the problems experienced by music are about to be multipied for the movie and TV industries.
Where the beauty of hits is that you can make them for next to nothing so an easier distribution network - which may mean far less sales - can still mean huge profits (even huger without the manufacturing), the vast costs of making movies and visual programmes means that costs may never be reclaimed if there's too much piracy.
Discuss.

My favourite TV shows are and allways have been live sport, what has become interesting, is how much new music I have heard on the sport channels.
The amount of new bands that appear on "Soccer AM", is fantastic, and fantastic exposure.
Are we now in a situation, in which we are watching less MTV/VH1, and indeed TOTP, and the biggest exponent of music is in DVD sales and Sport?
As an indie label, the low sales are terrifying,it is far too easy to pirate things, but I would hate to deny people the right to deny their own mix of music for their cars or home use.
This once again brings up the live music problem, music at it`s roots, is largely unpaid for, the abundance of open mic nights is great for creation, and we get to see many creative acts that you would not have seen , without these events.
But?
Where is the money going to come from?
When I read the sales figures on midweeks, I feel you really have to love exactly what you are doing, and have belief, and that for now is the only way forward.
I , personally am going on a belief in any product I can , create/afford to put out , and go for it.
I worry about investors, particurlary in films, and I worry that some of the young film makers that I know , will end up as technicians and not get their full viewing due to the reasons originally posted above.
The thing is with current hit records that puzzles me, so many hits are apparently made BEFORE the bands are signed, are the studios in trouble?

The studios are making huge inroads against this already - suing the people who make the software that allows these downloads. Already many have shut down (before the lawsuit arrived).

The studios will not be as slow as the music industry was in doing all they can to stamp this out - they have far far more to lose.

... they offer legal download alternatives.

Instead of suing their customers and offering inferior product (DRM infected CDs and downloads) the record industry should monetize the ways music fans want to enjoy music.


Here is what Bob Lefsetz wrote about this (14/4/06):

By perching themselves at the top of the pyramid, not interested in albums with initial sales potential less than gold (500,000), the major labels are insuring their own marginalization. For it's a long tail world, and he who does not participate in it is doomed.

An aggregator must give something to its stable of clients, and at this point the only thing major labels offer is a potential moon shot. With a failure rate far higher than the Space Shuttle. And, other than John Glenn, what astronaut has had a career AFTER his brief trip to outer space?

Follow the porn industry. Anybody with a body to bare has LEFT the aggregator to go it alone. For they're sick of being ripped off by the fat cats, "Playboy" emulators who believe their brand is bigger than the body. As if EMI were bigger than the music. That's the future. Everybody's cottage industry. And those who profit sit ON TOP of the cottage industry. Offering a lot for very little. A la Google. That's where you go to find out about everything, but they make their money elsewhere, off advertising from the glut of eyeballs they generate.

This TV story is both dazzling and informative.

While the major labels bickered about the price of tracks at the iTunes Music Store, the television networks realized selling shows for $1.99 on Apple's site WAS NOT WHERE IT WAS AT! Was a veritable SIDESHOW! Leaving most people OUT!

Credit AOL. With broadcasting old sitcoms like "Welcome Back Kotter" on its site. Suddenly, Disney is broadcasting NEW shows one day later, and now Fox has followed suit. These companies realize that they must satiate the CUSTOMER, not THEMSELVES! That people don't want to own the damn shows, they just want to SEE THEM! Sure, you can steal them P2P, but if you can just click and watch them WHENEVER YOU WANT, what's the POINT?? Maybe sell them all as a package of files a la DVDs in the future, then again, if everything's always available, why do you have to OWN IT? As for the commercials, if you can pause, if you're watching the shows when YOU want, you can burn that time in front of the fridge, you can take a dump, it's not like "All In The Family" is only on for half an hour Thursday night and if you miss it you're fucked until RERUNS!

Micropayments are bullshit. It's like being pecked to death by ducks. By charging per track at the iTunes Music Store, the major labels are MARGINALIZING THEMSELVES! Americans want to know what the price is. They don't want to be hit with endless charges, if so, they DON'T BUY!

TV networks are taking advantage of the Net. Major labels are not. There's nothing new about iTunes Music Store distribution other than you get a shittier product for an equal aliquot track price as you do with the CD.

To survive, the majors must distribute ALL music. Even that which sells ten copies. They must SKIM profits, not make ALL the profits. And they must distribute the product in a form their clientele finds desirable and usable. In other words, no DRM. Complete portability. More tracks for fewer dollars. In other words, flat fee pricing. Yup, all you can eat for a few bucks a month.

There's a way out, licensed P2P.

Don't expect the majors to take it. Instead, in front of EVERYBODY they're making themselves irrelevant. Ceding the music landscape to those younger and more innovative. BELIEVE ME, some twentysomething's going to aggregate and own online distribution charging very little. Along the lines of CD Baby, but DIGITALLY!

With the Net, distribution costs go down very low. If more people own more music everybody makes more money. Venues are full. Careers burgeon. This is the music savior we've been waiting for. DON'T listen to the RIAA bullshit!

without it I wouldnt be up to episode 19, series 2 of LOST.

If the UK wasnt so far behind then I'd have no use for it.

If only Life On Mars was american, I could be onto series 2 of that by now