So I’ll admit that I download music, like most other people who also see the absurdity in paying almost $2 for a song, albeit not very often. But the very fact that they took away my freedom to download songs, via Limewire, makes me want to do it even more now. I just can’t understand the justification behind the decision to shutdown Limewire, and here’s why:
I was reading an article about the situation and it said that the US judge who made the decision said that the record companies "have suffered – and will continue to suffer – irreparable harm from LimeWire's inducement of widespread infringement of their works.” The record companies are suffering? Really? Later the article said, “The RIAA said LimeWire has cost the music industry hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. According RIAA figures, US recorded music sales fell to $7.7bn in 2009 from $14.5bn in 1999. The rise to prominence of peer-to-peer filesharing networks is singled out as a primary factor for this decline by the RIAA.”
Ok, so let’s assume that over $7 billion is not enough for the RIAA. The individual artists must be even worse off if the RIAA claims to be “suffering” right? Below is a list of the top 10 earning bands of 2010, according to Forbes:
1. U2: $130 million
2. AC/DC: $114 million
3. Beyonce: $87 million
4. Bruce Springsteen: $70 million
5. Britney Spears: $64 million
6. Jay-Z: $63 million
7. Lady Gaga: $62 million
8. Madonna: $58 million
9. Kenny Chesney: $50 million
10. Black Eyed Peas (tie): $48 million
Coldplay (tie): $48 million
I’m not sure about you, or these artists, but I think they’re doing just fine. I'm assuming that a majority of this money comes from endorsements and touring but these artists are still making a big chunk of change. Coldplay hasn’t even put out a new album since 2008 and they are still tied for #10. Even Britney Spears with all her drama and craziness has managed to be #5. This tells me that people are willing to pay big bucks to see them perform and not to hear the live songs, which is obviously true in Britney’s case since she lip syncs anyway.
I applaud bands like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead who put their music online so anyone can have it. They obviously understand that making music is not just about making the most money. They allow their fans to be interactive with their music which in turn makes the fans have a deeper connection with the band.
We spent a lot of time talking about remix culture in class and most of us thought that it was an important part of creativity and innovation in today’s culture. I think everyone agreed that remixing takes a lot of talent and ingenuity, especially after seeing the remix manifesto movie. The people who are apart of the remix culture are not only very creative but they are also taking a big risk by sharing their art and making it available to everyone. As we talked about in class on Monday, remixing allows more people to experience different genres that they may otherwise not have even thought or heard about.
Forbes article:
Limewire Shutdown article:
I still can't believe they shut Limewire down. Your blog really supports my positions that the RIAA and record companies are doing pretty well financially. They are just being extremely greedy. How the heck is Britney number five? Her Circus album also came out all the way in 2008... And personally I don't hear anything about U2 lately and they are doing insanely well!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why record companies themselves just go after people instead of letting the RIAA go and sue whoever they want for absurd amounts. Or better yet, let the artist do that, people are "stealing" their music.
Pertaining to remixes and mashups: one thing I know for sure is that no one can stop creativity.
I wish that Limewire was still around too. Honestly, I still find way to get music without having to pay $2 a song. My friends and I use dropbox to share music files, I constantly convert youtube songs to mp3s online, etc. It just would be a lot easier to have a site like Limewire, and it is really ridiculous that it was shut down. The money that pays for the songs doesn't normally go to the Artists, they make their money touring, instead goes to the company.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad that Limewire is gone. I don't understand why artists and record companies complain so much about people getting their music from these types of programs. It just seems greedy and unfair that record companies are suing people over something as small as a song. I'm sure they and the artists make plenty of money to live comfortably. I like that you mentioned artists who put their albums up for free. We need more artists to wake up and see that remix culture is progressive.
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