ffP0eFcwyaHs7_R_iYRCU5Ri9ys7fizerpoj9QBcDzu4MdbQUd4unar14WEILGv1J_Y8lfeAwznZb8xy0qC5heLgTPDHdCERiHS2b/s400/b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-90291720104820697912008-03-14T12:54:00.002-04:002008-03-14T12:56:43.075-04:00Music Industry Proposes a Piracy Surcharge on ISPsFrom Frank Rose, Wired:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>Having failed to stop piracy by suing internet users, the music industry is for the first time seriously considering a file sharing surcharge that internet service providers would collect from users.<br /><br />In recent months, some of the major labels have warmed to a pitch by Jim Griffin, one of the idea's chief proponents, to seek an extra fee on broadband connections and to use the money to compensate rights holders for music that's shared online. Griffin, who consults on digital strategy for three of the four majors, will argue his case at what promises to be a heated discussion Friday at South by Southwest.<br /><br />"It's monetizing the anarchy," says Peter Jenner, head of the International Music Manager's Forum, who plans to join Griffin on the panel.<br /><br />Griffin's idea is to collect a fee from internet service providers -- something like $5 per user per month -- and put it into a pool that would be used to compensate songwriters, performers, publishers and music labels. A collecting agency would divvy up the money according to artists' popularity on P2P sites, just as ASCAP and BMI pay songwriters for broadcasts and live performances of their work.</em> </blockquote></em><a href="http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2008/03/music_levy">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-77957455554819687052008-03-10T14:45:00.002-04:002008-03-10T15:06:35.508-04:00Ambulance Chasing<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cayocosta</span><br /><br />If Trent <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Reznor</span> (or anyone else) wants to do it the <strike>right</strike> honest way, he or she should support piracy and/or condemn the music industry in such a way that provides no opportunity for personal financial gain while doing so. Otherwise, all you have is self-interested, populist bullshit contrived to make money via capitalizing on the hype of the moment - all the while (wittingly or otherwise) selling their brethren down the river.Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-9120719106271308922008-03-10T14:26:00.001-04:002008-03-10T14:27:38.907-04:00Irish ISP Taken to Court Over Illegal Music DownloadsFrom Mary Carolan, The Irish Times:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>Four major record companies have brought a High Court action aimed at compelling Eircom to take measures to prevent its networks being used for the illegal downloading of music.<br /><br />The case is the first in Ireland aimed at internet service providers, rather than individual illegal downloaders.<br /></em><br /><em>Eircom</em><em> is the largest broadband internet service provider in the State.<br /><br />Latest figures available, for 2006, indicate that 20 billion music files were illegally downloaded worldwide that year. The music industry estimates that for every single legal downloaded, there are 20 illegal ones.<br /><br />The record companies are also challenging Eircom's refusal to use filtering technology or other measures to voluntary block, or filter, material from its network that is being used to download music in violation of the companies' copyright and/or licensing rights.</em></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0310/breaking61.htm">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-72270402055077207242008-03-05T19:35:00.003-05:002008-03-05T20:09:30.804-05:00New Music Model for SuckersCayocosta<br /><br />Where once ten or twelve bucks bought as many tunes, thanks to new 'models' we now have the $300 elite collection and/or multi-thousand dollar package including a personal appearance. Offers that unfortunately bilk those most loyal fans while allowing everyone else a free ride - on their generosity.Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-76531575630182722182008-02-22T10:26:00.003-05:002008-02-22T10:29:42.082-05:00Brit Gov't: File-Sharing Legislation by 2009From Lars Brandle, Billboard:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>The British government has vowed to take up the fight on illegal file-sharing as part of a multi-stage action plan intended to ensure the prosperity of the country's creative industries.<br /><br />Should the recording industry fail to break its impasse with Internet service providers on P2P activity by early 2009, the government will take action by means of legislation.<br /><br />It's one of 26 key commitments for government and industry, published today in "Creative Britain: New Talents for the New Economy."<br /><br />In the absence of a voluntary solution between rights holders and ISPs, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport report claims that the government "will shortly consult on options for a statutory solution," with a view to implementing<br />legislation by April 2009.