Music industry ‘should embrace illegal websites’

[DeclinetoState]

By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New York
Published: August 3 2008 17:39 | Last updated: August 3 2008 17:39

<SCRIPT language=javascript type=text/javascript>function floatContent(){var paraNum = "3"paraNum = paraNum - 1;var tb = document.getElementById('floating-con');var nl = document.getElementById('floating-target');if(tb.getElementsByTagName("div").length> 0){if (nl.getElementsByTagName("p").length>= paraNum){nl.insertBefore(tb,nl.getElementsByTagNam e("p")[paraNum]);}else {if (nl.getElementsByTagName("p").length == 3){nl.insertBefore(tb,nl.getElementsByTagName("p")[2]);}else {nl.insertBefore(tb,nl.getElementsByTagName("p")[0]);}}}}</SCRIPT>The music industry should embrace illegal file-sharing websites, according to a study of Radiohead’s last album release that found huge numbers of people downloaded it illegally even though the band allowed fans to pay little or nothing for it.

“Rights-holders should be aware that these non-traditional venues are stubbornly entrenched, incredibly popular and will never go away,” said Eric Garland, co-author of the study, which concluded there was strong brand loyalty to controversial “torrent” and peer-to-peer services.

Radiohead’s release of In Rainbows on a pay-what-you-want basis last October generated enormous traffic to the band’s own website (http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/)and intense speculation about how much fans had paid.

More (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e72884f6-6175-11dd-af94-000077b07658.html)

[Wyatt_Junker]

The MPAA has a lot more to lose than the RIAA when it comes to the proliferation of their product through bit torrents. They don't make enough money at the B.O. to cover their initial investment. Sell through DVDs is what has always saved their bacon after the first 180 days of a movie's premier has expired and the big boxes hock the leftovers in the bargain bins.

Here's some recent news (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080803-mpaa-dont-limit-our-ability-to-close-analog-outputs.html) re what they're facing and the challenges that lie ahead.

Recording artists at least can go on tour and make up for loss CD sales(not entirely), but movies studios, their producers and actors only have the movie theater which doesn't front nearly enough cashflow to cover for the decline in lost DVD revenues which was always the only thing that made making a motion picture worth making from an investment standpoint.

Take that away and kiss your car chases and CGI and pyrotechnics team goodbye. Too much overhead. (Unless someone would like to point to a new credible business model.)

And at that point, all that will be left is watching guys on youtube cracking cans of WD-40 with a sledgehammer. I guess if that's 'the new entertainment', then it will mirror TV these days which is like wacthing Velveeta melt in the microwave, the recycling of 1970's variety shows like Sonny & Cher and The Gong Show. America's Got Talent? Really?

Yeah for piracy. Down with the man. Rah rah rah etc.