(((((I Know I Am!)))))

Are you long fed up with people who don't know
an F# from a B-flat always attempting to decide
the price musicians should sell their music?

The worst ones are the ones who strongly feel
that music should be freely given away. And,
since that isn't a reality, many then pirate it
and illegally file share it.

Well, today, I surfed upon some individual who
had posted a rant/rave on this subject. And, he
had ideas that I felt warranted a response, of
which I have dissected and responded to below.

In fairness, please read his post in its entirety
first at
http://www.mrbaconpants.com/the-music-industry-will-never-get-
it/#comment-2972
(you will probably need to copy this too-long link
for your browser).

After reading his post, return to this one and let
me know if I was right on time, or way off base
with my response. My part begins with the next
section.

Note: My post is the second one, and feel free to
send me your thoughts at kenlove@...
_______________________________________

KL: I see this surmisement as two-fold, to which
I would like to respond through dissecting it, for
lack of a more appropriate description.
_______________________________________

> What they want to do is sell iPods
> prefilled with music from Universal
> Music's massive library.

KL: I see nothing wrong with this, as the music
serves as a (sort of) incentive and bonus.
Companies unrelated to music companies have
been doing similar deals with their products since
the beginning of time, and will continue to do so
after the clock has stopped ticking.


> Then charge a subscription fee for unlimited
> access to the rest of their music.

KL: I see nothing wrong with this either, as it
too is a familiar "buffet" landscape, with some
of the most notable situations being your local
cable provider or your satellite service.


> Also Universal wants a kick back for every
> iPod sold.

KL: Well, the "kickback" is after the fact,
meaning, the iPod has already been sold and
such a kickback doesn't affect you as a
consumer whatsoever. Perhaps, it is more of
your own personal issue in simply being aware
that such a payment is being passed along from
your retail payment which, again, should not
affect you. After all, it isn't as if you must pay
two different vendors directly for the same single
product.


> This kind of all the music you can listen to
> thing is not new; Rhapsody and Nabster have
> been doing it for awhile now. I have tried
> music services like this and didn't like them. I
> found that the limitations (DRM) were too
> strict and I would rather spend my $14.99 a
> month on a new DRM free album from Amazon.

KL: No, it is not new, and you are going to find
more and more services coming out with this
"subscription" process as it simplifies and
satisfies all parties concerned.


> The music industry needs to understand, we
> don't want to pay for music.

KL: Your statement here directly contradicts
your previous statement where you say, and I
quote, "I have tried music services like this and
didn't like them."


> The music industry needs to understand, we
> don't want to pay for music. That means they
> need to think of other ways to make revenue.
> Just look at what Radiohead and NIN are doing.
> They are giving away their music (or selling it
> very cheap) and are still making money.

KL: At this point, I must express my lack of
understanding on how many people fail to see
that music is the product created, produced,
promoted, and distributed by musicians.

This is the same as with a soap maker, a farmer,
an auto maker, and every other commercial
product or service manufactured or provided.

However, with the literary arts and, particularly,
music, because it is an intangible state, it is
significantly devalued.

Yet, try to imagine certain instances or sectors
of our society that could function and be
attractive to its target markets without the
support of music.

In fact, as musicians, let's try the age-old
experiment of boycotting society by taking a
day and not playing a single note of music.
Then, I believe everyone who doubts the validity
and the role that music plays in our worldwide
society would have a different perspective.

Also, I'm not sure what you do as a vocation to
put food on your table, but I'm sure that you
don't give it away or do it for free. And, I'm
sure that if the suggestion was even made that
you should do it for free, whatever it happens to
be, it would incite not only a personal insult, but
anger within you as well.


> Don't get me wrong, I am happy to see some
> big players in the music industry trying new
> things, but when they are in the wrong
> direction it makes me remember why they are
> struggling in the first place. Subscription fees
> and kick backs are not the answer. They need
> to learn how to add more value (and/or bacon)
> to their products, and then we will want to
> buy them.

KL: In closing, I find myself questioning what
makes consumers, such as yourself, immediate
"experts" on the music industry and its mechanics.
While I disagree with much of the "corporate" side
of the music industry, too often, I have found
consumers want to dictate and direct something
that few of them have any remote knowledge
regarding its operations.

Add to that, a great number still pirate music
and illegally share digital files even though
music's retail prices are at an all-time low. And,
when consumers speak, more often than not,
they are speaking about the direct income of the
musicians themselves, of which I take great
offense, since I too am a musician who earns my
own living through various aspects of the Music
industry.

Too often, anger can be felt, heard, and seen
from consumers such as yourself because music
is not free as you wish, causing me to wonder if
Bill Gates would also consider giving away about
a billion copies of his software upgrade, since it
too is classified as an "intangible" product.

After all is said and done, you always have the
option of not purchasing or supporting an artist's
work, thus, saving yourself an incredible amount
of stress and wasted time writing essays such
as this.

And, no, I won't buy you a beer as you
requested because, not only was the post
unenjoyable, it showed your overt lack of
concern for another's way of earning a living,
and in this particular case, my fellow musicians.

And, besides, I'm a wine man myself. Château La
Mondotte Saint-Emilion red, if you please.

Kenny Love
http://www.myspace.com/jazzman795