The Price Is Right - Or, It Was... Or WAS IT?!

Just a quick note to the dozens - nay, thousands - of you who are regularly reading this blog. Tomorrow, April 7th, will be of note to those of us who pay to download through Apple's iTunes Music Store. Whereas every one of the 10 million songs in the store's catalogue used to be available for the benchmark of 99 cents, we are now going to see an increase for chart-topping hits, and a decrease for back catalogue, off-Main-St. kinda songs.

Here's a business article about it.

Basically... if you read the tops of Billboard's charts and say, "That is what I will like now," you'll be paying $1.29 for the newest singles, the ones deemed more valuable by the record labels. The majority of tunes will remain at $0.99, and lesser-known or older songs will be reduced to $0.69.

I'm not that worried by this price change, because I'm not a pop-music trend-watcher, really. I'm not trying to be snobby by that. I just gravitate to the types of music that feel a bit less manufactured. I'm ok with the pop machine churning out hit songs by the book, because when I think of great Motown hits I'm fond of, that's what they were in the 60's - formulated to please the masses. This could turn into a whole reflection on the effect that time has on perception of "popular" music, but I have tonnes of essaying to do.

I will conclude with well-wishes for the record labels. They've been in a pretty bad mood for the last decade or so, and this pricing change might help them make sure their pillows are stuffed with straight cash money. After all, it's not their fault that they dismissed online music-sharing in favour of the CD market. Poor dears...

Anyway, I just thought you millions of readers should be kept up-to-date, because I know this is the only place you get your music news. Thank you for being loyal :D

Straight cash, homey.

PIRACY!

I'm not a watchdog for any legal organizations or anything, but whilst looking for tabs for Donovan - Sunshine Superman, I stumbled across this about the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and their Digital Music Report for 2009 (it's linked in the story below - stop asking so much of me!).

According to NME.com, there's been tons of downloading going on. How much? See for yourself. It's in the billions, I'll tell you that much. That being said, they've also recorded six straight years' worth of growth in the digital music industry. So maybe it's a case of the money-makers asking for gold when they've already got silver. Let me know what you think.

And if all this hubbub's got you in a tizzy, take a walk in the snowy tranquility. I'm just kidding, it's a pain in the ass getting around out there right now. And it's cold. And I don't want to - alright, alright, sorry. Bring some summer with you.

Ze Future

What you're juuuust about to read is the first of a series of blogs on the future of music, as I see it. But more specifically, how it affects you and I as consumers of music. There are plenty of factors at play here, in regards to technology, and it seems to have everyone in a tizzy. (Did he just say 'tizzy'? I blame the schools.)

So, here's my take on the whole issue of downloading music. Be it legal or piracy, be it a problem for musicians or legal watchdogs, let's have a look at the future. Didja bring popcorn?

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Conor Oberst (a.k.a. Bright Eyes) once lyricized, "The future hangs over our heads / and it moves with each current event..." So what's hanging over our heads right now? Nothing less than the future of music as a medium - that is, how we're going to get our grubby mitts on some new tunes. The current events moving this future along? The lines drawn, whether real or imaginary, between the music labels, the policing groups (notably the RIAA), and the consumers. We, the consumers, have been getting away with lots and lots of downloading without paying for the songs we're downloading. Napster had its heyday, and there's also been KaZaA, Limewire, and others with their turns in the limelight - ah. That is by no means meant to be a pun on the aforementioned downloading service... but I like it, now that it's there.

But with this freedom and expression of the Web 2.0 ideals of user-created interaction, comes legal repercussions from those who are saying, "Hey. Wait. That studio time cost us money, the mixing cost us money, and you know for damn sure that our manager takes a cut. Where's our money?!" The labels that front artists the funds aren't getting funds back. There's a bit of a gap in the nature of our economy. Granted, the RIAA lunging after consumers and nailing 15-year-olds with billion-dollar lawsuits seems like overkill, but I've not known watchdogs to be underwhelming.

The question we all have to ask ourselves is this: Just because we can get something for free, does that mean we should? I won't bother comparing this to cars or furniture or any other physical possessions, but it's worth asking yourself. If musicians are suspected of using someone else's music, they can and will be sued. It's not fair to allow one copy of an album become accessible to an unlimited sea of listeners who will then have no reason to buy said album. Simply put, if you want to hear a new album, buy the album.

So how do I feel about illegal downloading?

Here's how.