Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Yeah blah blah the CDs dead yada yada
Today you should remember something. First off, allofmp3.com and its friends are alive and well under other domain names that are all over the place. Each time you catch one of these moles, 5 more spring up. There is no way to successfully restrict the inherent capacities of the CD as a non-restricted tool for distribution--it will be copied and burned as long as it exists! Secondly, I think the death of the CD is great :) We can now look at pulling back the reigns on the runaway music business that has been 'stealing' from the artists' and consumers' pockets for years. The new model will focus on the personal interaction that brings utility to the consumer, and the packaged good will be recognized as a promotional tool. As the home theater morphs into the home computer, owning music will still be important, except you'll have access to whatever you want whenever you want under the music like water consumption model. So hey, music biz, lets try enhancing the customer ownership experience while focusing on touring, deep content, and meaningful music.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Spiralfrog-Industry Savior
Does anyone remember hearing about music being free for the sake of free? Is some Lawrence Lessig-influenced musician going to start giving away his or her music after making it big on the Billboard charts or getting onto a headlining arena tour?
Of course not! Why would a legitimate "content creator" choose to give away his most valuable creations? Anyone who has written A song (just one mind you) knows that authors naturally are protective of their work, as a mother to a child. Just because the consumer has been pursuaded that music has little value doesn't mean that in the western world our commodity (musical creations) have little value. I think it has tremendous value!!! What do YOU think?
And so someone has decided to give consumers exactly what they want. Enter Spiralfrog. And this is what's wrong with the concept.
Spiralfrog aims to reward the concept of value-less music. In fact, we want/need the complete opposite. It really is imperative that we recreate value in the music product. We already know that the industry has been screwing the consumer and artist--all of them are guilty of just taking a jewel case and creating an alternate album cover with an old CD that you have purchased before and added an exclusive track so the true fans need to buy it again for the new and barely different version.
Instead of playing this game, its time for the business to take the lead. If you want to let people have music for free on an ad-supported service like Spiralfrog, then fine, but when you're trying to actually make money off of music, sell people the music and create value in the experience. Take the extra TLC and add it back into the equation.
Spiralfrog's reinforcement of current music consumer buying behavior will result in little or no progress in educating consumers of the proper value of the industry's product.
Of course not! Why would a legitimate "content creator" choose to give away his most valuable creations? Anyone who has written A song (just one mind you) knows that authors naturally are protective of their work, as a mother to a child. Just because the consumer has been pursuaded that music has little value doesn't mean that in the western world our commodity (musical creations) have little value. I think it has tremendous value!!! What do YOU think?
And so someone has decided to give consumers exactly what they want. Enter Spiralfrog. And this is what's wrong with the concept.
Spiralfrog aims to reward the concept of value-less music. In fact, we want/need the complete opposite. It really is imperative that we recreate value in the music product. We already know that the industry has been screwing the consumer and artist--all of them are guilty of just taking a jewel case and creating an alternate album cover with an old CD that you have purchased before and added an exclusive track so the true fans need to buy it again for the new and barely different version.
Instead of playing this game, its time for the business to take the lead. If you want to let people have music for free on an ad-supported service like Spiralfrog, then fine, but when you're trying to actually make money off of music, sell people the music and create value in the experience. Take the extra TLC and add it back into the equation.
Spiralfrog's reinforcement of current music consumer buying behavior will result in little or no progress in educating consumers of the proper value of the industry's product.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
First, let the fat rise. Next, pour it riiiiight off...
Date: late 80s deep into the 90s
Isn't it wonderful?
We aren't sure exactly how it all went down after the cd boom went bam but there was a time in our lives when we were coached into buying CDs. Not good. Damn those things are expensive!.
It was taught to us from when we were young that all the good stuff was just recently remastered and put down on this all new digital media that was shiny and plastic and a fantastic tangible product. Records were old and warped and broken and musty. I like new stuff. Lets go to the mall. I came to buy music when CDs were in their prime.
Tapes were ok, but CDs were great. The "new" product was fun so we had no problem buying more albums then we thought we would from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and then we were also buying more of the current bands, and suddenly we didn't even know why we were buying what we were buying. It was the commercialization, the profitability factor that blinds, the gluttony; that is why the customer is D-O-N-E DONE with this business. A poll would indicate anyone with moderate technical saavy has downloaded a song illegally before, 95% without any regret whatsoever. Can't you see?
There's little to market to the masses when you've already fed them all the cake. We're full! For crying out loud we called it bubble gum pop music.
What's the next step? It's time for a change of the guard. The balance of power is shifting. And, remember, "...that's alright, these things gotto happen every five years or so" The families gotto go to war.
Don't worry, we'll get through it folks. Hold onto your seats!
Isn't it wonderful?
We aren't sure exactly how it all went down after the cd boom went bam but there was a time in our lives when we were coached into buying CDs. Not good. Damn those things are expensive!.
It was taught to us from when we were young that all the good stuff was just recently remastered and put down on this all new digital media that was shiny and plastic and a fantastic tangible product. Records were old and warped and broken and musty. I like new stuff. Lets go to the mall. I came to buy music when CDs were in their prime.
Tapes were ok, but CDs were great. The "new" product was fun so we had no problem buying more albums then we thought we would from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and then we were also buying more of the current bands, and suddenly we didn't even know why we were buying what we were buying. It was the commercialization, the profitability factor that blinds, the gluttony; that is why the customer is D-O-N-E DONE with this business. A poll would indicate anyone with moderate technical saavy has downloaded a song illegally before, 95% without any regret whatsoever. Can't you see?
There's little to market to the masses when you've already fed them all the cake. We're full! For crying out loud we called it bubble gum pop music.
What's the next step? It's time for a change of the guard. The balance of power is shifting. And, remember, "...that's alright, these things gotto happen every five years or so" The families gotto go to war.
Don't worry, we'll get through it folks. Hold onto your seats!
Losing: It's not just for the Yankees
Enough crying. Did you really think it was going to last? The love story between CDs and and consumers is over.
Done. Null. Game over. Move on with your life, Music Biz.
Last I checked, the suits in this business were re-selling CD copies of shellac records that the majority of the public had already discovered. It was the mid 80s and labels remastered classics for instant gratification.
OK, so it took about 10 years for that to start to wear down, but with all that money, it's easy to make a hit record. Just get a radio station to spin it enough times in the overnight, eventually people might actually like that partially hydrogenated entertainment oil. And they did.
Well, enough. I'm serious this time. Give me back the key to my apartment and take your toothbrush.
Now what?
Back to the fundamentals.
Done. Null. Game over. Move on with your life, Music Biz.
Last I checked, the suits in this business were re-selling CD copies of shellac records that the majority of the public had already discovered. It was the mid 80s and labels remastered classics for instant gratification.
OK, so it took about 10 years for that to start to wear down, but with all that money, it's easy to make a hit record. Just get a radio station to spin it enough times in the overnight, eventually people might actually like that partially hydrogenated entertainment oil. And they did.
Well, enough. I'm serious this time. Give me back the key to my apartment and take your toothbrush.
Now what?
Back to the fundamentals.
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