What happened on September 1st?
Well this is post is not going to be the normal "my world" post that I've been doing lately. I wanted to share something from a book that I'm reading. It's called "Rock of Ages, the Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll, by Ed Ward, Geoffrey Stokes and Ken Tucker. Published 1986. The line below is copied directly out of the book, I did not change anything.
Rock of Ages the Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll
Chapter 1 (All American Music) Page 26
"Of course, record companies felt threatened by the radio boom, fearing that air play would compete with sales. Initially they opposed the new jukeboxes as well: Instead of spending seventy-five cents or dollar on a record, a customer could hear it for a nickel. But eventually companies realized that jukebox play stimulated rather than diminished record sales – and besides, old 78-rpm records wore out fast in jukeboxes.
But they held the line when it cam to radio, and soon records began to carry notices that they were not for broadcast – a hard-to-enforce prohibition that was at least partially ignored."
The advent of Broadcast Radio was in the 1920's, doesn't this argument sound the same as what we just went through with the recording industry and file sharing. I realize there are some major differences, the ease of making a digital copy as opposed to a analog copy (seconds instead of real-time and the quality does not degrade) but what would have happened if the record industry had killed radio? or had gone after the small unaffiliated radio stations that were the back bone of the growth of modern music or what if they had gone for a share of the radio license that crystal set owners had to pay in those days (no one would have been able to buy a radio and instead of being a mass market medium it would have become a exclusive medium for only those who could have afforded it).
{11:58 pm Sept 1/06 .. amendment: I was talking to wife about this post tonight and she brought up a very important point. When music was put on the radio the listner had to actively go out to hear it again because there was not set time for replaying the song, with downloadind the public has access to the song any time they want and do not have to purchase the product.}
Look I'm not for stealing, and that is what file sharing really was. But if I go out and buy a CD, I want to be able to transfer it to my iPod if I want to (when I get one), I want to be make mixed tapes for my friends, like I did when I was a teenager, I have purchased something therefore its my property, isn't it. The way the industry is going with its protected CD's and proprietary file formats, you can't change songs format, you can't transfer files between different players, you have to buy the same song maybe 3 to 4 times for a family, I don't think so. (To give you an example, my wife has a iPod Shuffle, my kids have mp3's made by Creative, and I use my window handheld with a 1 Gig flash card of music and window media player.) I'm not sure about other people but there is no way I am going to buy a song more than once. With that Sony fiasco last year, I went from my Sterio system to my computer, Digital to Analog to Digital again, yes I lost quality but I knew my computer was safe. Hey I want to see the artist paid their royalties when I buy a CD, but once I've paid I don't want to have to pay again, I only have a limited amount to spend, would you rather I didn't spend anything.
All this has pointed out to me is that the record industry makes money (Here are the RIAA stats for 2005), I know that they say that have lost on profit over the last 10 years but they are still taking a incredible portion of the general publics entertainment dollar. (they just have to share with video games, DVD movie sales, movies, concerts, sporting events and everything else out there to entertain the public)
All I originally wanted to point out is that the recording industry has been saying the same thing for over 90 years, and each time they and the artists survive. A canadian group of artists (Canadian Music Creators Coalition) have formed to support the music buying public, they have some very interesting ideas.
My last statment in this rambling post ... Treat the people who buy your product fairly and they will continue to buy your product. Treat us like thieves and will be become thieves. I'm in a competitive sales market, I live by this rule.
Lyrics for: Police and Thieves by the Clash
they're going through a tight wind
police and thieves in the street
scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition
police and thieves in the street
fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition
from Genesis to Revelation
the next generation will be... hear me
from Genesis to Revelation
the next generation will be... hear me
and all the crowd come in day by day
no one stops them anyway
all the peacemakers, third world officers
hear what I say
police and thieves in the street
scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition
police and thieves in the street
fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition
from Genesis to Revelation
the next generation will be... hear me
and all the crowd come in day by day
no one stops them anyway
all the peacemakers, third world officers
hear what I say
police, police, police and thieves
police, police, police and thieves
Geneseh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh
police, police, police and thieves
scaring and fighting the nation
shooting and shooting their guns and... guns and ammunition
