arstechnica.com — Publishers generally want to hold onto the current market-based system, but there are voices in the wilderness arguing that a compulsory license model actually makes the most sense for both artists and consumers. One of those voices is Steven Page, singer and guitarist for the Barenaked Ladies, who recently spoke to Ars about this issue.
Apr 27, 2007 View in Crawl 4
stevealfordApr 28, 2007
Garfunkle's in jail?!(Also applicable to the article title and the Barenaked Ladies song "If I had a Million Dollars" because "I would buy you some art... a Picasso or a GarFUNkle" in the third verse or so.
ajajadudeApr 28, 2007
Up-and-coming bands are already being screwed in the current system. This way they might have a chance of getting their name and their music out to the masses without their fans being targeted for lawsuits (i.e. the RIAA claiming a band not signed under one of their labels is actually signed under them...somewhat unethical, if you ask me).
thekingofhellApr 28, 2007
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rammsteinedApr 28, 2007
Yeah, they usually make as much sense as:0 > 1
medicinemanApr 28, 2007
from the article (theory):"[Barenaked Ladies guitarist Steven Page] proposes the ISP model, where ISPs simply build an amount?$5 or $10 a month, for instance?into their fees, all of which is distributed to artists based on tracking data from P2P networks, etc."ISPs are the natural place to collect such a fee, he thinks, because they provide the gateway for people to access digital media."from Sellaband.com (practice):"All advertising revenue generated via Sellaband will be shared equally between Bands/Artists on our download portal, their Believers and Sellaband. This three-way split is based on the market-share of a band on our download portal. In other words, the number of times your music is downloaded for free (by unique visitors) is crucial for the money you and your investing fans will make."*(*) <a class="user" href="http://www.sellaband.com/site/how-it-works.html">http://www.sellaband.com/site/how-it-works.html</a> (try the jukebox)(I found Sellaband just a week ago here on Digg, with the Diggster having for instance pointed out Lucia Iman ( <a class="user" href="http://www.sellaband.com/lucia/player.html">http://www.sellaband.com/lucia/player.html</a> ) as being one of the Sellaband artists of note.)So the above two music distribution models, and any others resembling them, foreshadow the impending demise of the traditional parasitic music media distribution model, which demise may ultimately resemble that of a bear having the life sucked out of it by a swarm of (individually inocuous) mosquitos!
tsenApr 28, 2007
The Barenaked Ladies are my heroes when it comes to music rights, and specifically DRM. When they released their "Are Men" CD online, DRM-free, and with none of the profits going to money-hogs like the RIAA labels, they made a bold, and very important, step in the right direction for musicians and music lovers.
macparrotApr 28, 2007
If I had a compulsory blanket music licenseI'd compulsory blanket music license in the morningI'd compulsory blanket music license in the eveningAll over this land
mouskyApr 28, 2007
Agree or disagree with Steven Page, but at the very least he is at least discussing alternatives. Now compare that with the RIAA which: files lawsuits with little to no research to backup their claims; argues that DRM is GOOD for customers; wants to INCREASE the price of music; wants to restrict fair use; had no problem with Sony's rootkit; and so on.
pedalwrenchApr 28, 2007
@MedicineManthx for the link to sellaband, that's pretty cool.
alpha_male76Apr 28, 2007
That is exactly right. Open discussion on alternatives will lead to a new buisness model that works for everyone.
myhappyavrilMay 2, 2007
Barenaked LadiesOne WeekPinch MeIt's All Been Done<a class="user" href="http://www.seeqpod.com/music/?plid=27733fcff3">http://www.seeqpod.com/music/?plid=27733fcff3</a>