EC Approves Unconditionally Sony-BMG Merger

Paul Slocum writes "Just when you thought the music industry couldn't get any worse, Sony and BMG are merging. Now there will only be 4 major labels, and they estimate that 2000 jobs (25% of combined workforce) will be cut." An anonymous reader points to Reuters' report on the planned merger, which points out that "Vivendi-owned Universal and Sony BMG, as the new company is to be called, account for about 46 percent of music sold worldwide."

Comments

Sony, Bony.

[mfh]

There's an obscure reference to something like this in an old eighties movie called Crazy People, where the genius crazy people decide to thwart Sony executives by making an ad that simply says: Sony, Bony (while the guy shows this a sketch of a really skinny old guy). I'm sorry but when else am I going to get to reference this funny/stupid movie quote, but when a company starting with the letter B is going to join forces with Sony.

So say it with me;
BMG + Sony...
Sony, Bony

music hegemony

[Kris Thalamus]

This looks like a good time to support open source music.

So what?

[ElForesto]

So what if they merge? I've noticed a lot of smaller labels starting to come into the market, and one of my favorite bands, Vast, switched to one of them. Let the big guys get bigger. This market is going to be dominated by little guys once again.

Anyone remember their history? As I recall, it was a revolt against ASCAP that lead to the formation of RCA. Or do I have my names wrong?

Re:So what?

[Elwood P Dowd]

It's BMI:

ASCAP and BMI
In 1914 the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) was established to protect recording artists from unsanctioned use of their material. ASCAP used a blanket licensing agreement to collect a pre-set annual fee from anyone using its members' material for any commercial purpose. The money was divided among ASCAP artists. As major players in the radio industry became more interested in broadcasting recorded work, ASCAP reinforced its control over distribution. Artists who were not ASCAP members had little hope of exposing their work to wide audiences.

During the recording boom of the late 30s and early 40s, ASCAP had doubled the fees they charged radio stations. In the midst of court battles and the dearth of music not protected by ASCAP, frustrated broadcasters formed their own blanket licensing system, Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI), in 1939. The BMI camp sought alternatives to ASCAP acts. In the process BMI would later become the dominant force in the discovery and marketing of a new sound that would breed a new culture.

When asked...

[Gentoo Fan]

Sony artists include Aerosmith, George Michael and Barbra Streisand, while the BMG stable has Avril Lavigne and Elvis Presley.

Elvis unavailable for comment regarding the merger.

There May Only Be One

[Psymunn]

Just one step closer to CocaWarner McMicroSonySoft

Artists need to fight back

[AnotherDreamer]

I recently released an album under a Creative Commons license simply because I would never want a situation in which my audience would be persecuted for listening to my music. The RIAA is must be taking out of the loop. Fans and artists must make an effort to do so. Anyway, my album is available for free at www.anotherdreamer.net

I don't know if it really makes much difference

[nebaz]

There were what 4 and now 3 big companies? Still not a monopoly, and didn't they already get convicted of price fixing with just the 4 of them? What we have here is an oligopoly, before and after. I realize that this will be one big player, but can you think of any abuses that could be perpetuated now that couldn't have been (and weren't) done before? I think Anti Trust issues only come in when a true monopoly occurs.

I'm sorry...

[Transcendent]

...but just hearing "music" and "industry" in the same sentence kinda makes me think that I'm fed a mass-produced, scientifically designed, corporate controlled brain anesthetic instead of actual music.

Now that the "industry" is controlled by fewer companies, closer to one conglomeration, the appreciation for what comes out of it is even smaller.

I guess that's why I stopped buying CDs a long time ago and just listen to online radio of "underground" (progressive trance if you must know my tastes) and classical music.

Oh, dear....

[mblase]

Now there will only be 4 major labels

That's like complaining that there's only four different types of manure. Any way you buy it, it's still crap.

More slashdot consistency.

[mumblestheclown]

First slashdot cries that RIAA members are fat middlemen then do nothing for the artists. Won't somebody please think of the artists!

But when 2000 job cuts are imminent, suddenly those workers are just hardworkin' folk.

