DRM Shriveling On The Vine

You just can't stop people from downloading music to their iPods.  With the seamless technology today, how will "NON" Technical parents or people for that matter really understand technologies such as Peer-to-Peer  and the associated consequences?  As technology advances it turns to black magic for most and there by creating an area that requires study. Ask a Senator or Congressman about anything technical., than give them a chance to study for their own protection. LOL  So, why is it that we find the giant RIAA brings the Minnesota Mother (Jammie Thomas) of 36K yearly salary through litigation and the jury Awards $222,00000.  Talk about a bully.       

 

At the end of the day when you buy a CD you rip it, you're done, and you can make it available in a myriad of ways.  One simply rips a purchased CD to a computer, sells the computer 5 years later in a garage sale.  guess what....? Is this illegal? The person that purchased the computer is now liable if they put the computer in a place that is not secure and makes the music accessible to the public from sneaker net, a Microsoft SHARED folder  or to an FTP access point.  Just the potential that anyone could copy these files can draw a judgment against the owner of the computer.  NO crime, just  potential.  Sending anyone a lawsuit on this sort of premise is productive for litigators, not the music industry and certainly not the society at large.  This accomplishes nothing.

 

To the musicians and record labels, Be glad that someone felt compelled to listen to your music; No, Be elated, Be excited, Be thankful and MOST OF ALL Be grateful.  They are listening to you and your team's work!  That alone is valuable!!  Copying music and sharing it with friends is the grass roots of social networking.  Remember the Pride held by the "DeadHeads?" prior to the DIGITAL Music World??  Ehhhh...  Nothing has changed.  Humans want to relate to others what they have seen or heard.  From cave writings to folklore.  You can't carry a cave around, so they started painting animal skins, which eventually turned to bark, and parchment.  The desire to share is still here and so we implement our sharing  on a subconscious and conscious level through the internet by sending pictures, music and movies.  This is just human, no!?!.  Of course, this is a natural progression, it is real, it is human and human is to share.  If you can see this logic than you can see the litigators, the "RIAA" in itself are fighting natural lines of growth for humanity with its technological advancements.

 

Excuse me while I digress¹....

During Peer-To-Peer days the interest in music and music purchasing increased.  More songs were shared free, but more albums were sold² during the late 90's through 2001 due to the sharing of music.  The song stuck in their head and desire to buy the album ensued.  I would like to see a truthful sales account for these years by the record companies.  These years, the years of Napster, had been a tipping point of  the social networking as we know it today.  This was the start of the MUSIC Industry's "Social Network" "THE GLOBAL MUSIC SOCIAL NETWORK" that Napster started.  Napster started this phenomena that was battered down by law makers, record companies and musicians that were too ignorant and unwilling to see the wonderful effect and lucrative opportunities it brought to the space. truly, the definition of "Eyes Wide Shut" for many. Laugh, if you must, laugh if you like, but their will be a day when people will come to know this as real as the nose on their face.  

  

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Back on track.....

 

Where there is interest and desire money will flow.  Stopping people from copying a song from the on-line Music Source to an MP3 Player,  or burning a CD just infuriates the human mind as it naturally seeks to do what it is told that it can not. 

 

Litigators seeking to stop the evil MP3 copiers are missing no point at all!! They are making money litigating.  They win, period. and they love when parties fight and loose all tolerance for self-negotiation.  The Musicians and label makers are the real losers.  Case in point, I refuse to purchase anything by Metallica.  Why?? Simple, because Metallica brought the litigators to market irrationally.  I really don't condemn Metallica³ for their antediluvian mindset however, they really did not think the issue through intellectually.  It was emotion, Lars, it was emotion, wasn't it?

 

I go out of my way to purchase the musicians/authors  works, that I like.  I will always buy Acoustic Alchemy, don't even listen to the album  first, I see it, I just buy it.  When I see Deepak Chopra's has ab audio book, done, I buy the CD.  Peter Gabriel, hell Ill buy two of his albums, one for the house and one for the person that comes in and hears it playing...If they show enthusiasm for the music it's my gift to them....And, Ill just buy another.  And when Bowie got a heart attack I was all over that album the day it came out.  It's just an appreciation.  I buy to appreciate the authors I admire.  I think there is a portion of buyers that purchase this way.  When you see Eddie play a guitar and you are amazed at how he has controlled his hands to master such a device.  World Tour, albums and a t-shirt.  I'll buy it.

 

Listen, if the kids are listening you got a win.. You can sell them something when they listen, with out a doubt. Knock...Knock...McFly! McFly!  You have their attention!!

 

The responsible thing is sell them something useful.  That's the trick.  Music lovers will support their beloved musicians.  So, is there piracy, "Arggghhhh Maty you bet your sweet arse!!"  But look who's doing it... People who cant afford it and that is the only joy they have is listening to their music heroes, teenage girls sharing giggles to their teen idols, the occasional grandparent that was given a Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra compilation from their grandchild just out of love.  Yhea, there is the canal street vendor and such...  But that does not halt commerce.  I am willing to bet it increases commerce, postively⁴. 

 

When musicians and record labels realize, music is OPEN SOURCE and this model yields a better cash cow than the unnatural DRM, the space will thrive further than Hootie and Alainis every thought.

 

DRM has always been a joke and with video's explosion it gets more humorous every day.  I have said this since CD's came to the market (Dating myself, eh!?!), "If you can Hear or See it, that is analog, and therefore you can record it."  Unless we are willing to remove all tape/video recorders  and such devices from the face of the Earth DRM is never going to survive, nor should it.  Its a bad idea...  Having said that, do I think recording the radio or bringing in an HD video recorder to a movie is right?  Well, yhea, its wrong. I agree.  Radio I am not to concerned with the radio issue as ads are copied, that is, like it or not, still advertising and bring the message to the listening experience.  Movies acquired in this manner, are about 99.9% poor quality, audio normally hisses or just sucks, and the people getting up for popcorn, bathroom or fighting is just too often and always at the height of interest.  Its a bad deal....A sane mind can't be bothered.

 

Either case, the sustaining model does not stop HBO/Showtime, AMC/Cinemark, Blockbuster/NetFlix are still making money and still renting movies.  Spending money on DRM has not budged this market, its a waste of time and money that could be well spent in other areas..  "Guitar Hero" wow, there's a great new application for songs that are long past their  heyday.  It is as constant a sell as toilet paper.  Save the money on litigation, invest it in new products, promotions, etc... Then by all means keep the music and movies flowing and bolster the social network marketing of the space.  It will be good for business. 

 

It looks like Amazon as well as Rhapsody is attempting to provide a good product for a fair price.  $9.99 an album on Rhapsody that's just down right fair.  I'm off to get an account now.. 

 

Let's see, iTunes $.99 a song * 10 Songs, well its about the same... But hey, its MP3, and these old ears can't tell the difference anymore.  Im sure that was true when I was 18, too...;-)

 

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