Random Flux

What is the value of mass-distributed media when its distribution effectively costs little or nothing (if distributed virally via BitTorrent)? And how does this value correspond to the value of the work that went into producing it? In fact, does it correspond at all any more? If ten million people want to buy a song that I wrote, does the money they pay for that song really belong to me? Did I work for it, in the sense that the money paid corresponds to my labor? And if it doesn’t belong to me, who does it belong to?

I have utopian vision on this: At the moment the “big sellers” in the media world get an obscene amount of money for their work and countless other artists get almost nothing. Suppose we create a new media distribution model called “Equitable Artists” (yes, that’s a reference back to United Artists) that works like this, using a new record label as an example:

• All the money received for all the sales from the label’s artists goes into a big pool
• The big sellers get more money than the small sellers, but using a key that still distributes the money more equitably
• There is a maximum limit on income anyone working for the label can get, including both artists and label owners
• All the money left over goes to the promotion and development of new artists, young artists etc.

There are a lot of stumbling-blocks to this, among other things whether artists would actually sign for a label like this. However, people also said that open source wouldn’t work, and it does. Just an idea for the day…

The Magnatune music podcasts on the iTunes store are a terrific deal. There are nearly fifty different podcasts for virtually all kinds of music genres and every podcast is an hour of great music at 128kbps, without advertising and completely free, and it looks like new podcasts are added at regular intervals. It’s a great way to get into some of the really good music that Magnatune distributes. Just search for “Magnatune” in the podcasts section of iTunes store.

In addition to distributing good music Magnatune also has a Creative Commons license — you’re allowed to use all their music without royalties in non-commercial podcasts and the rates are also very reasonable for commercial use, based on what you are turning over. They also do a fair 50/50 split with the artists and when you buy stuff you get to choose what you want to pay, you have the right to give away copies to three friends (no DRM) and can download all qualities all the way up to CD quality WAV files. Highly recommended, lots of good music!

If you haven’t heard Katie Melua’s music yet then rush over to her website or the iTunes store and have a listen. (Her own website appears to be experiencing difficulties at the moment.) Born in Georgia and raised in Belfast and London since the age of eight, Katie is one of the most exciting female musical talents to emerge in years.

Like all true creatives she defies categorization. Her music is blues jazz or jazz blues with elements of folk, rock and pop, but none of that really matters and none of it is really relevant. Her music is her music, and she is what makes it special not her genre. She is a breath of fresh poetry and feeling in a world of shallow pop.

Read the rest of this entry »