the current model has the attractive property that it allows WB and others to speculate on bands because of the subsidy offered by the successfull ones
Greedy accountants "speculating" over the next music craze has all but destroyed the industry.
50 years ago, in the early days of rock-n-roll, there was a very loose network of local radio stations operated by young people who loved music. They played what they wanted to play, for people who listened to what they wanted to listen to. Some guy in L.A. might get a phone-call from his buddy in New York, saying "hey man, check out this new Pink Floyd album called Dark Side of the Moon." Next week the DJ gets his hands on the record, listens too it, and by his own volition airs it because it's good.
Nowadays it's all push push push, marketroids and accountants tell DJs what to like, and what to distribute. That my friends, is a broken system.
The wrong people are deciding what we listen to, and only a very select few(I.e. those who don't have a lawyer around to tell them how hard they're getting fucked) manage to get into the industry today. So you tell me, would you rather have:
A) 600 bands a year shoved down your throat, regardless of what they sound like, represent, or say. b) 100,000 bands available on a P2P network...and you decide who gets in based on music critics you trust, and word of mouth.
Warner is more like US Steel in the 80's. US Steel could have continued to be an old-school steel producer, or change to react to new steel producing innovations happening overseas. US Steel decided to stay the course, and the steel industry in the USA is still plumetting and out-of-control.
While I agree with the majority of your post, would you care to elaborate on this point? It's my impression that what happened to US Steel is the same thing that's been happening to the US Textile industry.
1) Overseas labor costs about 1/10th what it does in the US 2) Industrial optimization process technologies have produced high cost/production efficiency, with human labor floating to the top of operation expenses.
If you couple those two factors, it leaves very little room for policy solutions. So what could US Steel have done? What can it possibly do now?
About 2 years ago I played Diablo for the first time on the PS(play-station 1). I was addicted immediately, and played 4 or 5 hours at a sitting. For whatever reason I decided to buy the PC version(it was like 10$ in the bargain bin or something) and I tried it on the old PC. What I noticed was that for the most part, it was the same game. The controls were equally playable, the graphics were just about the same quality, etc. The strage thing was, after a day or so...I decided to stop developing my character on the PC, and went back to the Playstation.
So to recap, I tried the PS version and liked it...then I tried the PC version and liked it the same...then I decided to stop playing the PC version and went back to the PS version. Why?
Furniture.
I have a very warm and cozy living room, and I sit in a nice comfy lazy-boy adjustable chair while I play on the Playstation. After a long work/school day of sitting in a straight-back chair...you most likely just want to lay back and relax. Playing 4 hours on the lazy-boy is much more appealing than 4 more hours of sitting in front of a PC.
There is nothin more immature than a child proclaiming that if people will not listen to what he has to say then he will scream and throw a temper tantrum so that no one else can have a conversation. Grow up!
Tell this to a civil rights marcher. Or how about the founding fathers? The french under Louis XIV? No, when the oppressed and underpriveldged are ignored and marginalized to the point of irrelevance, it's time to change the rules.
Are people like that fit to run the country because they're entitled to? Absolutely not! People that ignorant should not be allowed to vote, and ever since we removed all restrictions, this country has turned into a cesspool
I only see technological developments resulting in more an more human misery for the majority of humanity.
Humanity is becoming more and more disconected from the natural environment we evolved in the more we try to modify that environment.
Biotechnological "advances" will result in the extinction of the human speces in 100 years or so.
I know that most of us don't want to believe this. But there are many compelling signs which indicate he's correct. This is not a troll, and he shouldn't be modded down as one.
And while I'm up on the soap box, I also disagree with trying to directly compensate the artist for intellectual property that they've sold the rights to. I support more equitable recording contracts, but I also support the right of an artist to contractually sell his/her ownership of song rights in exchange for money. By insisting on tipping the artist at the same time as infringing on copyright, you're eroding the artists' ability to sell that copyright, regardless of whether or not it was a fair deal
Don't underestimate Hillary Rosen, she has tremendous business savvy. She's even doing her own modeling in anti-piracy commercials.
Many business moguls revere her, and Playboy is rumored to be approaching her as well. I'm sure we can't wait for that. In the mean time there's always the Hillary Rosen blow-up doll.
In a perfect world we'd have open-source graphics designs available. So shopping for a video card might go like this:
1) Load up OS-designs.org 2) Search the graphics sub-section for a type of design that fits your needs. 3) Upload the design to a fab shop in Korea or Taiwan. 4) Give them your credit card number/address. 5) 2 weeks later get your graphics card in the mail.
I wish Square would do something BESIDES put out the same game every year or so. They havent done anything original or compelling since Final Fantasy 7
I don't think you have the right to accuse them of this. While they've rehashed the same genre over and over, they did put thier hearts into making Final Fantasy the Movie. It didn't do too well in the box office, so now they're back to making games.
