Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

ch-scene - Re: $5 a month and downloads could all be legit

ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: RTP-area local music and culture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Chris Rossi <rossi AT webslingerZ.com>
  • To: RTP-area local music and culture <ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: $5 a month and downloads could all be legit
  • Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 10:58:01 -0500

Holden Richards wrote:
The EFF proposes an alternative


http://www.eff.org/share/collective_lic_wp.php


Starting with just the 60 million Americans who have been using
file-sharing software, $5 a month would net over $3 billion of pure
profit annually to the music industry -- no CDs to ship, no online
retailers to cut in on the deal, no payola to radio conglomerates, no
percentage to KaZaA or anyone else. Best of all, it's an evergreen
revenue stream -- money that just keeps coming, during good times and
bad, so long as fans want digital music online. The pie grows with the
growth of music sharing on the Internet, instead of shrinking. The
total annual gross revenues of the music industry today are estimated
at $11 billion. But that's gross revenues. A collective licensing
regime for file-sharing can promise $3 billion in annual profits to
the record labels -- more than they've ever made...

it may make a bigger pie, but it will also distribute it more evenly, and allow more people to compete and share in the profits. this is exactly why we should support it, and also why the major labels aren't going to go for it--because they can't control it. i do think this is a good idea and something like it will probably end up being the solution, but i expect the transition to be pretty ugly. the major labels aren't going to give up their death grip on the industry so easily. it'll be interesting to see what happens. this is the best idea i've seen so far, though.

rossi




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page