In a previous post, I posed a question. I had wondered why record companies would bother to prosecute individuals who are using their material in such a way that would not detract from their profits. Many who remix or reuse an artist’s work do not provide a suitable alternative to the original work, and should not be considered a threat to the artist. Furthermore, they spend huge amounts of money on legal fees with small hope of return.
I have decided that record companies are focusing on locking up intellectual property in a desperate attempt to keep from becoming obsolete. With the advent of the internet and digital file sharing, the need for and uses of production companies are becoming less. In their struggle to keep control, the record companies must assert their dominance at every chance.
Given internet sites such as facebook and myspace, artists are beginning to promote their work on their own, and can even distribute it using such sites as iTunes. In order to keep their artists, record companies must do things to remind artists of why they exist. The concept of a production company is that they promote and distribute an artist’s work for a cut of the profit. Indeed, they even have rights to the artist’s work. But should artists decide to keep rights to their work, production companies would be out of a job. In order to stay in business, production companies must perform tasks that most artists would not bother with, such as prosecution of every fragmented use of a work.
-JB
I totally agree with you that record companies are on their way out.
ReplyDeleteThe simple fact of the matter is that people no longer need a big industry label to get their stuff published. In an earlier post, I mentioned ocremix.org, where people can download (or purchase) original music without having to go through the "middleman" of big-name music publishing.
Songstowearpantsto.com is another great example. Although I must confess I am not very excited about the fact personally, the maker of this website has recently chosen to produce songs for money directly through his website (via PayPal). He writes music on request, accepting donations for larger works, and managed to create a large enough following via making free music to turn a profit on it - WITHOUT a record company! I have even met a few people who just happened to know about this seemingly obscure website as I move around the country.
Internet culture. It's real, and it doesn't need big media.
I agree with you as well. Record companies are becoming obsolete with the innovative ways to distribute music without the need of the middle man. As what was mentioned in the NPR interview with Richard Boyle, the record companies want all the advantages of the new technology and none of the disadvantages. They want all the advantages of promoting the music through the internet and better quality of digital music, but the record companies do not want to deal with the possibility of someone stealing the work for free. I do not agree with how stringent laws are for music. However, a literary work can be “fragmented” by the use of quotes. I believe remixing should be treated the same way. Citation should be given in the title of the work. Thus there would be no need for all the trivial law suits.
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