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| From | "Jaimie Vernon" <bullseyecanada@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: too much and or not enough |
| Date | Sat, 12 May 2007 15:42:26 -0400 |
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AT Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 12:37:36 Jeff wrote:
>I'm just fantasizing here that I represent the typical consumer of
>music:
>
>We, the consumers, will determine the value of your musical product
>because we ARE the marketplace. You can accept that reality or not,
>obviously. Your fortunes (literally or figuratively) or lack thereof
>will no doubt follow your decision. Collectively, we'll decide with our
>ears and then our dollars what your music is worth. We may decide that
>it's worth $2.00 a track, or we may decide that it's worth .09 cents a
>track (the current going rate on the lowest priced Russian mp3 sites).
Interesting perspective. Let's see you apply that to gas stations, car
dealerships and auto insurance companies. Just "try" and tell them you won't
pay their prices. They will laugh you right out of their facilities. Why?
Because what they provide is deemed a necessity and set the prices anyway
they damn well please. Once upon a time music was held in that regard. Now
it's just a commodity. The knobs before us changed all that. Now we're
struggling to survive because our predecessors fucked it up for everyone
(kinda like my parents' generation screwing over the environment and leaving
us with a toxic waste dump of a planet we now have to clean up....or
probably not because we've been indoctrinated into this lifestyle as
well...but I digress).
>We may even decide that it's not worth anything at all and choose to
>ignore you entirely.
Well, that's obvious from the fact that fewer of *you* are buying from *us*.
When the hell did it become us vs. them? Most of the biz people on this list
are consumers too.
>Ultimately, it's OUR decision, not yours or anyone associated with you. You
>put it out there >however you're able and however you see fit. We can
>handle it from there.
That's fine. Just stop bitching about the labels that pull their business
out of E-Music. Because they don't see it as being "fit".
>We don't need to or want to pay your publicists, lawyers or anyone else.
>We'll gladly pay YOU for >the music you make. If I decide that I want to
>take your music home with me (in a physical or >digital sense), then I'll
>most happily put my $15.00 of hard-earned cash in your hand after seeing
> >you play LIVE. I'll put it in YOUR hand and very much enjoy seeing you
>tuck it into YOUR pocket.
Oh...if only that were true we wouldn't be having this discussion at all.
>If you want to split it up amongst your business associates or whomever
>else after that, that's up >to you. But don't expect or ask ME to pay them.
>And that's exactly what I'm doing by
>paying iTunes, EMI or anyone else.
Including E-music? Cause they're just discounting those built-in fees from
lawyers, publicists, publishers, et al.
>I'm not personally responsible to any of you in the music business anymore
>than any of you are >personally responsible to me. You can try to *make
>this* personal all you want, but it's basically >bread on the table v.
>music on the victrola. Put the product out or don't, but don't blame your
> >problems on us. We're just fans and, ultimately, consumers. We're not
>here to help you pay your >phone bill just because you're *trying really,
>really hard*.
Now hold on. The CONSUMERS were the ones that made it personal by declaring
foul on pricing and claiming that the industry has been gouging them for
decades. If indeed the consumer has free will then why did it take the
download revolution to spark defiance? Where the hell were your multitude of
"we'll buy what we want when we want" during the CD re-issue phase, huh?
People fell over themselves replacing entire collections, groaning about
prices but, ultimately STILL buying the stuff. Where was the boycotting and
stomping of feet and temper tantrums then? Had you actually stood by your
convictions the prices would have gone down then. The labels would have had
no choice.
Sorry, but the consumer has been a co-dependent in this pricing f*ck over
relationship for years.
All I see now are consumer vultures swooping in while the industry licks its
wounds and grabbing whatever they can. This is musical anarchy, folks. Enjoy
it while it lasts cause once you've done picking over the carcass there will
be less choices when the dust clears. Believe me, artists and labels are
dropping by the minute....meaning the only music being made will be that
created by converted consumers who will start making their own cause
there'll be nothing left to consume from this generation's talent pool.
>Aren't you just pissing into the wind when you complain that some/most
>people want to pay as >little as possible or even nothing for your music?
>No kidding. Isn't that, in part at least, and for only >SOME of us, human
>nature?
Not when you're taking advantage of it.
>What in the world can you possibly do about it?
Currently there are coalitions being formed by labels and artists on the
tier below the major labels creating a NEW paradigm that may very well
result in pricing fixes WORSE than the ones everyone's complaining about.
Like the gas giants or the auto industry, there will be new alliances and
pricing initiatives that will make your ability to buy music as cheap as you
want more difficult. It's ever been that way.
When the internet providers and cellphone companies start getting into the
music business full time you will be paying flat fees for your service for
unlimited downloads like EMusic....but these fees will be ridiculous cause,
again, who has ever stepped up and challenged the providers of phone
services and basic cable? No one. The governments can't even regulate these
people effectively.
>What do you propose? I'd suggest that you accept that reality and either
>keep making music >within the current parameters or don't. But for God's
>sake, please stop whining about it.
It's only whining if you're not the one being affected by it. For the rest
of us it's panic in the streets. Michael Carpenter's last post showed his
true fear of having his music silenced. It was palpable. And not a whining
sentence amongst the backdrop of anguish.
>I'd sure be interested in hearing what the 650 OTHER auditeers who don't
>regularly (or ever) post >here think about all this.
I would too....cause so far I've been shown exactly WHY we're in financial
trouble. It would be nice to hear from a consumer who doesn't believe that
everyone in the music industry is just dogshit on the bottom of their shoe.
Jaimie Vernon,
President, Bullseye Records
http://www.bullseyecanada.com
SWAG:
http://www.cafepress.com/bullseyecanada
BULLSEYE LIVE 365 RADIO:
http://www.live365.com/stations/bullseyerecords
Author, Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/
http://www.myspace.com/jaimievernonsmovingtargetz
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