Chris said:
"The music industry doesn't sell music, it sells Image; Napster severs the
Image from the music and distributes the music alone. So that the listener
judges the material itself on its own merits. This is not in the music
industry's business model at all. Music distribution without Image
distribution is a big threat to profitability. Without the colorful
packaging, the kids can smell the feces. "
I can relate. When I'm browsing MP3.com (and not someone's particular page,
where they sometimes include graphics) I can never decide what to listen to
- everything has the same "minimum of packaging." I guess I'm just SO
accustomed to the "music industry" I can't decide whether I like something
until I've actually listened (occassionally I do buy music based on a neat
cover, sue me) Maybe I'm just a tool, but I like the packaging - the MP3
"revolution" has not stopped me from buying commercially available music.
Anyway, I'm sure the "Industry" is not entirely aware just how much "image"
they sell, but they probably panicked when they found out how people were
getting "free" music.
Chris said:
"Music distribution without Image distribution is a big threat to
profitability"
But won't the product be LESS expensive to produce without all the
production effort put towards Image/Marketing? The "Industry" just wants to
keep control over whatever they thought they had control over.
audi,
dan
www.mp3.com/soundwork
"Chris Ball" <ball2000ATball2000.com> on 02/27/2001 04:00:24 PM
Please respond to rumoriATdetritus.net
To: rumoriATdetritus.net
cc: (bcc: Dan Serkland/National/NISH)
Subject: [rumori] If it was a snake, I'd be dancing the tarantella
I'm sure someone has said this before and better and I missed it:
I realized this morning what the attacks on P2P music are about. (Duh!)
The music industry doesn't sell music, it sells Image; Napster severs the
Image from the music and distributes the music alone. So that the listener
judges the material itself on its own merits. This is not in the music
industry's business model at all. Music distribution without Image
distribution is a big threat to profitability. Without the colorful
packaging, the kids can smell the feces. (I hope beyond hope).
I declare, this is the real reason for the IP crackdown. Silly of me.
What was I thinking. The Marketing Department Uber Alles.
...
Let me add (pretty please? Thanks!) my (probably stolen) "vast wasteland
economics" theory; That the reason for all the mediocrity in consumer
culture is (was! Culture is Over! The people have spoken) because
mediocrity is a sustenable resource.
For business purposes, it is better to produce 40 tons of low mediocrity
than to produce 1 ton of inspired genius, for many reasons, not the least
of which is that even if the population of the United States was wild about
works of inspired genius (which is highly untrue) and plunked down all
their money, once the cheering died down, the population would say "do it
again! NOW!" and accept nothing less than ambrosia. Unable to get more
any time soon, America (sorry, 'the world') would study the
earth-shattering cultural product to such an extent that a nation (world,
sorry again) of nitpicking unmarketable intellectuals would be the result
(Come to think of it, let's start a label with this business plan!). Any
actual inspired geniuses that have been captured by corporate culture
producers are contractually obligated to idle indefinitely, never to
release anything on their own, and to remain on-call to contribute bright
little pebbles in the stream of feces.
Although of course, that's a lot like the production model I've been trying
as a workaround to perfectionism (well, laziness) being an absolute
obstruction to my productivity. Which is why you can find my album series
"Maxell CDR 74min" in stores everywhere oh good gravy Thank you for your
time.
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