see end...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Karl Miller" <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 10:41 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Letter on British Copyright Term Extension
On Tue, 16 May 2006, James L Wolf wrote:
Currently, record companies are more
concerned with selling their viable back catalogs than finding good new
artists.
It's cheaper, after all. But as someone else said recently, if they
eventually
can't make any money off the Beatles et al. then they'll be forced to find
new
stuff that people will actually want to buy.
Yes, but I believe it is because SOME of the back catalogs are viable, the
bulk of back catalog is being locked away. I believe that musicians are
being, once again, manipulated by the record companies. They are being
given the line that the copyrights are there to protect their
estates...which of course is true. However, for their estates to gain
any return their recordings have to be available, and that decision
resides with the record companies.
So we have laws to protect the financial interests of the rich...so what
else is new?
Well, and here we go again...just read about the law suit the recording
industry is bringing against XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. It seems
that not only does the record industry charge Satellite radio for
"broadcasting" their stuff...above and beyond the normal ASCAP, BMI, etc.
licenses, but they are upset that the radios are now being sold with
recording capabilities...
Ok, how many out there have at one time or another recorded a commercial
recording, or concert broadcast...and kept it and listened to it more than
once? So I ask the question, was the recording industry, and musicians
union aware that people could record broadcasts...for at least the last
70 years or so? Duh.
I guess we could end up having to pay a premium price for radio, since the
music
industry will assume we are recording everything...so are we headed to no
music on the radio...just downloads? My goodness, what will advertizers
do? And then, when one considers the curent attempts to defeat television
remote controls so you can't fast foward through commercials...when that
doesn't
work, will we have only downloaded television...which you can get for less
if you take it with commericals...likewise when you download some
music...how about a commercial in the middle of your favorite song,
downloaded in a file format which cannot be edited...of course the analog
output can always be edited...but wait, maybe all audio and video editing
software will require one to have a license...and...
Okeh, it's an old message...but I'm just digging through an unread backlog
and ran across this!
IMHO, the music/record industry (which will be merged into a single
mega-corporation by then and may LITERALLY own governments...) will
eventually take full control of ALL music...and ALL access thereto.
We will be expected, as loyal patriots in a market economy, to
purchase an officially-mandated quota of music from this single
source...and that will be our ONLY source for music! If we prefer
live music, they will arrange performances given by their signed
artists (which may be live, or may be digital versions which can
be fed directly to our brains...we won't notice any difference!).
Of course, it will be totally illegal for anyone other than these
"Official Musicians" to perform any music whatsoever in any setting
whatsoever...and possession of any musical instrument, including
kazoos, will be strictly forbidden for all ordinary citizens
(and monitored by a system of brain-wave readers, so even thinking
about making music will set off red lights and sirens at headquarters!).
News distribution networks will regularly carry stories about rings
of counter-social traitors found attempting to make their own music...
complete with details on the punishments they suffer!
Note that "Official Musicians" will be selected according to the sales.
or sales potential, of their music...the old system of identifying
"talent" will have been dropped, since it was not an adequate
predictor of potential profit. As well, citizens who unaccountably
display any interest in forms of music other than that made available
by the official sole supplier...such as "obsolete" music (which often
contains anti-social messages and could incite dissatisfaction or
even rebellion!) will be singled out and sent for "re-education"
until they lose these inappropriate thought processes.
Or...we may have had World Wars III through VI (or XLI, like
the next Super Bowl?)...in which case the future of music will
have to wait until the mutant radioactive cockroaches have
evolved sufficiently...
Steven C. Barr