I'm aware that I got the backwards compatibility thing ass backwards.

"meaning people will be able to play your files on their existing devices, but MP3's won't work on your products."

It should be the other way around.

Paul-

It's all very nice of you to try and help the music industry find it's way out of the mess they're in, but suggesting that they invent a proprietary music delivery system and use it to retain control of the market ignores their track record.

The industry has a long history of exploitation, both of listeners and performers. I can't believe that you mean to suggest that they continue to dominate music culture.

I'm sure you are aware that there are tens of thousands of recording artists who will never be given a ride by the industry. It's the nature of the business- there is only so much time to promote artists via mass media. This is the industry's strength and its weakness.

The advent of music distribution and promotion via the net signals a brand new era for performers and listeners, one in which there is more choice and more opportunity all around.

Rather than promote a system where control is retained by the few, I hope you will reconsider your position and realise that the mass-marketing model is permenantly broken when it comes to music. Embrace the future, which belongs to all of us.

Jeff
Steam Powered Studio

I agree with your thoughts to an extent, but I think we also have to be practical about things. The large music companies aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so we still need to deal with them.

I was trying to throw out some ideas to make the music conglomerates less antagonistic toward their consumers, which is the only way they'll survive the next 20 years. They're currently trying to compete with their customers rather than a product, and that will eventually kill them in the end.

I agree with you that the Net is a godsend to those songwriters and musicians ignored by the record labels , but I don't think I've seen anything that has really helped these artists out too much. I think the problem lay in the tastes of Americans at large. Americans like the mass-produced music and the crap churned out by the major record labels. Most of your independent artists tend to be on the fringe, at least musically, and enjoy a relatively small following. I don't think the Net has changed this fact. It's only made it easier for those who seek quality music to find it easier.

That doesn't mean I discount the Net as an avenue for artists and songwriters to promote themselves and make some money. I just haven't seen the killer app that blows the old paradigm (I hate that word, but it fits) away and allows these folks to reach a larger audience.

I hope that rambling made some sense to you and I appreciate your thoughts on it. In fact, you've gotten me thinking about a third installment that addresses the issue you brought up. Thank you.

Paul's first comment above is the first ever comment made to this entire site. This comment of mine, some four and a half years later, is the 451,868th!