<br /></em></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i09b57ed04d938419ce99762cd028b498">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-75304122896081704662008-02-21T12:07:00.004-05:002008-02-21T12:51:43.760-05:00Why Advertising Supported Free-Music Ain't Gonna HappenCayocosta<br /><br /><strong>Lots of hype and bluster about ad supported free-music <em>solutions</em> lately. Well, it ain't gonna happen, and here's why:<br /></strong><br />Two ways to offer ad subsidized music: streaming and downloads.<br /><br />The problem with downloads is that once the track is downloaded, the ad is no longer attached; unless the ad is audio and embedded in the tune - which would kill the idea.<br /><br />Which brings us to DRM. DRM protected tracks with proprietary players would allow ads to be served while tracks are played. But again, limiting the use of tracks to certain players would kill the concept.<br /><br />Streaming on dedicated players that serve ads is not a bad idea, but limited in application as a live internet connection is required to stream in real time. Thus, ad-supported streaming is DOA.<br /><br /><em>Remember, the industry is competing with free, unfettered mp3 downloading and listening (albeit illegally).<br /></em><br />Beyond all this is the amount paid to the content providers.<br /><br />For downloads, Amazon and Apple are charging .80 to .99 per track and netting back 70 cents or so to the labels. There is no way ads can generate anywhere near as much.<br /><br />Now, why would the industry accept mere cents on the dollar when they are already receiving 70 cents per track for paid downloads?<br /><br />Why then would the industry voluntarily kill the remaining CD business and developing paid download business - for a fraction of the music's market value?<br /><br />Then there's the precedent. Should the industry allow music to be free - subsidized via anything else - it would be nearly impossible to return (if so desired) to charging for downloads.<br /><br />Hence, for free-music subsidized via advertising to work, the industry would:<br /><br />1.) have to accept much less than the market value of music.<br />2.) hasten the decline of its remaining CD business.<br />3.) render obsolete its burgeoning paid download business.<br />4.) have to accept sharing fractional revenue with third parties (portals).<br />5.) once and for all, establish that recorded music no longer has any intrinsic value in the marketplace.<br /><br />Humbug.<br /><br />In the interim however, should a tech player offer millions of dollars for the rights to stream (no downloads) content under an ad supported platform (imeem, for example), the labels will rightly take the money and run.Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-87967726275301683572008-02-13T10:08:00.002-05:002008-02-13T10:12:47.521-05:00Unlimited Music Comes to UK Mobiles<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdpUu2cS0Dg6PxYE4V_eSdPJHVCtopWTFjnJaKYpybMyuT4b0SEX2fYQGnKL6DG7_fsyIVg9Oh_s4sdLl8Gw6uquWF1WhR2j0dmRvl6KNSceQXJcIBOG5g3iRAdLwxWZCRdIE/s1600-h/musicstation.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166482903103348322" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdpUu2cS0Dg6PxYE4V_eSdPJHVCtopWTFjnJaKYpybMyuT4b0SEX2fYQGnKL6DG7_fsyIVg9Oh_s4sdLl8Gw6uquWF1WhR2j0dmRvl6KNSceQXJcIBOG5g3iRAdLwxWZCRdIE/s400/musicstation.jpg" border="0" /></a>From Jonathan Richards, Times Online:<br /><em><br /><div><blockquote><em>Omnifone, the UK-based digital music company, has announced a service which will allow mobile users to download an unlimited number of songs to their phone as part of their monthly plan - and keep them even if they change their contract.<br /><br />The service, called Music Station Max, will be rolled out in the UK in the first half of the year, and will initially be available on LG phones, though deals with other manufacturers would follow, the company said.<br /><br />As part of the service, subscribers will be able to download an unlimited number of songs directly to their phone via the 3G network, and then 'sideload' them onto their computer, where they can create playlists and share proferences with friends using Omnifone's software.<br /><br />If the user chooses to change his or her contract, they can either continue subscribing to an 'unlimited download' service for a monthly fee - similar to the Napster model, or leave the service, in which case a number of the downloaded songs will remain on their phone. The company has not said how many. </em></blockquote></em></div><a href="http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3360212.ece">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37123393.post-83054220958222409932008-02-12T07:40:00.001-05:002008-02-12T07:43:07.304-05:00Music Pirates Face UK Internet Access BanFrom BBC:<br /><br />People in the UK who go online and illegally download music and films may have their internet access cut under plans the government is considering. A draft consultation Green Paper suggests internet service providers would be required to take action over users who access pirated material.<br /><br />Under a "three strikes" rule they would receive an e-mail warning, suspension, and then termination of their contract.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7240234.stm">Link</a>Cayocostahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891336222406272205noreply@blogger.com1