

RIAA Insists That, Really, The Music Industry Is Collapsing - mdariani
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120217/15023417795/riaa-insists-that-really-music-industry-is-collapsing-reality-shows-its-just-riaa-thats-collapsing.shtml

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geoffw8
You know what, I'm totally new to this party in that this is my first ever
written comment on the situation. But I have to admit, I'm starting to get
pretty pissed.

The thing that really gets me, and the thing that has recently dawned on me is
that file sharing isn't the only thing that is eating away at "sales" - I
realized just yesterday I have never paid for a CD, or bought a DVD. In my
younger years I "acquired" content in the common, frowned upon, ways but in
the last 4+ years I can say the same for my content purchasing habits - I just
don't do it.

You know why?

Netflix. Spotify. Love-film. Youtube. iPlayer. 4od.

I just don't have to buy content any more because I can pay ALL of these guys
and get pretty much all the content I can watch. I genuinely haven't opened a
torrent app or downloaded from a file locker for longer than I can remember
and I am what you'd imagine is that kind of guy.

Just today I got a phonecall from LoveFilm telling me about their new "stream
only" packages, and that they're now owned by Amazon so their streaming tech
is much better than it used to be.

Not only that, but I'm sure maybe even yesterday I read an article about Katy
Perry's (Mmm) millions (if not tens of) plays on Spotify earning her next to
nothing.

Now look, I know a lotta guys do fileshare but file-sharing is not the only
reason the industry(s) are on their arse, it infuriates me that this whole
charade is still going, I know I don't need to tell you guys how ridiculous
this is.

This isn't even to mention everything else that us guys read daily about what
the industry should be doing differently, or how to improve this and that.
This is a set of commercial deals they have in place that give me an extra
option in addition to "download illegally", or "buy download/CD".

So I'm of the opinion that if you took file-sharing out of the equation, they
still have nobody but themselves to blame.

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joejohnson
To the RIAA, the Music Industry really is collapsing. They are used to the
Music Industry being one entity that they have control over. But the music
industry is just changing, and now many indie artists and producers are able
to release music to a huge audience without using the distribution channels
that the RIAA sought to protect. So, the Music Industry as it was known 10+
years ago is collapsing. However, in it's place is a new music industry with a
vastly different business model. And the RIAA will either realize the world
has changed and try to grab some market share before it's all gone, or they
will cease to exist.

~~~
warfangle
It's interesting how these dyed-in-the-wool capitalists are getting so
butthurt over getting their asses kicked by more able competitors.

~~~
incongruity
Monopolists (oligopoly I guess, technically), particularly those who've been
in a monopoly position for a long time are only the dried up husks of
capitalists.

It comes as no surprise that competition is a completely foreign concept to
them, IMHO.

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sl4yerr
When The Oatmeal starts telling you what's wrong with your industry, it's time
to shift gears:

<http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones>

~~~
zackzackzack
Once I saw that, I knew pirating was going to go mainstream. It has to. People
like movies too much, pirating is so easy, and everything else is hard and is
a shitty service.

~~~
mcdillon
More on shitty services...

I have an hbo account through verizon fios, and typically watch shows through
hbo go. Its hbo's streaming answer to being able to view the content you
already pay for. The service is terrible, it constantly stops buffering and
looses its place in the show / movie and you have to restart the player
constantly. This can't be due to my connection because speed tests report
everything as fine and dandy.

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AJ007
If lots of people are more than happy to do something for free, then just how
important is it for those people to get paid to do that activity.

This isn't metal mining or oil drilling, making music is something humans do
because they enjoy it. I would assume that 99% of music
makers/creators/producers not only make no money from it, but pay money to do
it. Thus, we could argue that when that 1% ceases to make money from the
activity society, as a whole, is better off because that capital is now re-
allocated somewhere else -- be it another leisure activity, healthcare, food,
investment, etc.

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Anilm3
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the
first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

Music industry should die for what it's trying to do with our liberties.

------
billpg
"Don't worry about sales. Make your money by touring."

If I were a musician, I'd be the studio based type. (Mike Oldfield, et al.)
Re-taking and re-mixing until the recording is just right.

For someone like that hypothetical me, going on tour would be to expect people
to pay to watch a substandard live performance or to watch me mime to a
recording. I'd find both rather dishonest.

Its a good job I'm a software engineer. My customers expect me to test my work
before delivery.

~~~
xp84
Couldn't hypothetical you just do a really polished tour? I mean, take
electronic music for instance. Their performances are them moving sliders
around and stuff, on things they've already spent a LOT of time creating and
mixing.

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Cieplak
This is a standard case of technology cutting out the middleman.

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evertonfuller
I don't think anyone here knows how the music industry works.

~~~
TDL
Would you care to enlighten us then?