They tried branching out, and it didn't work out as well as they had hoped. Give them some credit, they tried.
I was thinking the exact same thing after I read the intro:
Want proof? How about: '"Surround sound is going to be increasingly important in future offices," says group marketing manager Tom Gruver in leading a tour of the new facility.' Right. More chestnuts inside."
At face value this does sound really dumb. But if someone could build a "wave cancellation" device that listens to the sounds coming into my cubicle...and then transmits that same sound 180 degrees out of phase towards me, thus turning my cubicle into my own private quiet space...I would be very very happy glad for it.
1) Sudden shortage, of overrated, untalented pop stars. 2) Threat of boredom due to lack of terrorist attacks. 3) The Injuns are a comin'. 4) Sequel to "Howard The Duck" announced. 5) Burger King's tacos. Taco Bell's fries. McDonald's hot dogs. 6) RIAA finds a way to start suing musicians who are caught with mp3s of their own songs. 7) A second revival of 70's fashion takes the nation by storm. 8) George Dubya attempts to eat another pretzel. 9) CNN confused by announcement of Pepsi's new "Red Alert" drink. Coke also announces new "Pepsi-flavored Coke" to keep the competition alive. 10) Terrorists sank our battleship!
the P2P systems I tried were barely tolerable for finding fairly current, popular music
Did you ever use Napster? These kinds of things weren't an issue until the RIAA poisened the network, and sued them into bankruptcy.
P2P is not a question of technological feasibility, we know it works. Napster was fast, but vulnerable, Gnutella is robust...but cumbersome. The answer? At the moment it's Kazaa. Last week they released a version that allows users to rate files, and clean up the titles. In a few months Kazaa will probably be as useable as Napster was.
Sure it may be a bit slower, but that's not a big deal. Most Kazaa users select a bunch of files before they go to sleep, and the next morning they're downloaded.
Slashdot Mirror
the current model has the attractive property that it allows WB and others to speculate on bands because of the subsidy offered by the successfull ones
Greedy accountants "speculating" over the next music craze has all but destroyed the industry.
50 years ago, in the early days of rock-n-roll, there was a very loose network of local radio stations operated by young people who loved music. They played what they wanted to play, for people who listened to what they wanted to listen to. Some guy in L.A. might get a phone-call from his buddy in New York, saying "hey man, check out this new Pink Floyd album called Dark Side of the Moon." Next week the DJ gets his hands on the record, listens too it, and by his own volition airs it because it's good.
Nowadays it's all push push push, marketroids and accountants tell DJs what to like, and what to distribute. That my friends, is a broken system.
The wrong people are deciding what we listen to, and only a very select few(I.e. those who don't have a lawyer around to tell them how hard they're getting fucked) manage to get into the industry today. So you tell me, would you rather have:
A) 600 bands a year shoved down your throat, regardless of what they sound like, represent, or say.
b) 100,000 bands available on a P2P network...and you decide who gets in based on music critics you trust, and word of mouth.
Warner is more like US Steel in the 80's. US Steel could have continued to be an old-school steel producer, or change to react to new steel producing innovations happening overseas. US Steel decided to stay the course, and the steel industry in the USA is still plumetting and out-of-control.
While I agree with the majority of your post, would you care to elaborate on this point? It's my impression that what happened to US Steel is the same thing that's been happening to the US Textile industry.
1) Overseas labor costs about 1/10th what it does in the US
2) Industrial optimization process technologies have produced high cost/production efficiency, with human labor floating to the top of operation expenses.
If you couple those two factors, it leaves very little room for policy solutions. So what could US Steel have done? What can it possibly do now?
Does anyone know how to build an igloo?
I'm still living in my igloo, is Y2K over yet?
Don't fret, P2P needs beta testers. After the dust settles, P2P will be a brick house. And the big bad wolves will go back to telemarketing.
PC games are dying
He might be right, here's why:
About 2 years ago I played Diablo for the first time on the PS(play-station 1). I was addicted immediately, and played 4 or 5 hours at a sitting. For whatever reason I decided to buy the PC version(it was like 10$ in the bargain bin or something) and I tried it on the old PC. What I noticed was that for the most part, it was the same game. The controls were equally playable, the graphics were just about the same quality, etc. The strage thing was, after a day or so...I decided to stop developing my character on the PC, and went back to the Playstation.
So to recap, I tried the PS version and liked it...then I tried the PC version and liked it the same...then I decided to stop playing the PC version and went back to the PS version. Why?
Furniture.
I have a very warm and cozy living room, and I sit in a nice comfy lazy-boy adjustable chair while I play on the Playstation. After a long work/school day of sitting in a straight-back chair...you most likely just want to lay back and relax. Playing 4 hours on the lazy-boy is much more appealing than 4 more hours of sitting in front of a PC.
The poster knew this I believe, and was lauding us with his commentary regarding the oftentimes silly and awkward nature of the english language.
