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EU May Block Music Labels' Download Sites
csmiller writes: "The BBC is reporting that the EU is (according to The Sunday Times) considering blocking music-labels setting up their own download sites, as 'Some politicians fear that the two services, Pressplay and MusicNet, would be anti-competitive and unfairly dominate the market.'" I wonder when the idea of a Neighborhood Cache will catch on -- it looks like large-scale digital trading will always be subject to this kind of interference.
They (MusicNet) could just run the servers in the US and accept credit cards. Granted the service might be slower, but I'm pretty happy with the services that aren't in Europe. (I live in Finland.)
Of course setting up a full local service using local currency with local banks with a help desk speaking my native language might have a better chance of being successful.
How can you say this is not interference when clearly it obviously is?
That doesn't make it good or bad, but it is interference.
In this case, IMO it is interference thats only ended up being needed because of earlier interference by government in the first place that allowed such powerful organisations to form. ie, the ridiculous rights granted to copyright holders (or from another perspective, removed from everyone else) by the state.
If that hadn't happened and copyright terms are were shorter there would be a more competitive market and this counter-interference would be unneccessary.
The length that copyright should apply for is debatable, but right now it is much too long. I would say that if power tends to become concentrated among a small minority of powerful companies then the time is too long. On the other hand, if it becomed anarchic with no artists able to make a living then it is too short. Is should be adjusted and played about with until the correct balance is found. Jobs and companies will be lost (as well as new ones created) in doing that which is why no government will dare, but that is the cost of drastically improving the situation for absolutely everyone else in society.
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These record companies do not throw money into black holes and the commission fears that if they come together, it could make them into a cartel and make it virtually impossible for a rival model to compete" --emphasis mine
Excuse me? What do you mean *could*?
How bloody stupid can one be...a rival model (Napster, et al) did try to compete... they got E3'd (embraced, extended and extinguished).
And, correct me if I am wrong, did a music company just try this? One of the same that was fighting napster?
As one poster so eloquently put it, Napsters popularity was spurred on not by the "desire to steal" but by the ham fisted approach to music and individual freedoms by the "music cartel".
I could not have said it better myself.
Heck, just look at the "uncopyable" cds that are coming out? Individual freedoms (tossing motion) going out the windows. HDTV...whoosh...bye-bye.
Oh, never mind the law says you have the right to do this, but the moment you excercise that right you are running afowl of the law? Excuse me?
Did I mis-read the first line of a famous document as "We the corporations, in order to form a more perfect monopoly..."
Moose.
Oh, and next election, if you want sweeping changes...put a single selection first on the ballot that reads "Vote *against* all incumbants".
If it is not there, just look, all incumbants are listed...heh.
Have you read the moderator guidelines? Well, have you, PUNK? (and I want a Karma: Gnarly option)
"Some politicians fear that the two services, Pressplay and MusicNet, would be anti-competitive and unfairly dominate the market."
Please, I know the european (politician) way of thinking (I'm from holland) and the line should read:
"Some politicians fear that the two services, Pressplay and MusicNet, will pay too little taxes"
That's why we are having trouble buying stuff from america or outside the EU for that matter. But MP3's that you download... how can they stop that???
Well... at least that's what I think
Fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity
But that industry says it will not put a stranglehold on the download sector, and is planning to work together with a new, legitimate Napster that will launch before the end of the year.
Is it me, or does this quote sound like a little kid saying: "No, mommy. I won't eat all the cookies. I'll share some with my little brother."
I mean, come on. How naive do they think people are? Everybody knows that given the chance, they'll monopolize the download sector and crush (through illegal use of the legal process) legitimate services.
I say kudos (the congratulation, not the candy) to the EU for putting a halt to MusicNet and Pressplay until it can be assured that the download sector is a competative one.
This quote brought to you by MoronCo. Industries, the leading source of stupidity on the internet,
-- If any of the above made sense, I assure it was purely by accident.
The Internet may, if we're not careful, merely provide the big labels with another avenue of control over their product. We may see a repeat of past history where a couple of key players (both of which seem to be merely extensions of the major recording labels) grow and grow until they become so big they can have the kind of control over the digital market that they have over the physical market right now.
You know, I just don't see this happening. Of course bigger labels will always have a monetary edge, but one of the beauties of the Internet is the advantage of lower cost than brick-and-mortar operations. One key point of the major labels' current monopoly is cutting deals with record stores for shelf space. On the Internet this issue goes away when anyone can set up a few servers and jump right into competition with the big boys. Costs aren't nil, but I imagine they pale in comparison to the cost of worldwide physical media distribution.
So I think the EU is probably overreacting to Pressplay and MusicNet. Let the record companies try their outdated muscle tactics in cyberspace. The net has a way of spawning smaller, more nimble services to compete with ones that have gotten too big and bloated.
Never approach a vast undertaking with a half-vast plan.
This is a point i make often and this instance is no other,the Fact is that People Forget
that outside US (include Canada in the tag pls)these anti Common Man things wouldnt simply work.
Stop worrying and in a few years time just like the cryptography thingy these restrictions will go away when they are found harming US interests.
You ask me how??Well here's How:
Imagine a major European/Asian Label which:
1.Gives the artists it contracts Better % of revenue.
2.Provides its customers with no fancy works,just workd CD's etc.
3.Reduce its margins to realistic levels and make CD's cheap enough so that ppl dont mind buying one just for a few songs(i am assuming that some people will continue to pirate--But most wont)
isnt it possible that you US guys will order more and more of your CD's over the net from these guys?
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