Look, idiot submitters: consolidation and merger between relative equals happens in SHRINKING industries (makes hand gestures like Ben Affleck trying to explain basic economics to Jay and Silent bob from that "strike back movie"), not expanding ones. so maybe, just maybe you tinfoil hat crowd can see this as a *good* thing for your nevertheless ill-thought out anti-riaa crusade.

note: i challenge anybody to suggest how apple selling music is fundamentally different than wal-mart doing it in the sense that neither wal-mart nor apple can really promote artists other than one can give britney an endcap and the other can give her some banner ad or other prominent website mention. at the end of the tune, itunes, the coca-cola music store, and every other digital music place that is popping up whack-a-mole fashion are just RETAILERS. there is a massive difference between this and actual promoters and distributors and the difference will continue to grow as there are more and more digital retail outlets out there and so the incentive for an individual retailer to be anything but a bottom feeder pricewise shrinks more and more.

Re:There Can Only Be One

[Anonym0us Cow Herd]

Today IBMSNBCBS, owners of Fox/ABCNN, merged with CokeWarner McMicroSonyDisneySoft, completing the last possible corporate merger that had remained on planet Earth.

Re:great

[blinder]

"As of March 2001, there were 10,983 commercial radio stations in the United States"

according to the FCC

Clear Channel currently owns 1,182 radio stations. Not exactly "everything" now is it?

Oh yeah... you might want to consider looking other places for music. Believe it or not there is a HUGE independent music market that caters to just about every taste imaginable.

some more good/free music...

[wibs]

I'm not affiliated with it, but I've found 3hive to be a great site. Every single day they post download links for a few tracks being offered for free by artists under small labels. The site seems to mainly do emo rock and punk, which frankly is either good or really bad, but it also covers other things ranging from electronica to hip hop to folk. It's just a damn good site and hopefully someone will find this link to it and enjoy it.

Re:Ahhh...

[shawnce]

It was Taco Bell in the original US release. In a few non-US releases I guess they changed it to Pizza Hut.

Re:Question

[cubicledrone]

Look, Cubicledrone, you got fired from a shitty company

Several shitty companies.

The longer you carry around your anger towards all companies (yes, I have read your previous posts), the longer you will be miserable.

I'm not miserable, nor am I angry. I'm simply pointing out that the "job market" (such as it is, which is to say, it ain't) is hopelessly stacked against the (former) employee.

There was a commercial for some technology company on a while ago. I find the little scripted skits in commercials to be a nearly perfect mirror of our fucked-up society, by the way. Anyway, this commercial was imitating Survivor.

Everyone is sitting on a wooden platform in the middle of a lake and someone says "I think we should vote Smith off the team," and Smith replies (to the entire group) "why me?" and a disembodied voice snaps back "why not!?" in an emphatically venomous tone.

At that moment, one of the people announces some major problem at work to which Smith replies "oh, I solved that problem." Everyone nods their heads in agreement and appreciation for Smith's accomplishment.

He is then thrown off the dock into the water.

Now at first this might seem funny, but it is really a rather hostile example of maliciousness among co-workers who we are told to believe should be "team players."

But the most important part of the little skit, which symbolizes everything that is wrong with the professional environment right now is that disembodied voice that snaps "why not!?" when it is suggested that some unfortunate employee be discarded like so much garbage. It's actually a fair question.

In an environment where people are of no value (which is probably the most concise description of the job market possible), there really is no adequate answer to the question "why shouldn't Smith be fired?"

And that is why having a job is largely meaningless. Since there is no adequate answer to the question "why shouldn't Smith be fired?" employees no longer enjoy the benefit of the doubt, and therefore have absolutely no reason to believe their job amounts to anything more than today's wage.

But remember, people do not like arrogance.

Unless it's the arrogance of management as they fire people by the thousands upon thousands upon thousands. Then they love it.

You can swear up and down that you are right and they are wrong, but it doesn't get you anywhere.

Nothing "gets you anywhere" in this job market. There are basically two choices:

1) Sink into the grayness, stagnate and have a joyless, desolate career totally devoid of even the most modest accomplishment.

2) Try to work hard and achieve something, and get fired (repeatedly) for not being a team player.

The reason I continue to point this out is because it would be nice if there were a third choice.