There is nothin more immature than a child proclaiming that if people will not listen to what he has to say then he will scream and throw a temper tantrum so that no one else can have a conversation. Grow up!
Tell this to a civil rights marcher. Or how about the founding fathers? The french under Louis XIV? No, when the oppressed and underpriveldged are ignored and marginalized to the point of irrelevance, it's time to change the rules.
Are people like that fit to run the country because they're entitled to? Absolutely not! People that ignorant should not be allowed to vote, and ever since we removed all restrictions, this country has turned into a cesspool
He has a point, just look at our president.
you can argue that freedom has actually been increasing for more people in the USA and the world.
Wage slavery isn't freedom...it's umm...slavery.
I know that most of us don't want to believe this. But there are many compelling signs which indicate he's correct. This is not a troll, and he shouldn't be modded down as one.
In other words, just because a technology looks like it's the "right" way to progress next, doesn't mean the market will allow it to move along
This should be engraved on the proverbial tombstone of the dot-com era.
I still think we've lost something in the last few years.
NO shit. It's called our sanity.
Ya, but did you read his manifesto?
Talk about an accurate description of the future jeez...Of course he could have written a book like George Orwell, instead of bombing people.
And while I'm up on the soap box, I also disagree with trying to directly compensate the artist for intellectual property that they've sold the rights to. I support more equitable recording contracts, but I also support the right of an artist to contractually sell his/her ownership of song rights in exchange for money. By insisting on tipping the artist at the same time as infringing on copyright, you're eroding the artists' ability to sell that copyright, regardless of whether or not it was a fair deal
Apparently the artist would agree with you.
...And remember, she's doing it for the children =( *sniff*
Don't underestimate Hillary Rosen, she has tremendous business savvy. She's even doing her own modeling in anti-piracy commercials.
Many business moguls revere her, and Playboy is rumored to be approaching her as well. I'm sure we can't wait for that. In the mean time there's always the Hillary Rosen blow-up doll.
Hmm, good point. *Sigh*
Ah Shadowrun...brings back vague memories of rolling about 20 die-sixes at once.
Nature of the beast I'm afraid.
In a perfect world we'd have open-source graphics designs available. So shopping for a video card might go like this:
1) Load up OS-designs.org
2) Search the graphics sub-section for a type of design that fits your needs.
3) Upload the design to a fab shop in Korea or Taiwan.
4) Give them your credit card number/address.
5) 2 weeks later get your graphics card in the mail.
Something tells me we're not quite there yet.
I wish Square would do something BESIDES put out the same game every year or so. They havent done anything original or compelling since Final Fantasy 7
I don't think you have the right to accuse them of this. While they've rehashed the same genre over and over, they did put thier hearts into making Final Fantasy the Movie. It didn't do too well in the box office, so now they're back to making games.
They tried branching out, and it didn't work out as well as they had hoped. Give them some credit, they tried.
No, the future is Digital Pants ... a so called, Smarty Pants.
Actually you may be right.
I was thinking the exact same thing after I read the intro:
Want proof? How about: '"Surround sound is going to be increasingly important in future offices," says group marketing manager Tom Gruver in leading a tour of the new facility.' Right. More chestnuts inside."
At face value this does sound really dumb. But if someone could build a "wave cancellation" device that listens to the sounds coming into my cubicle...and then transmits that same sound 180 degrees out of phase towards me, thus turning my cubicle into my own private quiet space...I would be very very happy glad for it.
TOP TEN REASONS FOR THE U.S. TO GO ON RED ALERT:
1) Sudden shortage, of overrated, untalented pop stars.
2) Threat of boredom due to lack of terrorist attacks.
3) The Injuns are a comin'.
4) Sequel to "Howard The Duck" announced.
5) Burger King's tacos. Taco Bell's fries. McDonald's hot dogs.
6) RIAA finds a way to start suing musicians who are caught with mp3s of their own songs.
7) A second revival of 70's fashion takes the nation by storm.
8) George Dubya attempts to eat another pretzel.
9) CNN confused by announcement of Pepsi's new "Red Alert" drink. Coke also announces new "Pepsi-flavored Coke" to keep the competition alive.
10) Terrorists sank our battleship!
Suck my jumper cable!
-Us
the P2P systems I tried were barely tolerable for finding fairly current, popular music
Did you ever use Napster? These kinds of things weren't an issue until the RIAA poisened the network, and sued them into bankruptcy.
P2P is not a question of technological feasibility, we know it works. Napster was fast, but vulnerable, Gnutella is robust...but cumbersome. The answer? At the moment it's Kazaa. Last week they released a version that allows users to rate files, and clean up the titles. In a few months Kazaa will probably be as useable as Napster was.
Sure it may be a bit slower, but that's not a big deal. Most Kazaa users select a bunch of files before they go to sleep, and the next morning they're downloaded.