Fun article.
You'll notice there's only one time in the story where musicians themselves were strongly in favor of stricter copyright protection - the radio strike in the 1920s. The article derides the musician's strikes as short sighted: "the radio technology they feared so much became the industry's most powerful promotional tool".
It's worth noting that the musicians were absolutely right! Recorded sound let the music industry flourish, but it destroyed the music profession. 22,000 musicians lost their jobs between 1927 and 1930 - the ones with full-time gigs in movie theater orchestras. National radio broadcasts started in 1934, putting local dance bands out of work. About the same time, Wurlitzer came out with the first jukebox... and the corner tavern no longer needed a band.
As the radio and recording industries grew, they grew more powerful. By 1946 the radio industry actually got a law passed (the Lea act) that made it illegal for the musician's union to 'interfere' when radio stations negotiated rates for live performances with musicians. Since then, every copyright law revision, and almost every high-dollar infringement case, has been underaken by the industry... to 'protect' us musicians, of course.
What I find fascinating about the evolution of the 'music industry' is that each side is missing half the equation. People enjoy listening to music, but it's not a 'need'... it's a 'want'. Musicians are great at creating a product that fills that desire, but they don't understand how to make money at it. The music industry understands that people will buy needs, but they must be sold their wants - the music biz is about selling, not about music. The music that will be presented to consumers by the industry isn't the best music - it's the most marketable; the big winners are the products that can be packaged well for the masses (think Britney).
Long-term, I see the internet leveling the playing field. I think it's possible that in 20 years time we'll again see hundreds of thousands of people who make a living - not a fortune, but a living - from music.... IF we figure out how to sell it directly to consumers.
As musicians, we'll be better off spending our time figuring out how to reach our consumers - because we can win that fight, and it has real benefit. The tab fight will probably be lost in the end, because that deck was shuffled by the publishers :)
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Long-term, I see the internet leveling the playing field. I think it's possible that in 20 years time we'll again see hundreds of thousands of people who make a living - not a fortune, but a living - from music.... IF we figure out how to sell it directly to consumers.
We can aid that process by not purchacing any CD from the store but buying directly from artists only. Buy Indie, ignore the rest.
It's kind of hard. I made a vow not to buy any sheet music or albums from or about any "signed" artist from now on. Unfortunately there are a couple of Queen songs I would really like the piano music for but since Queen music is governed and owned by assholes I won't buy it...and I can't without breaking that vow and I think it is important to follow it right now.
We need to take our culture back. We need to get rid of these monsterous media companies and the only way to do that is to put them out of business....and the only way to do that is to stop buying their products. That is what I plan to do.
I have a new forum of my own now and in it I placed a section for people to discuss indie artists. I think it is important to get a movement going where people can learn about these unsigned artists, review their material, and find where to purchase their CD's if they want.
Long-term, I see the internet leveling the playing field. I think it's possible that in 20 years time we'll again see hundreds of thousands of people who make a living - not a fortune, but a living - from music.... IF we figure out how to sell it directly to consumers.
We can aid that process by not purchacing any CD from the store but buying directly from artists only. Buy Indie, ignore the rest.
It's kind of hard. I made a vow not to buy any sheet music or albums from or about any "signed" artist from now on. Unfortunately there are a couple of Queen songs I would really like the piano music for but since Queen music is governed and owned by sphincters I won't buy it...and I can't without breaking that vow and I think it is important to follow it right now.
We need to take our culture back. We need to get rid of these monsterous media companies and the only way to do that is to put them out of business....and the only way to do that is to stop buying their products. That is what I plan to do.
I have a new forum of my own now and in it I placed a section for people to discuss indie artists. I think it is important to get a movement going where people can learn about these unsigned artists, review their material, and find where to purchase their CD's if they want.
