So, I’m guessing a collection of music industry people must have recently gathered for another one of their vaunted “How can we fuck ourselves in the ass really hard?” meetings, because their latest scheme to produce revenue is just off-the-charts insane. You ready for this? Okay, you know how when you go to iTunes you can listen to a 30-second preview of a song. Well, these geniuses want to start charging you a fee for that! Yeah.
This fresh nugget of dipshittery is the brainchild of ASCAP and BMI, the organizations that work on behalf of, not against (Allegedly!), composers and songwriters. Reports CNET:
ASCAP and BMI have their sights set on collecting fees from three main areas: downloads of music; downloads of films and TV shows, and 30-second song samples.
In case you don’t know the lingo of music licensing, here are some important definitions. When music is performed in public, say at radio stations, restaurants, or sports stadiums, groups such as ASCAP and BMI collect fees and pass it on to composers and songwriters. This is different than a “mechanical” licensing fee, which is paid for the right to record or distribute a song (ASCAP and BMI don’t collect mechanical fees).
“In the U.S. while we do get paid a mechanical (licensing fee) from ITunes, we are not getting any performance income from Apple yet,” David Renzer, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, said in interview late last month with entertainment-industry publication, Encore. “(On iTunes) you can stream radio, and you can preview (tracks), things that we should be getting paid performance income for.
I wonder if these staggering jackasses have any clue as to how much money they’ll actually lose if such fees were to be instituted? I can’t tell you how many times over the course of my life I’ve purchased music that I wouldn’t have otherwise purchased because I was able to preview songs and liked them. I’ve done it on iTunes with the uber-annoying 30-second preview, and I’ve done it countless times in music stores like Virgin and Tower, where you used to be able to stand at a station and listen to a CD to see if it was worth a shit. I can honestly say that I’ve spent at least $1000-$2000 on music that I wouldn’t have spent otherwise for no other reason than because I previewed something I was unfamiliar with and liked it. AND I’M JUST ONE PERSON!
What a bunch of morons…Enjoy continuing to circle the drain guys.
I didn't read the linked article but I don't think anyone's talking about passing the fee associated with a 30 second preview on to the consumer. That would be something Apple (or whoever) would have to foot.
@nate…Do you really think for a second that Apple would eat this cost and not pass it off to the consumer? I think not. But even if they did, the idea is fucking stupid. Did ASCAP and BMI go after all the music stores like Virgin and Tower that allowed customers to preview music?
Wow… this is utterly insane. “(On iTunes) you can stream radio, and you can preview (tracks), things that we should be getting paid performance income for." They obviously don't get how this works… No one blindly buys an album. You have to hear some of the material first. Radio plays the same 8 songs over and over so the vast majority of artists can't rely on radio to give listeners an idea of their product. I guess they'll be charging for songs on MySpace now?
I was thinking about why they would do this, as 30 second clips would HELP sell records… but with all the crap their putting out, maybe they don't want you to hear how garbage it is before you buy it? I don't know… it makes no sense at all.
Perhaps designers and clothing manufacturers should start charging a fee for trying on clothes before you buy them.
@Dan…EXACTLY!
Actually, stores like Virgin, et al, do pay a fee to ASCAP, BMI, etc. Just because you don't know about it doesn't mean it isn't getting paid. Nate is correct that Itunes would not pass that cost along, and its not an outrageous amount of money. It's a way for writers and others to get paid that are making less and less as people just steal their music nowdays.
AND, myspace is paying revenue now to major lable artists for myspace plays, just because you as the consumer are not directly paying for it doesn't mean it's not being paid. I love how people think ALL of it should be free…is the work you do free? No, didn't think so
File this blog post under: "If you don't understand something. Don't talk about it."
Plz get your facts right before posting such total rubbish.