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Music Industry Sees First Big Gains in 20 Years Thanks to Streaming Services
Thanks to subscription-based music streaming services, the music industry is seeing a significant growth for the first time in nearly two decades. According to International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an industry trade group, the global music sales rose 3.2 percent last year, also surpassing those from all physical music formats. The important tipping point in 2015 saw digital services account for 45 percent of recorded music revenue. According to the report, Spotify, Apple Music and other music streaming services brought in about $2.9 billion in revenue. The findings are in line with Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s estimates from last month. IFPI also noted that music on free streaming services such as YouTube has also grown quickly, creating a panic among record labels and artists alike. Billboard elaborates that aspect: In criticizing ad-supported services, the IFPI joined a growing list of trade bodies and music company executives to criticize YouTube for paying royalties that are relatively low when considering its popularity. The report argues YouTube distorts its negotiations with labels by hiding behind the DMCA "safe harbor" rules that limit the liability of online intermediaries from the infringing actions of their users. The result, the IFPI argues, is YouTube can use an "act first, negotiate later" that "fundamentally distort[s] the negotiation process."
Now they might try putting out music that didn't suck. Seriously, today's twerk-a-licious and computer generated, autotuned stuff makes 1960's bubblegum music and disco look good.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
So, the music industry, which until now absolutely loved the DMCA because they could hide behind the "good-faith" clause, is now upset that someone else is doing the same thing? Go cry me a river, then look up "Law of unintended consequences."
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
So streaming has caught on and people are liking it. It's making money. That means it's now the perfect time to start balkanizing the industry with exclusives to specific services, raise prices, and strangle it before it gets any bigger.
I mean, if the music industry is doing well, they won't be able to bitch and moan and lobby gov't to impose more and more draconic legislation to combat piracy.
I used Napster back before they were sued. Downloading music sucked up so much of my time in finding songs I wanted, downloading them, then checking it was actually music I had downloaded, was the song I wanted, was the full length version (and not some hacked-up version missing the last third of the song), and wasn't a live version that I told my wife flat-out that I wish the music labels would just open up their catalogs online and let me buy the songs I want for one dollar. I figured that even though a complete album would sell for less than the cost of a CD, the label was still making more money than they otherwise would have since there was no packaging to create, shipping to pay for, or middlemen who had to get their cut. Years later, along comes Steve Jobs and Apple with iTunes selling songs for .... one dollar. And the labels spent all the those intervening years fighting against exactly that when they could instead have been making money hand over fist just by making their catalogs available online and charging a reasonable price.
And no, my conscience never bothered me about downloading music off Napster. The music I wanted wasn't for sale in the store and I'd already purchased all that music three times in my life at that point anyway: once when I was a teenager with nothing else to spend money on, and then again when my house was robbed and my music collection stolen (yes, happened twice). So, I figured they'd already made enough money off me and they weren't willing to sell it to me, anyway.
1. Are the artists actually being compensated properly now?
2. Assuming the answer to #1 is 'yes', is the music industry going to stop whining now?
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Napster broke the monopoly on music. Up until then you had to buy a whole album for one song. Napster was the market correcting itself. The industry brought it upon themselves. If a kid in a dorm can obsolete your business model in a 3-day coding spree, your business is not viable.
Good-bye