![]()
Two recent articles in the San Jose Mercury News peaked my interest.
Entertainment industry's copyright fight puts consumers in cross hairs by Dan Gillmor.
"[The Digital Millenium Copyright Act is] what the record companies used to stomp out Napster, and a key weapon in their new campaign to encrypt CDs or otherwise protect them against what they consider unauthorized copying. Never mind that Congress previously gave customers the explicit right to make personal copies of the music they'd purchased. If you buy one of these turkey CDs, take it back and demand a refund," Gillmor writes.
Gillmor is one of the few geniuses in the tech commentary world. His ability to rip an issue apart and strip it down to its core is legendary (or should be). These issues have been brought up before, but with recent lawsuits against the purveyors of personal video recorders (SonicBlue's ReplayTV and TiVo), a lot of new questions have been raised.
I always mention Sony when it comes to this kind of suit. Why? Sony produces person video recorders and it owns a movie studio. The company also owns record labels and produces CD burners. Sort of strange, isn't it? This may be one reason that Sony's units rarely work together.
Music portals are the new launch pads for pop by Dawn C. Chmielewski.
"The triumvirate of media titans -- AOL, Microsoft's MSN and RealNetworks -- are vying for marquee talent in ways that recall the infamous booking wars between Jay Leno and David Letterman in 1993. Competition for exclusive deals with big acts is so intense that Microsoft paid a reported $1 million for the right to premier 'N Sync's new video, 'Gone,'" Chmielewski reports.
Damn, $1 million for the rights to air an 'N Sync video online.
"Some label promoters sense a subtle power shift, in which they see themselves begging sites for prime placement, as they now do for a slot on radio playlists or a spot in the MTV rotation," Chmielewski continues.
Hmm. Maybe they should be begging KaZaA, AudioGalaxy and MusicCity for this kind of placement! I guess that would go against the party line. But I wonder if any labels are doing some guerilla marketing through the file-sharing services. I know at least a few labels did so during the height of Napster's popularity.
As noted in the article, the use or portals as promotional tools is great for established artists. It's not good for up & coming artists or unknowns though, and labels won't be willing to put their marketing budgets to use in such a manner. The portals can actually "leverage eyeballs," as we used to say in the Age of Dotcoms, when it comes to music fans.
I'm going to give credit now to a record label, so close your eyes. Actually, it's a media company. Vivendi Universal has really impressed me over the past year with its roll-up strategy by acquiring MP3.com, GetMusic.com, Emusic.com and RollingStone.com. Sure, its strategy with Pressplay is lame. But while all other the labels were watching the wheels go round and round, Vivendi was snatching up established online music players instead of bitching about the file-sharing services. It's generally been the least vocal opponent of file-sharing networks, perhaps because it has an actual online music strategy.
It's prepping to officially launch video property
MP4.com. Although I'm not sure what the ultimate strategy behind this website is, it shows that Vivendi is moving on and trying to establish consumer friendly properties instead of simply antagonizing the consumer. Its competitors can a learn a thing or two from Vivendi, but they won't.
I'd like to take a moment to note the passing on of musical great Waylon Jennings. Some may, unfortunately, remember him as the narrator for the television show "The Dukes Of Hazzard." But if you've ever spent time in the South, you know what a great talent Jennings was. He will more missed by his fans and the country music world lost a legend today.
Lastly, if I had a girlfriend, I'd be giving her a copy of "Sweet Life" by Varnaline today and serenading her with the song "Make You Mine" by Swell.
I'm just wierd like that.
-----------------------------------------------
Ben Silverman is the Editor of DotcomScoop.com and a news columnist for the New York Post. He can be reached at editor@dotcomscoop.com
Ben Silverman
Remye
