In support of U2 manager Paul McGuiness
p2pnet news | Music:- A few weeks back, we had an interesting discussion featuring someone calling himsefl Sam I Am. He was purporting to be a pro musician with deep sympathies for the corporate music industry.
We say ‘purporting’ because he wasn’t willing to say who he was. In other words, he lacked the courage of his convictions. Or he was just another RIAA shill. So the dialogue stopped.
However, Chris Alpiar isn’t afraid to speak his mind, or to sign off on his views.
On his site, he describes himself as a cinematic and theatrical composer, “working with studios and shows in LA and NYC from his peaceful Dayton Ohio studio”.
And more power to you, Chris.
He posted under p2pnet’s first story on U2 general factotum Paul McGuinness during the International Managers Summit at Midem.
McGuinness said it was time for artists to stand up against the “shoddy, careless and downright dishonest way they have been treated in the digital age,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, which went on:
“He spread the blame between record labels that ‘through lack of foresight and planning allowed a range of industries to arise that let people steal music’; Silicon Valley companies that create marvelous devices but ‘don’t think of themselves as makers of burglary kits’; and governments who ‘created a thieves charter’ by agreeing that ISPs should not be responsible for what passes along their pipes.”
Read McGuinness’ full diatribe for more.
Here’s what Alpiar had to say in his Reader’s Write supporting U2 McGu >>>
What Paul McGuinness really is saying is a voice for all of the artists out there, not a greedy money grubber.
As a professional composer and performer who isnt in the top 1% of success and MTV rock monsters I am THRILLED that someone with clout is making these issues be vocalized. Its not the U2s and the Mettalicas that suffer, its the indie artists, score composers, and working musicians that are being destroyed by the wide open not even attempted at regulating illegal downloading of all kinds of media, including music, song & albums, films, art, scores, etc
Thank you Mr. McGuinness for bothering to talk about the issues that are a nuisance to you but are life threatening to thousands of us!
I also was a dot com boom programmer and I was an original pre-IPO member of InfoSpace and I understand the tech side very much. I will say that what happened is a natural evolution of technology and human nature. Clicking on files and getting that intellectual property of another person was SO EASY and since it was just digital it felt to have to real value. But we all listened to those MP3s and watched those quicktime movies. And we LOVED the fact that we could stuff a 200 gig firewire drive to the brim with all the music we ever wanted to listen to and not pay a dime. If you didnt do it on some level you are probably either a priest or someone without internet
And so Mr McGuinness is saying lets not blame individuals and human nature, but something MUST be done about this and soon before we lose many facets of modern art and culture to the destabilizing and deflation of its economy.
Its no joke and its not like yea yea whatever, its like EMERGENCY *DINGDINGDING* EMERGENCY. Right now the AFM (musicians union) performance fund (which is the fun for retirement and emergency funding for professional musicians) is about to die, because it is based on CD sales. There are *countless* programs similar to this that are dead or dying quickly because of illegal downloads.Certainly non-”mainstream pop” art forms like non-synthesizer orchestral film music, among many others are going to become extinct and then fade away completely the farther this goes without being checked.
There absolutely needs to be legislation that forces ISPs and tech companies to create technology to stop non-paid-for illegal downloading of music, film and art. This would be relatively very easy to create. All it needs is ubiquitous agreement and cooperation from all sources that host and transmit data.
Without it our world is going to become a shallow grey world without culture and professional art. That is a place I don’t want to live in.
Stay tuned.
Also See:
first story – 2 manager attacks ISPs, January 28, 2008
full diatribe – U2 McGu’s ISP rant, January 30, 2008
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February 2nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
Just like Open-Source turned computing into a shallow grey world with no software? No, it made it a richer, more diverse world. These people make software because that’s what they like to do. Don’t you like making music?
Seriously, it’s merely a case of updating the business model, nothing more.
Ask Lemmy Kilmister what he thinks about the industry:
“It’s killing itself, isn’t it? I mean, they (record companies) are too dumb to realise. They just kept on overcharging and kept on fucking people over, and now the chickens are coming home, you know? I think they’re all gonna be out of business in 10 years.”
Take a leaf from Moshpit Tragedy’s book, apparently some big names are migrating to their label soon. Sliding scale downloads are a great idea, and Moshpit Tragedy Records is supported by the likes of Eyehategod’s Mike Williams and Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson. Blasko thinks this “could very well be the future of all indie labels”. Sounds like this sort of thing is right up your street Mr. Alpiar.
