Maybe the record companies trying to find a new business model isn't working because they simply aren't needed anymore.
The artists can distribute their music to a huge audience using the internet, the artists can then make all their money off live performances (which is pretty much what happens now). That puts record stores, out of business, and record companies, at least making vastly less money (I assume publicity, people to organise shows, etc, would still be needed, at least for a while).
Put simply the middle man is no longer as necessary as he used to be, but instead of accepting that he's had a good run and rolling with it, he's trying to make you legally obligated to go through him anyway.
http://goodsforguns.org/nationalfacts/
National
Gun Violence Statistics
People
In 1999, approximately 10,096 people were murdered by guns in the United States.[1]
In 1998, over 30,000 people died from gunshots in the U.S.[2]
A gun kept in the home is 22 times more likely to kill a family member or a friend than it is to be used against an intruder.[3]
10 children are killed by guns in the U.S. every day, on average.[4]
In 1996, handguns were used to murder 2 people in New Zealand, 15 in Japan, 30 in Great Britain, 106 in Canada, 211 in Germany, and 9,390 in the United States.
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http://www.texansforgunsafety.org/articles/archive s/statsrefute.htm
An analysis conducted by the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, comparing the latest drop in crime rates among the
states, provides compelling evidence that the gun lobby is wrong: more concealed handguns do not mean less crime. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, from 1996 to 1997 the nation's overall crime rate dropped 3.2%, from 5086.6 to 4922.7 crimes per 100,000 population. More telling, crime fell faster in states that have strict carrying concealed weapons (CCW) laws or that don't allow the carrying of concealed weapons at all than in states which have lax CCW laws. This strongly suggests that, contrary to the arguments made by the National Rifle Association and others, states should not make it easier for citizens to carry concealed weapons in order to reduce crime.
In the 29 states that have lax CCW laws (where law enforcement must issue CCW licenses to almost all applicants), the crime rate fell 2.1%, from 5397.0 to 5285.1 crimes per 100,000 population from 1996 to 1997.
During the same time period, in the 21 states and the District of Columbia withstrict carry laws or which don't allow the carrying of concealed weapons at all, the crime rate fell 4.4%, from 4810.5 to 4599.9 crimes per 100,000 population. The decline in the crime rate of strict licensing and no-carry states was 2.1 times that of states with lax CCW systems, indicating that there are more effective ways to fight crime than to encourage more people to carry guns.
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There's your facts, read em and weep.
Its funny, but us british seem to be doing just fine without civilians or police officers carrying guns. I'm sure our crime rate isn't the lowest anywhere, but I'm damn sure its lower than the US'.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe the record companies trying to find a new business model isn't working because they simply aren't needed anymore. The artists can distribute their music to a huge audience using the internet, the artists can then make all their money off live performances (which is pretty much what happens now). That puts record stores, out of business, and record companies, at least making vastly less money (I assume publicity, people to organise shows, etc, would still be needed, at least for a while). Put simply the middle man is no longer as necessary as he used to be, but instead of accepting that he's had a good run and rolling with it, he's trying to make you legally obligated to go through him anyway.
Just wanted to say that was a fascinating post, and very informative. Props!
http://goodsforguns.org/nationalfacts/ National Gun Violence Statistics People In 1999, approximately 10,096 people were murdered by guns in the United States.[1] In 1998, over 30,000 people died from gunshots in the U.S.[2] A gun kept in the home is 22 times more likely to kill a family member or a friend than it is to be used against an intruder.[3] 10 children are killed by guns in the U.S. every day, on average.[4] In 1996, handguns were used to murder 2 people in New Zealand, 15 in Japan, 30 in Great Britain, 106 in Canada, 211 in Germany, and 9,390 in the United States. ------- http://www.texansforgunsafety.org/articles/archive s/statsrefute.htm
An analysis conducted by the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, comparing the latest drop in crime rates among the
states, provides compelling evidence that the gun lobby is wrong: more concealed handguns do not mean less crime. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, from 1996 to 1997 the nation's overall crime rate dropped 3.2%, from 5086.6 to 4922.7 crimes per 100,000 population. More telling, crime fell faster in states that have strict carrying concealed weapons (CCW) laws or that don't allow the carrying of concealed weapons at all than in states which have lax CCW laws. This strongly suggests that, contrary to the arguments made by the National Rifle Association and others, states should not make it easier for citizens to carry concealed weapons in order to reduce crime.
In the 29 states that have lax CCW laws (where law enforcement must issue CCW licenses to almost all applicants), the crime rate fell 2.1%, from 5397.0 to 5285.1 crimes per 100,000 population from 1996 to 1997.
During the same time period, in the 21 states and the District of Columbia withstrict carry laws or which don't allow the carrying of concealed weapons at all, the crime rate fell 4.4%, from 4810.5 to 4599.9 crimes per 100,000 population. The decline in the crime rate of strict licensing and no-carry states was 2.1 times that of states with lax CCW systems, indicating that there are more effective ways to fight crime than to encourage more people to carry guns.
-------
There's your facts, read em and weep.
Its funny, but us british seem to be doing just fine without civilians or police officers carrying guns. I'm sure our crime rate isn't the lowest anywhere, but I'm damn sure its lower than the US'.