{"id":206,"date":"2005-10-28T17:35:14","date_gmt":"2005-10-29T00:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/archives\/2005\/10\/28\/manifesto\/"},"modified":"2005-10-28T17:42:47","modified_gmt":"2005-10-29T00:42:47","slug":"manifesto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/2005\/10\/28\/manifesto\/","title":{"rendered":"Manifesto"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. More Music For More People<\/strong><\/p>\n

That’s the promise of the Internet.\u00c2\u00a0 Instant low cost distribution allows
this.\u00c2\u00a0 The key is to make everybody a PAYING music consumer.\u00c2\u00a0 With everyone
paying less and everyone owning more.<\/p>\n

\n

2. iTunes<\/strong><\/p>\n

iTunes replicates the physical CD formula.\u00c2\u00a0 The only advantage it provides is
cheap distribution.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, it comes at a cost.\u00c2\u00a0 Lower audio quality
and copy protection.\u00c2\u00a0 In other words, the public pays more and gets less.\u00c2\u00a0
Sure, you get to purchase a track at a time, but this sucks for the record
labels.\u00c2\u00a0 Their profits are based on selling a bundle, i.e. an album.\u00c2\u00a0 Ten tracks for
ten times the price.\u00c2\u00a0 Unless you can get buyers to cough up this price,
you’re going to end up with less money.\u00c2\u00a0 Especially in an iTunes distribution
world.\u00c2\u00a0 Which is why labels have to deliver more tunes for the buck to more people.
So they end up with the same amount of MONEY!\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, so few people are
regular music consumers that if you get EVERYBODY in for low dough, you’ll
end up with A LOT more.<\/p>\n

\n

3. Rhapsody\/Napster\/Yahoo<\/strong><\/p>\n

An interesting idea if the original Napster never happened.\u00c2\u00a0 If people hadn’t
become inured to owning MP3s.\u00c2\u00a0 Any formula that leaves out ownership is a
no-go marginal failure at this point.\u00c2\u00a0 Furthermore, the to-go feature of these
services doesn’t work.\u00c2\u00a0 In a world where the iPod and iTunes work seamlessly to
expect the public to be frustrated by a hostile environment and like it is to
bump up against the rules of human nature.<\/p>\n

However, these services perform a great role.\u00c2\u00a0 You can SAMPLE music.\u00c2\u00a0 Thirty
second snippets on iTunes are not enough to know whether you like something.\u00c2\u00a0
Then again, if you can download a track and THEN decide whether to keep it you
have the best of both worlds.\u00c2\u00a0 Which is what P2P presently offers.\u00c2\u00a0 P2P
should be monetized.<\/p>\n

As for being able to purchase copy protected tracks for a buck at these
services…this is just the iTunes Music Store model replicated.\u00c2\u00a0 But with an
incompatible format that does not work with the market dominating iPod.<\/p>\n

\n

4. P2P<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reality.\u00c2\u00a0 Rail all you want, but despite the RIAA lawsuits, usage has just
gone up.\u00c2\u00a0 The lawsuits are about as effective as the nation’s drug policy.\u00c2\u00a0 Put
down your joint and THINK ABOUT IT!<\/p>\n

Legalize P2P.\u00c2\u00a0 What’s the societal cost?\u00c2\u00a0 You can stop railing about how kids
don’t know the value of music by ALLOWING them to pay for it.\u00c2\u00a0 Charge a few
bucks at the ISP level.\u00c2\u00a0 Or, sell trading licenses.\u00c2\u00a0 Sure, people drive
uninsured, but most don’t because they’re fearful of the consequences.\u00c2\u00a0 Not EVERYBODY will buy a license, but the penalty for copyright infringement is SO heinous that most people will.\u00c2\u00a0 And then, suing infringers will be seen as no worse
than stopping people for speeding.\u00c2\u00a0 The RIAA will burnish its tarnished image.\u00c2\u00a0
Making money along the way.<\/p>\n

\n

5. Radio\/Podcasting<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to sell music is to let people hear it.\u00c2\u00a0 The RIAA companies are
doing their best to stifle this process all the while trying to buy influence
on an ever-dwindling number of terrestrial music radio stations which play an
ever-dwindling number of tracks in ever-narrowing formats.\u00c2\u00a0 There should be
compulsory licensing for usage of songs in podcasts.\u00c2\u00a0 And reasonable Internet
radio fees.\u00c2\u00a0 Sure, the individual numbers will be less than for terrestrial
radio, but there will be A LOT more stations.\u00c2\u00a0 And, more new music, of a much
wider variety, will be sold.\u00c2\u00a0 Therefore insuring better health of the industry.\u00c2\u00a0
Will the major labels be the sole beneficiaries of these opportunities?\u00c2\u00a0 No,
which is why they’re fighting advancements.\u00c2\u00a0 But, they will make more…<\/p>\n

\n

6.\u00c2\u00a0 Touring<\/strong><\/p>\n

A final ticket price.<\/p>\n

And a consumer’s bill of rights.\u00c2\u00a0 I challenge Clear Channel, AEG and HOB to
create and circulate such a document.\u00c2\u00a0 Which contains elements akin to the
following:<\/p>\n

a. Parking never to exceed ten dollars.
b. Guaranteed price of water and beer.
c. Number of toilets per attendee.<\/p>\n

If you treat the audience with respect, they’ll give you more of their
dollars.\u00c2\u00a0 But respect died with Robert Sillerman.<\/p>\n

\n

7. Royalties<\/strong><\/p>\n

Must come back.\u00c2\u00a0 Sales can’t be hidden with Internet distribution.\u00c2\u00a0 Record
companies need to hold down advances the same way the NHL needed to hold down salaries, or risk going out of business.\u00c2\u00a0 A guaranteed share of the pie for
artists would be great.\u00c2\u00a0 Shy of that, a straight negotiated percentage royalty,
with NO deductions, should be paid.\u00c2\u00a0 And, advances should be minimal.\u00c2\u00a0 No more
than the cost of producing the record.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe there should be incentives for
coming in UNDER budget.<\/p>\n

The acts don’t trust the labels.\u00c2\u00a0 By opening their books, by allowing an
independent royalty tribunal to arbitrate disagreements, fairness will come back
to the game.<\/p>\n

Artists should be paid based on whether the PUBLIC adores them, not
executives.\u00c2\u00a0 Sell records, make a ton of money.\u00c2\u00a0 Sell none, go back and work in the
shoe store.\u00c2\u00a0 Even if you sold a million albums the first time around and you blew
it all on iron and ice.<\/p>\n

\n

8. Management Contracts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Should be walkable, just like agents’.\u00c2\u00a0 Being tied up forever without trust
hurts the artist.\u00c2\u00a0 Part of your job is satiating the artist.\u00c2\u00a0 You shouldn’t get
paid if you don’t.<\/p>\n

In the alternative, royalties should cease with the end of the management
agreement.<\/p>\n

This whole business is built on the back of the artist.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t want to hear
what you invested, whether it be the manager, agent or label.\u00c2\u00a0 Without the
artist, you’re NOWHERE!<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1. More Music For More People That’s the promise of the Internet.\u00c2\u00a0 Instant low cost distribution allows this.\u00c2\u00a0 The key is to make everybody a PAYING music consumer.\u00c2\u00a0 With everyone paying less and everyone owning more. 2. iTunes iTunes replicates the physical CD formula.\u00c2\u00a0 The only advantage it provides is cheap distribution.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, it comes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p96vPs-3k","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}