The panel is moderated by Hank Barry and includes Mike Caren, Eddy Cue, Danger Mouse, and Michael Weiss.
The Induce Act is really bad. Call and complain.
Music Publishing is taking off. Virtual instruments are for sale--they're just software. Lots of music software. Listener supported Internet radio. DCI.org.
Q: [To Mike] How does the Internet affect your job?
A: His job is to find new music and talent. The Internet is part of everything he does. He finds music using scouts, talking to kids, reading blogs, web sites, independent radion, and all sorts of stuff. 90% of their recording is direct into the computer these days. The recording pieces can be created in different location and quickly shared. The Internet is a good leading indicator--mentions Launch.com. Can't think of an Internet specific artist.
A: Alex (of iTunes) says that radio stations are watching the iTunes charts. Self-publishing into iTunes happens with some artists.
Q: [To DM] How'd the Grey Album come about?
A: Was doing a lot of mixing of music, it was really just a fun hobby. People really liked it. So it was a natural thing to get into.
Q: Would you do it again?
A: Sure, I was broke anyway. :-) He was able to show his parents his talent with it--that it's not just screwing around.
Q: How'd you do it?
A: On a program called Acid (a Sony product). He still uses it and loves it--even bought a copy.
Q: [To Mike] NeoNet?
A: The copyright folks will hate it. It's peer to peer search technology. Finds every file in 3 hops or less.
Q: Why should we care what Ballmer said about iPods and stolen music?
A: Alex says they've build a tool that gives users what they want while providing music publishers what they need. But the real infrastructure (business models?) at the record labels needs to change.
Q: On-line music sales changing in the future?
A: Alex thinks so. Remember the big jump to CDs? The same will happen with on-line music. We need to make it easier for users to find the music they can buy. Need better search and easy purchasing.
Q: How do you find new music?
A: Alex is a fan. Lots of reading and looking around. Looks at radio station play lists, blogs, DJs, all sorts of stuff.
A: Danger find a lot via word of mouth.
A: Kids today find music through peer to peer and that creates sales for artists.
Audience Questions
Q: The cost of producing CDs has gone down but the price has not--they're still expensive. Why not charge $3 per CD?
A: In the latest issue of Wired there's some good info on this. The cheap stuff you see in the stores is a loss leader. The big box stores pay wholesale costs of $7-$10 to the labels. They're expensive because of the way the market works. MTV promotion, sell a ton of units fast, etc.
The Morpheus guy says, "if you could just work with us instead of suing us..." Applause follows. :-)
Q: Will we ever get a subscription service with an all you can eat model instead of per-track downloads?
A: iTunes was the first try at doing this. Others will likely try other things, but this is how it works today. Accounting to artists is hard without paying per track. Apple isn't selling, they're licensing. Re-doing all the artist contracts would be very hard.
Q: JD asks Danger Mouse about remix culture. People today expect to be able to do this with video, movies, music, etc. But copyright law gets in the way. What's going to happen? How do we fix this?
A: Lots of underground bands and musicians. There's a different perception about them--they need a label to combat perceptions. But creativity is good and it's best if this not get in the way. You never know what'll happen and when it'll really matter.
Q: Wouldn't cutting prices help sales? Lots of evidence says it would. Real did it.
A: Long-winded answer from the iTunes guy that boils down to "it's complicated."
Q: Cory wants to know how we're going to fix this shit--millions of americans who are now criminals. How does what's going on now solve the big problem?
A: Danger says it's really unfortunate that artists are selling themselves to The Man. It's catching up with us but will have to end eventually. "Stealing" music is different than stealing cars. It might be a slow but hopefully accelerating process--there's a lot at stake on both ends.
See Also: My Web 2.0 post archive for coverage of all the other sessions I attended.
Posted by jzawodn at October 06, 2004 03:19 PM
