MySpace targets indie music
p2pnet.net News:- It’s bizarre, but zillionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch is showing the world the way music will be in the future with independent artists singing to the world via the Net while the Big Four Organized Music family’s custom-built SuperStars implode messily.
There’s also an interesting Cream Theme parallel to what’s happening with the traditional media, a significant portion of which Murdoch owns and/or controls.
Non-corporate musicians and performers are setting up their own web spaces while citizen reporters blog the news. And both groups are not only by-passing ‘traditional’ outlets, they’re totally ignoring them.
‘So?’ – say the entertainment and news and information cartels. ‘There’ll be so many blogs and so many performers that people will never be able decide what to read and who to listen to. And we’ll control all the outlets.’
Murdoch still believes he can corner, and then dominate, the burgeoning online indie market. He’s banking on being able to do this largely by using his MySpace.com to manipulate groups such as the excellent Kobo Town, who played at the recent p2pnet Freedom of Speech benefit concert in Toronto.
Kobo Town is using MySpace to promote itself and its music. And it’s far from being alone. Billy Bragg is, for example, also on MySpace and he recently forced Murdoch’s Minions to abandon their plan exploit posts to the site when he yanked his music. The site’s terms and conditions more or less claimed complete ownership of his material, he said.
MySpace was forced to adjust its approach and now plans to start selling songs from “unsigned bands,” unsigned meaning they’re not among performers being cynically exploited by the Big Four, Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG.
There are nearly three million indie bands on MySpace, it claims. That’s according to Reuters which also has president Chris De Wolfe saying he’ll generously offer bands that haven’t signed with a record label, “a chance to sell their music on the site”.
Well Gosh, Chris, thanks.
“DeWolfe said MySpace would be ‘enhancing and customizing’ its online music store as the service evolves,” the story goes on.
‘Enhancing and customizing’ means, of course, loading indie music with Apple-like Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) C.R.A.P. and playing right into the hands of the Big Four and Murdoch’s Minions because, “I don’t think the record companies are going to be interested in distributing music without copy protection anytime soon,” the story has Jupiter Research analyst David Card saying.
In other words, if corporate music doesn’t want to ‘distribute’ you, you’ve had it.
“Though DeWolfe would not give any details of discussions with record companies, an industry source close to the matter said EMI Group (EMI.L) has had discussions with MySpace,” says Reuters.
“EMI, Vivendi’s Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony BMG own around 75 percent of mainstream popular music,” says Reuters, and, “Most of this music is only available on MySpace for live streaming as a promotional tool.”
MySpace is also “working with” eBay’s PayPal for the site’s online payment system, adds the story.
But cream always rises to the top and no matter what the vested interest entertainment cartels say, it’s too late for them: the 21st digital century Do It Youself Net Genie is out of the bottle.
With the mainstream media behind them, the Big Four believe they can dominate online music distribution in the same way they control the offline music world.
But they’re dead wrong because for the first time in history, people are communicating with each other. Direct.
It’s called p2p. Peer-to-Peer. People-2-People.
Stay tuned.
[NOTE: We'll be adding a couple of tracks from the new Kobo Town album to the p2pnet Online Benefit Concert next week - Jon].
Also See:
Freedom of Speech benefit – p2pnet’s Toronto trip, August 8, 2006
forced Murdoch’s Minions – Billy Brag wins MySpace fight, June 30, 2006
Reuters – MySpace to Sell Music From Nearly 3 Million Bands, September 1, 2006
(DRM) C.R.A.P. – Apple and its C.R.A.P., March 4, 2006
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September 2nd, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Public venues are still hamstrung by ASCAP/BMI idiots that seek outrageous licensing on the basis that a performer just might . . . might . . . infringe on someone else’s performance rights. P2P distribution of concerts does a nice job of pre-screening any rights issues. The day is probably here, somewhere in the world, where savvy venues are beginning to use P2P to bring in exciting groups and concerts for their customers, and confidently operating outside of the idiots from so-called licensing operations like ASCAP/BMI. I expect to see P2P networks flourishing, even exploding, as musicians and artists discover the power of this medium to attract fans.