I agree with Noah :D I don't think it will take anything close to 20 years to level the playing field,its starting now. I think I purchased 2 major label CD's last year, I used to buy lots more. The stuff I find on the net is much more interesting to me than most of the stuff being offered by the big labels 8) I will gladly purchase CD's from and suport Folks like Steinar Gregertsen, John Vanderslice and Abigial Washburn :D---the dog
It's a funny thing, the music industry thugs keep saying that music sales are falling off due to piracy. I think a lot of the falling sales is due to people voting against them with their pocketbooks for the unreasonable way they've behaved.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
There isn't a ton of "great" music out there right now anyway.
So if it isn't out there, how can we buy it?
The cost of everything keeps going up, but my pay hasn't that much. I think when the cost of living goes up, the small things suffer.
There isn't a ton of "great" music out there right now anyway.
So if it isn't out there, how can we buy it?
The cost of everything keeps going up, but my pay hasn't that much. I think when the cost of living goes up, the small things suffer.
Here is a good place to start :wink: http://www.johnvanderslice.com/html/hello.html also a lot of blues stuff on the net :D some of it from members of GN 8)
Maybe tabbers ought to resort to television / movie style disclaimers:
"The chords and notes depicted in this tablature are fictitious. Any similarity to actual songs, past or present, is purely coincidental."
Of course some creative song titles would be needed. Back In Black becomes Return In Noir. Smoke On Water becomes Steam On Melted Ice...
"Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded." Jimi Hendrix.
Then they'd have to prove the tabs were a lot closer to the "real thing" than many of 'em I've seen are, to get a judgement. :lol:
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
I dont know if this was already mentioned, but obviously music sales slipped in 2005. However in 2004 music sales increased by 2.3% before the RIAA filed 7000 lawsuits against consumers. They are blaming the slip in piracy, but its obvious they are doing most of the damage themselves.
How long will they let me play my records before they make me buy the same album on CD? After all, I bought Harvest (Neil Young) back in the 70's, so nobody has made any money from me for it for a long time!
Seriously, though, wouldn't you think a songwriter would be pleased guitarists were learning the song? What percentage of people actually play any instrument? Of course it adds exposure to the track and encourages people (especially those who cannot play it themselves) to buy it. Is that not the principle behind trying to get your song played on radio?
How many artists would love to hear their music played and enjoyed? Is it less than 100%? Has anyone asked THEM?
That's my two bob's worth, anyway.
Oh, they want us to learn the songs, all right. They just want us to learn them by buying the "official" tab or sheet music, and to pay royalties whenever we play them.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Recently I saw on television an interview with Paul McCartney, about Blackbird. The interesting bit was where he said he was really happy everytime he heared someone trying to learn that tune, and he seemed somewhat proud about having some influence on what young guitarists are learning. I didn't hear anything about royalties aty all...
And I agree with Tom, for what it's worth. As long as you don't expect to be driving a ferrari I think that with time it will become more and more easy to make a living as a musician. And that's a good thing, really.
I don't think it will take anything close to 20 years to level the playing field,its starting now. I think I purchased 2 major label CD's last year, I used to buy lots more.
Well, don't be too optimistic. I would be very surprised if the 'indie industry' sells even 0.1% of the ammount of albums the big corporations sell.
Arjen, I was speaking of the music industry, not of the song writers.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
How long will they let me play my records before they make me buy the same album on CD?
I think that the record companies, movie studios and TV networks hope that someday no one ever owns a physical copy of recorded work. Instead we'll have "pay per play" or have some sort of subscription service where we access the content whenever or wherever we want from a central server. Such a day is a long way off and almost technically impossible (not the service itself, but keeping people from having copies). But that won't keep them from trying.
Blame it on the lies that killed us, blame it on the truth that ran us down.
I wouldn't have a problem with buying a book of sheet music, but then I'd have a pile of books with only one or two songs I'm interested because the fill the rest up with crap. And to buy individual songs one at a time....you'd have to be rich. But if the lawyers are involved I'd better hone my ear training fast because it looks like I'm going to have to start tabbing my own music...of course there's always usenet. :P