Finally, for those that doubt people would pay for sliding scale downloads, Radiohead reported only 1/3 of downloaders took “In Rainbows” for free. The average amount paid was £4, which as far as I’m concerned is perfectly reasonable for a digital album with barely any reproduction cost.
The “we fear change” attitude displayed by the major labels only leads downwards, and fast. Our species has only become what it is through progress, which means changing things every so often. Like it or not, it has to happen.
Just some food for thought, good luck with your music.
Sources:
http://moshpit-tragedy.com/
February 2nd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Non-”mainstream” forms of art will not go extinct and are here to stay.
However, what is to become extinct – those who produce for money’s sake only. I am tired from them invading public airwaves. If taking out money from art is what it takes to cure the problem of a backwards greedy “industry” and stop it from invading our privacy and infringing our rights – so be it. I am confident that not less but more art will be produced. Open source software works without artificial monthly fee for Internet users to download it and its principles will work here.
February 2nd, 2008 at 10:27 pm
“Its no joke and its not like yea yea whatever, its like EMERGENCY *DINGDINGDING* EMERGENCY. Right now the AFM (musicians union) performance fund (which is the fun for retirement and emergency funding for professional musicians) is about to die, because it is based on CD sales. There are *countless* programs similar to this that are dead or dying quickly because of illegal downloads.”
Even if illegal downloading is some how stopped, the CDs decline is bound to continue because the labels own efforts to push digital downloads. The declining CD sales are forcing retailers like Wal-Mart to devote less and less floor space to music CDs, making the sales fall even further.
Digital music is an infinite good, and as TechDirt recently pointed to one of PCMag’s editors, when the marginal cost is zero, then a competitive marketplace will drive the cost to zero.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080123/15161251.shtml
“Certainly non-”mainstream pop” art forms like non-synthesizer orchestral film music, among many others are going to become extinct and then fade away completely the farther this goes without being checked.”
I don’t know about that, the movie industry has done quite well and I suspect their demand for orchestral film music remains about the same.
“There absolutely needs to be legislation that forces ISPs and tech companies to create technology to stop non-paid-for illegal downloading of music, film and art. This would be relatively very easy to create. All it needs is ubiquitous agreement and cooperation from all sources that host and transmit data.”
First, is he trying to imply that all downloads of art, music, and film that aren’t paid for are illegal? I hope not cause that is obviously not always the case.
As for the stopping illegal downloads, saying and doing are two different things. I don’t where he came up the idea this suggestion would be easy, but it is apparent he is not entirely away of the implications…To say nothing of the need for international cooperation in order for it to have even the slightest modicum of success. With P2P and the internet everyone can host, transmit and receive data. Filtering won’t work cause of readily available encryption, not to mention starting a digital arms war that would be very costly for ISPs.
“Without it our world is going to become a shallow grey world without culture and professional art. That is a place I don’t want to live in.”
Unlikely, people have created culture and art long before it became profitable and will continue to do so. Some of the best art comes from people who do it because they love it not because of money. Doing it for just money leads to crappy pop music like the stuff Britney Spears and various boy bands produce, that have been run through a compress to the point they lack any hint of dynamic range. If anything leads to grey world, it this formula/paint by number crap that we’ve seen with Britney etc. I for one am sick of the “loud wars”.
February 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 pm
PS: Forgive the typos, going on two hours sleep.
February 16th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I find it all very interesting. On account of when these bands started out they would have given the music away. To have it heard. These days, to see a show will cost more then your rent. Since the “artist” See themselves above the concern of the people that pay for it. If these same artist want there precious songs and other material protected and never to be heard without everyone paying top dollar. Then simply take yourself off of the internet.
Out of all the people that have been sued can any of these “artist” State that any one fan paid as much for there music in the past?
There is an old saying “don’t bite the hand that feeds you”.
Do they feel good knowing cause of a song they posted to be heard on the radio or any other form of media? Is now there right to sue someone.
Better yet to be allowed to search someone’s computer as if to walk in there house and look around. Think everyone should have a detailed list of every item they have ever bought to prove they have paid there share. When it aged to have it replaced free cause they bought the right to have that song or performance?
If the song is not good will that same consumer be able to return it and get there hard earned money back? For every performer that jumps on with RIAA to help sue the consumer. How long will it take to have you look for a common job as the rest of us?
Classical music and other areas of music and production have not declined.
The music that has ripped off the public for years has declined since people see no point to buy music at $16.00 a cd when after the net the songs became .70-.99 cents each. To see a live concert is almost impossible. Yet you don’t complain of that or the complaint of the cost you wish all of us to bear so that you can live a comfortable life