Goodbye, Liquid Audio?

gosand writes "Yahoo is carrying the AP story that basically says that Liquid Audio's days are numbered. The board voted unanimously in favor of a $57 million stockholder cash payout. They would rather sell the company, but if there is no buyer then they would probably have to liquidate the company. Liquid Audio indeed. There have been other Slashdot stories on this topic, but this could be the last one."

Comments

Last post on Liquid Audio?

[kperrier]

How can this be the last post? This same story will be subitted and posted again in a few weeks.

Kent

With sugar on top?

[A non moose cow]

There have been other Slashdot stories on this topic, but this could be the last one.

Could more /. stories be posted with this threat? Please? Pretty please?

Sad, inevitable, but if people would act...

[karmawarrior]

Liquid Audio was a fair attempt, but with competition both from the free filesharing networks, and a reluctance from the music industry to support new technologies that might challenge - or at least confuse - their existing business models, LA never really had much of a chance. Indeed, towards the latter period of this company's history, it seemed more content to persue lawsuits than attempt to dig itself out of a hole it was already too deep within to climb out.

All of which is a pity - a genuine Internet based electronic music (and content in general) distribution method that can raise revenues and other incentives for artists while making it cheap and affordable for people to obtain content is a wonderful thing. It can happen, it must happen: Distribution costs right now far out-strip revenues for artists (typically a few percentage points of the cover price of a CD will go to the creator) while prices continue to rise as the costs of bricks-and-mortar delivery methods rise above and beyond inflation.

Challenging the status quo - creating new networks that independent artists can use and which afford reasonable benefits for those who would otherwise have not the time to produce wonderful content - will not happen by itself. Resources need to be devoted, and unless people are prepared to actually act, not just talk about it on Slashdot, nothing will ever get done. Apathy is not an option.

You can help by getting off your rear and writing to your congressman or senator. Tell them that open, non-proprietry, content distribution are important to you - that you believe it is important for strong alternatives to the existing music distribution systems exist so that all voices are heard, not just those a small minority feel are the most profitable. Let them know that SMP may make or break whether you can efficiently deploy OpenBSD on your workstations and servers. Explain the concerns you have about freedom, openness, and choice, and how locked up networks destroys all three. Let them know that this is an issue that effects YOU directly, that YOU vote, and that your vote will be influenced, indeed dependent, on his or her policy on open distribution networks.

You CAN make a difference. Don't treat voting as a right, treat it as a duty. Keep informed, keep your political representatives informed on how you feel. And, most importantly of all, vote.