Comments on: Dowloading works … just ask Gnarles Barkley http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/ Commentary on the technology you use! Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:24:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Metal Tim http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/#comment-17 Metal Tim Mon, 03 Apr 2006 17:40:32 +0000 http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/#comment-17 > legal downloading works!<br /> <br /> First, define 'works'.<br /> <br /> From the RIAA perspective, 'works' entails that the artist's product sell enough to maximize thier profit down the line. The CD is going to be released in HMV via major label distribution.<br /> <br /> From the artist's PoV, 'works' means that the artist receives more widespread recognition of his product than that of traditional methods of distribution. <br /> <br /> Looking at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Danger_Mouse" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...</a>'s resume, and you see, not an industry up and comer breaking through, but an established hiphop insider who's already benefitting from traditional industry distribution channels.<br /> <br /> Translation: Yawn. Dollars to donuts the HMV sales will be just fine. The media blitz for "Gnarles Barkley" is already underway, thus the download frenzy as people get the latest thing The Labels(tm) want you to buy. <br /> <br /> Check out the radio playlists (eg <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/playlist.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1...</a>) Know how they get on there? It's not because people are calling in for unreleased material. The label sends a promo material CD and gets it played. It's a reversal of cause and effect. Now that's it on the charts, next week, all the youth with spare time, questionable musical taste, and money to burn will get out there and buy it, 'cause its "a hit". Online downloading just serves to increase the feeding frenzy.<br /> <br /> Call me when the next Moxy Fruvous or BNL demo hits downloads and makes #1 via the legal download services. That'll be _real_ news, IMHO. In the meantime, the local college station is probably one's best bet for something that's not prepackaged variations of this decade's musical theme.<br /> <br /> The problem with music downloading isn't piracy, or the cost of CDs, its the fact that music today has become factory created. We're seeing it in the monocultural development of commercial music into HipHop, Teen Pop, and Young Country, as everything else becomes "virtually unsellable", through fewer and fewer labels. > legal downloading works!

First, define ‘works’.

From the RIAA perspective, ‘works’ entails that the artist’s product sell enough to maximize thier profit down the line. The CD is going to be released in HMV via major label distribution.

From the artist’s PoV, ‘works’ means that the artist receives more widespread recognition of his product than that of traditional methods of distribution.

Looking at http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…’s resume, and you see, not an industry up and comer breaking through, but an established hiphop insider who’s already benefitting from traditional industry distribution channels.

Translation: Yawn. Dollars to donuts the HMV sales will be just fine. The media blitz for "Gnarles Barkley" is already underway, thus the download frenzy as people get the latest thing The Labels(tm) want you to buy.

Check out the radio playlists (eg http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1…) Know how they get on there? It’s not because people are calling in for unreleased material. The label sends a promo material CD and gets it played. It’s a reversal of cause and effect. Now that’s it on the charts, next week, all the youth with spare time, questionable musical taste, and money to burn will get out there and buy it, ’cause its "a hit". Online downloading just serves to increase the feeding frenzy.

Call me when the next Moxy Fruvous or BNL demo hits downloads and makes #1 via the legal download services. That’ll be _real_ news, IMHO. In the meantime, the local college station is probably one’s best bet for something that’s not prepackaged variations of this decade’s musical theme.

The problem with music downloading isn’t piracy, or the cost of CDs, its the fact that music today has become factory created. We’re seeing it in the monocultural development of commercial music into HipHop, Teen Pop, and Young Country, as everything else becomes "virtually unsellable", through fewer and fewer labels.

]]> By: mercerch http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/#comment-18 mercerch Mon, 03 Apr 2006 19:31:19 +0000 http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/#comment-18 Excellent points! That provides a far more extensive explanation than I intended. My aim was to address the RIAA’s layman argument that downloadable content is not in demand and thus does not work… I.E. one person will download it and share it for free to everyone else - which has been a staple of their debate against online content distribution for some time. <br /> <br /> The full debate of the issues addressing the music (and movie) industry has been the subject graduate study papers and not typically the content of blogs. Excellent points! That provides a far more extensive explanation than I intended. My aim was to address the RIAA’s layman argument that downloadable content is not in demand and thus does not work… I.E. one person will download it and share it for free to everyone else - which has been a staple of their debate against online content distribution for some time.

The full debate of the issues addressing the music (and movie) industry has been the subject graduate study papers and not typically the content of blogs.

]]> By: Metal Tim http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/#comment-19 Metal Tim Tue, 04 Apr 2006 12:21:50 +0000 http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/#comment-19 That's because I am amazingly smart, incredibly witty, of heroic courage, and mysteriously attractive to women. I raise the discourse to stratospheric levels! That’s because I am amazingly smart, incredibly witty, of heroic courage, and mysteriously attractive to women. I raise the discourse to stratospheric levels!

]]> By: Metal Tim http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/#comment-20 Metal Tim Thu, 06 Apr 2006 16:39:00 +0000 http://www.christophermercer.net/2006/04/03/dowloading-works-just-ask-gnarles-barkley/#comment-20 Oh and I am also quite charming, but too modest to mention it! Oh and I am also quite charming, but too modest to mention it!

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