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NYTimes article: The Many Futures of Music, Maybe One of Them Real


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[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/10/arts/music/10CONF.html?homepageinsidebox]Check it out[/url] ... Doesn't Ian from Fugazi look like Sting? Cool snip: [quote]Derek Sivers of CD Baby, a company that sells independent CD's from about 14,000 groups, said he had recently passed $1 million in payments to musicians.[/quote]
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I think a cross between Sting and Phill Collins. Good article. [quote] At the conference, Kevin Murray, a Democratic California state senator, announced that he was introducing a bill that would make musicians free agents after seven years. In California, personal-service contracts are limited to seven years except for recording contracts. Mr. Murray wants to remove that exception, comparing it to indentured servitude. [/quote] And one more quote, this time not as brilliant. [quote] Sandy Pearlman, a lyricist for Blue Oyster Cult who is the vice president for media development of Multicast Technology, envisioned having all recorded music available on demand through wireless connections. He called unlicensed file-sharing a disaster but suggested that an "invisible tax" on Internet connections, paid through service providers, could be channeled to musicians and copyright owners. [/quote] You have to sift through a lot of dirt to find the nuggets. ;) -David R.
-David R.
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CDBaby's success is encouraging. [quote]A panel of recording-company executives at the conference depicted a beleaguered business in which a major-label album needs to sell at least half a million copies to break even and only 10 percent of albums ever recoup their investment. Marketing and promotion costs are high: good placement in retail stores can cost up to $250,000, and promoting a single Top 10 hit to radio stations can cost millions.[/quote] It just seems kinda funny to me the way the label execs are turning things around to look like it's some mysterious entity's fault that they have to sell a half million to recoup costs. As if they have no blame for these costs. They blame artists, lawyers, managers, etc. without ever spelling out their role in the whole thing...I would argue they are solely responsible for the factors that started this "out of control spiral".
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I've ordered a couple times from CD Baby and I've been impressed. There was an e-mail I received after ordering which gave a very long, ridiculously funny description of the CD's status... Something like "CD Baby's technicians will gently handle the CD, put it on a puffy pillow, give it some care and affection, then put it inside a box, where they will cheer it on as it gladly sails away to its intended destination..." It's not something that might go over as well at a bigger, more corporate web site like Amazon.com, but it was a very cute, unique personal touch that was appropriate for the company's image and the market they're going after... And I didn't forget it. (In fact, I think I forwarded the e-mail to a few friends because it was so funny.) I should go check out their site and see if there are more CDs I might be interested in buying there. [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: popmusic ]
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