This is an area to discuss anything that has to do with Arts & Cultural items, such as Photography, Paintings, History, Movies, Television, Music, Fashion, etc.What if Napster never existed?
Thread Starter
Administrator
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 23,226
Likes: 9
From: Upstate NY
Vehicle: 2010 Genesis 2.0T
What if Napster never existed?
http://mashable.com/2011/04/08/napster-never-existed/
According to the labels, record sales would have burgeoned if not for the existence of file-sharing site Napster. The labels’ optimistic forecast comes in the form of a chart included in a trial brief for their case against LimeWire.
The above chart was born out of a case brought by major labels like Sony Corp.’s Arista Records and Warner Music Group Corp.’s Atlantic Records against LimeWire. The trial is scheduled to begin May 2.
In the brief, the labels say:
What do you think of the labels’ position? Are Napster, LimeWire and Co. to blame for the declining music industry? Should the labels have embraced file-sharing earlier and adapted it to their own purposes? Let us know in the comments.
Whats everyones opinion of this? I strongly believe that File Sharing is only a SMALL reason as to why record sales have declined. I think alot of it has to do with the fact that artists now-a-days are not creating decent music that it once was back in the day. Everyone is sampling, using auto-tune, and not creating anything real original.
According to the labels, record sales would have burgeoned if not for the existence of file-sharing site Napster. The labels’ optimistic forecast comes in the form of a chart included in a trial brief for their case against LimeWire.
The above chart was born out of a case brought by major labels like Sony Corp.’s Arista Records and Warner Music Group Corp.’s Atlantic Records against LimeWire. The trial is scheduled to begin May 2.
In the brief, the labels say:
“The evidence will demonstrate that there has been a $55 billion decline in record industry revenue over the last decade. Plaintiffs and Defendants disagree as to whether mass filesharing through peer-to-peer services has been the primary cause of this decline (Plaintiffs’ position), or just one of several causes (Defendants’ position). But even if LimeWire caused only a fraction of this decline, Plaintiffs’ damages would still be in the billions of dollars. Plaintiffs will offer evidence at trial demonstrating that far greater than a fraction of this harm was caused by LimeWire.”
What do you think of the labels’ position? Are Napster, LimeWire and Co. to blame for the declining music industry? Should the labels have embraced file-sharing earlier and adapted it to their own purposes? Let us know in the comments.
Whats everyones opinion of this? I strongly believe that File Sharing is only a SMALL reason as to why record sales have declined. I think alot of it has to do with the fact that artists now-a-days are not creating decent music that it once was back in the day. Everyone is sampling, using auto-tune, and not creating anything real original.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 12,515
Likes: 2
From: Lacey, WA
Vehicle: Two Accents, Mini, Miata, Van, Outback, and a ZX-6
I think file sharing has had a big effect, but not enough to be truly to blame for this downturn.
Music has changed a lot in the last decade. Life has changed just as much. In 2000 there were still a lot of people without a PC at home. I don't have statistics, but I would say something like half or less of the number now based on the people I know. Of those people with a computer, many either had no internet or were fairly computer illiterate at the time limiting their ability to take advantage of file sharing. As the PC has increased it's adoption and people have become more capable of using the internet not only has it opened up people's ability to download music illegally, but also to legally view that one song they really wanted to hear one time on Youtube instead of buying a CD. Or to preview some of the tracks on a CD before buying to find that the one hit on the CD was the only track you would ever listen to again. Not to even mention that if I bought a damn CD the first thing I would have to do is overcome any copy protection BS they have in place so that I can rip an MP3 and put it on a thumb drive so that I can listen to it in my car. Or, at the very least burn it to an MP3 CD so that I'm not packing 50 CD's around to listen to the 50 songs I actually wanted to hear instead of one MP3 CD. So what's easier? Downloading the track off of the internet or fighting them every step of the way with a CD? Sure I can download the songs I want legally, and a lot of the time I do, especially if I really want to support an artist. Half the music I listen to is a remix of some type anymore, not available on a CD, and often not even for legitimate download at all.
Music has changed a lot in the last decade. Life has changed just as much. In 2000 there were still a lot of people without a PC at home. I don't have statistics, but I would say something like half or less of the number now based on the people I know. Of those people with a computer, many either had no internet or were fairly computer illiterate at the time limiting their ability to take advantage of file sharing. As the PC has increased it's adoption and people have become more capable of using the internet not only has it opened up people's ability to download music illegally, but also to legally view that one song they really wanted to hear one time on Youtube instead of buying a CD. Or to preview some of the tracks on a CD before buying to find that the one hit on the CD was the only track you would ever listen to again. Not to even mention that if I bought a damn CD the first thing I would have to do is overcome any copy protection BS they have in place so that I can rip an MP3 and put it on a thumb drive so that I can listen to it in my car. Or, at the very least burn it to an MP3 CD so that I'm not packing 50 CD's around to listen to the 50 songs I actually wanted to hear instead of one MP3 CD. So what's easier? Downloading the track off of the internet or fighting them every step of the way with a CD? Sure I can download the songs I want legally, and a lot of the time I do, especially if I really want to support an artist. Half the music I listen to is a remix of some type anymore, not available on a CD, and often not even for legitimate download at all.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 562
Likes: 0
From: North Carolina
Vehicle: 2008 Tiburon
Illegal downloading is the main reason CD sales are down. But also because now on a CD, only 1 or 2 songs are good the rest are crap. I think another reason is there are too many "one-hit wonders," artist are coming out with a big hit CD then a mediocre CD then their out of the game because another artist made a hit CD.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 829
Likes: 0
From: Red Deer
Vehicle: 2012 mitsubishi eclipse spyder gs, 2001 hyundai tiburon
Sure the ALBUM sales are dropping, but what about the increase in pay sites like iTunes and the like? The record companies gotta be making a killing from selling each band's one good song.
Which is rather ridiculous, really. At a time where every song put out should be as good or better then the last, we're given a constant slew of one-offs, one hit wonders, and generally music that sucks.
No-one anymore wants to waste their money on a physical medium anymore (ie.-Compact Disks) when said medium becomes damaged and useless over time. Whereas a music file, once put on a computer, can stay in the same condition for a lifetime.
Which is rather ridiculous, really. At a time where every song put out should be as good or better then the last, we're given a constant slew of one-offs, one hit wonders, and generally music that sucks.
No-one anymore wants to waste their money on a physical medium anymore (ie.-Compact Disks) when said medium becomes damaged and useless over time. Whereas a music file, once put on a computer, can stay in the same condition for a lifetime.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,881
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville, AL
Vehicle: 2001/Hyundai/Tiburon
I also think that graph is an atrocity of statistics. My goodness, sales most certainly wouldn't go straight up like that, just look at the previous sales, there's no way it would continue up in a straight line like that! Looks like that "forecasting", if you could call it that, was done by a 3rd grader. Yikes.
