Why Apple's Advice on DRM Won't Be Heeded

[admin]

Discuss "Why Apple's Advice on DRM Won't Be Heeded" here. View the article at:

http://www.audioholics.com/news/edit...wont-be-heeded.

[birdonthebeach]

preach on, brother DeBoer!!!

[Kolia]

I have friends who are musicians and let me tell you that getting fan mail say things like “You rock! I just downloaded (illegally for free) your song and it’s great!” when you’re having to work 2 jobs to earn a living kinda sucks…

The main argument I’ve heard from people downloading illegally to justify their activities was that they couldn’t afford the music in the first place. They seem to think music should be free to all and reason that since the don’t have any money for a CD they don’t buy, it won’t hurt to steal it online…

That’s plain theft… Get a job and pay for your own stuff (cut on the 5$ lattees)…

DRM might not be the ideal solution, but it’s better than nothing.

[zildjian]

Originally Posted by Kolia

I have friends who are musicians and let me tell you that getting fan mail say things like “You rock! I just downloaded (illegally for free) your song and it’s great!” when you’re having to work 2 jobs to earn a living kinda sucks…

HA! That same thing used to happen to my band in the late 90's. One guy after one of our concerts was back stage and told our lead singer "I love your new album. I downloaded it from Napster last night..." just clueless... well... thanks.....

[Tom Andry]

I seem to remember back in middle school the moment that one of my friends bought an album, we all taped it. The minute I bought an album, all my friends taped it. And yet now we need DRM. I can still by a CD and burn a million copies for all my friends but we need DRM.

I may be in the minority, but when I downloaded a song/album and really liked it, I went out and bought the CD. If I had a band, I'd put a bunch of songs out on Napster (or whatever the kids are using these days) in hopes of increasing my fan base past my girlfriend and mom. Then I'd start selling albums. I don't know if that is a viable business model but it is something.

While I feel the pain of the artists in the posts above, the fact is that the downloaded music brought fans to the concert. So, while they lost the CD sale (for now) they gained a ticket sale, t-shirt sale, and whatever else the band got a cut of. I still see artists/managers/labels running around with obscene jewelry, outrageous cars, and more money than sense. While I think they deserve what they have earned, I'm not seeing the significant difference between "file sharing" and "album sharing". Sure, it is easier to share songs over the Internet but it is essentially the same thing. The music industry hasn't collapsed under the weight of it and I'm doubting it ever will.

[supervij]

I've seen/read interviews with established rock bands who have said that buying their CDs don't give them a whole lot of money. Buying a CD will net that artist maybe a dime. The majority of the cash you doled out goes to the record company and the record store at which you bought it. The artist gets close to zip.

Where these artists do get their money is from selling tickets to their shows, and from selling merchandise, like posters, T-shirts, programs, stickers, stuff like that. But that's for more established artists, I guess.

For the young and struggling bands/artists, if they don't see a whole lot of sales, the label might choose to drop them from their roster, which may not be a good thing for them.

For independant bands, buying their CDs is just as important as buying their stickers, posters, etc.

So I think downloading/copying is not such a bad thing -- just takes money away from the labels. Buying tickets to see the band -- now that's where they're getting compensated.

cheers,
supervij

[MDS]

The RIAA and MPAA claim illegal downloading is killing their sales and that is their justification for DRM. While downloading may put a small dent in their sales that is flimsy logic - sales decline because the music is going in the wrong direction (rap) and prices are too high. When prices are too high, those that want the music but can't afford to buy a lot rationlize that it is ok to download.

For legitimate customers, DRM is a thorn in their side. I buy CDs, new and used, because I want to *own* the music I like. I have dozens of CDs that are way out of print and will NEVER be re-released on CD or make it to an online music store like iTunes et al. Many years ago I did download songs using IRC but only those that were on my wanted list and impossible to find new. Through a combination of Ebay and used CD stores, I've now got actual CDs of most everything and never download anything. I've even bought records for stuff that was never even released on CD and recorded it myself using my computer.

DRM is about limiting choice for the consumer. The record industry decides what to release and when and if you are looking for something older and not 'mainstream', h%ll will freeze over before they will ever make it available for purchase. At least with a physcial medium like CD or LP, once you get a copy of it you can preserve it forever.

[b_panther_g]

Originally Posted by Tom Andry

...Sure, it is easier to share songs over the Internet but it is essentially the same thing. The music industry hasn't collapsed under the weight of it and I'm doubting it ever will.

You're not the only person that sees it that way.

Here's a quote from another article...

"...I would like to finish with the marketing observation that the record industry hates. During the heyday of Napster and open free music sharing and trading, when million of people swapped songs, the CD business was booming. Once Napster was shut down, and along with it the social network of music discovery, sales began to plummet. They are still falling." - John C. Dvorak

Link to article...

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...C5%7D&dist=rss

[abboudc]

I could be mistaken, but bands make peanuts on CD sales...the record companies are the ones making the huge profits. Bands make money by performing live, be it huge stadiums or small clubs.

I would think most bands today wouldn't care about records or labels. In the YouTube era, most bands that never would have been signed by the record companies can be huge. The only ones losing out are the labels.