The Battle rages on....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/28/AR2007122800693.html

Have you been reading the news lately, the labels are SCREWED. Do they read the papers? Guy Hands runs EMI and is taking the Venture Capitalist approach: tear the company down to its core then sell to the highest bidder. Did Terra Firma buy EMI for the label or the assets? Sony is hemorhaging; as is Warner. Universal, the biggest of them all, has decided it wants to wage a war with the company that may hold the key to its future, Apple. And Apple, the company that is NOW making MONEY off music has its stock at record highs.

And now the infamous RIAA (Major Labels) is taking its fight to personal use. Really? Isn't this a bit like shooting yourself in the foot. Business 101. Ever heard of the product life cycle? Well, the CD is in decline and it AIN'T COMING BACK!! The sooner that the labels realize this, the sooner they can save themselves. Digital music has yet to be tamed by anyone, startups are born every day that are designed to sell music, so make it available. People are getting it for free right now, so why don't we try to make a little money off them. Remember, Limewire and Napster ASKED for licenses and were turned down. The labels COULD be making money of P2P but THEY'RE NOT!!!

Steve Jobs is not all powerful, he just understands the biggest rule in business: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!! Guess what major labels, the people that are stealing music and filling their iPods and hard drives with as much music as they can get, are your CUSTOMERS. You don't go to war with your customers. The continued barrage of lawsuits has deterred downloading, but it has deterred the wrong type of downloading. Getting music off the Internet is seen as something that is illegal. Instead of embracing digital distribution wholeheartedly the labels simply sat there watching their futures slip away.

Digital IS the new model. Whether you like it or not, it is here to stay. So instead of fighting it, and letting the technology companies make ALL the money, adapt. Change. Evolve. But the labels are having a hard time with this. Now don't get me wrong, I know it isn't an easy answer. And CEOs must answer to shareholders, artists, and critics, and they don't want to completely destroy the recording industry by trying to save it, but apocolypse is upon us. How long do you give Warner? They are still a public company and the stock is plummeting. Would you invest in Warner? The smart money will wait and ride out the storm. Most of the big whigs have made their money and don't really care that much. Do they care as much as the entry level guy that just got a pink slip for Christmas? Honestly.

As the old saying goes: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Have the majors heard this. Apple sure has. They know that their customers want state of the art, where quality is paramount, useability is king, and simplicity is the answer. Why can't I pay an extra three bucks with my Comcast bill for unlimited downloading? I would. Then I could have what I really want...unlimited access to music. People say, "just use Rhapsody or Napster," but there is no freedom. I want to OWN the music, have a collection, put it on my iPod AND my MacBook, and take it wherever the hell I want to . Remember the vinyl collections your parents own? I want my kids to inherit my collection some day, and I want it to be MASSIVE. I want to discover music, but I have been screwed too many times: spending $20 on a CD with one good song. So I don't do it anymore. Instead, I steal. I don't have an unlimited source of funding, and when I do have some extra cash, there is nothing I love more than going to see some good music, I want to support artists, not assholes.

So the attack on personal use, it won't fly. The bills in Congress trying to "protect the rights of creators" they WON'T FLY. You must take CHANCES, be willing to fail, and realize that sometimes you have to throw the baby out with the bath water (did I get that right?). To everyone that has a good CD, let me borrow it, I would LOVE to import it into iTunes, because then I HAVE IT!! I can put it on my iPod and take it with me EVERYWHERE. It is now a part of my life. I want music to be a part my life as it always has and always will. So let the music go where it will and CAPITALIZE!!