Why no legislation from the “Creative” Industry should be passed - ever. This “rant” has been on my Desktop folder for over over two years waiting for my site to change, it finally found its way here …
Who are the ‘Cretive Industries’ ?
If one look at the relation between ISPs and the ‘Music Industry’ or more precisely the Music DISTRIBUTION industry, which control the music production, the reason for the tension should be obvious.
Both Industries are in the business of DISTRIBUTION. The ISPs, unlike the ‘Music Industry’ are not content producer just a cheap conduits for anyone to communicate any kind of information.
With the now wide deployment of broadband and high speed internet in homes, it means the anyone can now easily distribute any information, music included, at low cost, to a large audience. So in theory, we should see new channel for music appearing and artists embracing the internet, more competition and therefore lower prices.
However, comparing the price of a movie, music included, with the price of a album still makes me think the price practiced are still very high and that someone is getting a golden deal, and that it is not the consumer.
Is it all about monopoly ?
The only business which succeeded at it is Apple but the “low” price they practice have been, and I am sure still are, a point of tension between them and the label. Is apple becoming the new monopoly ? One can wonder if the settlement of Apple Computer/Inc. with the Beetles’ Apple Corps is an indication that Apple has long term ambitions extending behind the creation of technological products.
The ‘Music Industry’ have been used for years to hold a quasi-monopoly on distribution, and like with every monopoly the price of music has been high. This monopoly is the reason with this industry is slow to move toward new distribution mechanism. The most popular format on the internet are DRM free and customer are not interested in buying the same music over and over (once in tape format, once in CD form, etc.). I am surprised to not have to option to buy DVD with video clips at a premium yet.
The problem is that the lack of legal download solution have created a generation of people who had no other option to listen their music in digital form than to break copyright law. A problem that the ‘Music Industry’ blame on the ISPs, putting enormous pressure and lobbying for ISPs to ‘take action’ against their customers performing such copyright infringement (which is not copyright thief like they so often like to say).
Resisting changes
The ‘Music Industry’ is resisting changes, and seems to not have yet understood Apple idea of how to sell on itunes: make is so cheap to help impulse purchase. I hope that the success of the iPhone application store will open some eyes and that within my lifetime I will see the ‘Music Industry’ working in providing easy ways to purchase music instead of trying to sue music lovers.
The ‘Music Industry’ want to force regulations (through strong handed lobbying) on ISPs to fix their business model, is ill advised and unproductive and may damage irrevocably the internet infrastructure and end-to-end principle it is based upon. They now want the ISP to censure the internet and block websites.
Nothing about this resistance is new, tapes, VHS. Every new technology changing the distribution game has seen lobbying and legal attacks from the distribution.
Tomorrow
Hopefully, like radio, the internet will become a successful distribution medium for the ‘Music Industry’ to use. However, even radios are under pressure even after helping labels to reach the success they enjoy now-days.
But, at the end, Listeners want choice. The internet is about bringing the world diversity to one’s living room, from new unknown indie album to collectors’ vintage.
Some business like Spotify and Last.fm, and more recently Microsoft, have understood it and seems to have done some progress. This struggle between the media creation industry and the technology distribution providers is not new, let hope that time once more the consumer interest will win over the corporate will to restrict media distribution.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading, time for me to see a © Mickey movie with my son.
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