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Upside downsides MP3.COM.
eshefer writes
"With the upcomming IPO of mp3.com Upside has this
article that warns Mp3.com is still far away from competing
with traditional record companies since the quality of
most of the music is low and sales of D.A.M CD's isn't so
hot. "
The record industry is an oligopoly consiting of five companies who want to extract every last dollar from an artist. MP3.com is just the opposite, the artist is their primary customer. They want to tear down the walls between you and your favorite musician. They want to provide a direct connection between you and the music you want to hear. It's just simply cool.
It reminds me of what the personal computer (apple, ibm pc) did to the world of mainframes. Perhaps some of you are too young to remember having to give your programs to the guy behind the window and have him run your job at his convenience. As soon as I could afford a personal computer I bought one. Then I was in control of my destiny on my computer.
At MP3.com I can now be in control of my music and make my choices as to what I want to hear. I don't have to simply listen to what Jaycor (radio station monopoly) thinks is good music.
You know what else is cool? If there's a new music scene popping up in Seattle I can go to MP3.com and listen to musicians from Seattle and get a head start on cool new tunes. That's cool.
An undertone in the article that I noticed, and maybe I'm having one of my typical everyone-bashes-amateur-music-and-I-must-defend-it reactions, is that the vast majority of the musicians on MP3.com is devoid of talent and the music is worthless. How many in the established music industry thought that the burgeoning rock 'n roll scene in the 50s wasn't crap? The same for rap and hip-hop, electronica and world music in the 80s and 90s?
The very thing that is so great about MP3.com is that the wide range of styles, types, and, yes, even relative "talent" of music offered is in itself exciting. The public has a chance to hear musicians with new visions that the industry wouldn't dare take chances on or let us hear. The music industry has no desire in promoting anything new that isn't young, sexy and hip like your Britney Spears or other teenybopper one-hit wonder. And remember, young, sexy and hip means big profits, and usually not quality.
I applaud MP3.com--I have a page up there, and I don't expect to see a red cent or a record contract from what I do. I am happy knowing that there exists a facility where I can post my music and anybody who wants to can go and hear it of their own free will. With radio playing the same five or six songs in rotation every hour, I'll gladly take a so-called low-quality, no-talent, interesting MP3 artist over the latest überproduced pap I feel as if I am being fed every time I listen to the radio or watch TV.
If one takes a step back and looks at more than just MP3s, the migration toward free distribution is becoming more relevent in all industries. Obviously, Linux and Open Source is the greatest example of this, but who is to say music can't join in on this as well? The time has come where people are no longer satisfied with what major corporations, record companies, and the media have to offer. The Internet has becomes the generic media that enables each and every individual to become a content provider on their own, with the help of sites such as MP3.com.
It is my belief that as high bandwidth becomes available to more and more consumers, and as the quality of television decreases even more (no, we haven't hit absolute rock bottom yet, I'm sad to say), independent TV shows orgininating on the Internet will come into play. This may sound absurd, but if you look at the trend, it is the next logical step. It is simply the transition from totally profit-oriented business to those that seek to provide the better product, with profit as a secondary goal.
If people aren't buying the music on MP3.com, is it really that big of a deal? There is a thing called advertising revenue, and I'm sure they're not lacking it. Is something a failure just because consumers don't directly purchase it? Perhaps the solution here is to provide an incentive for purchase, such as songs that aren't available for download. Obviously the artists need to be supported if they are expected to continue with this, but they must also keep in mind that the widespread distribution and acceptance of their music is a success in itself, one which should be valued more.
Daniel
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Editor - Dualism.org
President - Ophelan.com