Weird business moves in the music world
2006 November 9
Just when you thought the “music” “business” (yes, I think there needs to be scare quotes round both of those words) couldn’t get any more messed up, Microsoft announces a mysterious, worrying and absurd deal with Universal. Apparently, every time someone buys Microsoft’s iPod replacement, the Zune, some of the cost will be unilateral cash payment to Universal. See the blog entry at Create Digital Music for more details.
If I were an artist on an independent label, I can’t say I’d be happy about this. After all, why should your fans have to pay UMG to buy a piece of hardware to play your music whether or not they own any Universal music at all?
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Bizarre. M$ must be getting something in return – perhaps they’re intending other labels to come and join the party so eventually they’ll have some online music supermarket monopoly by guaranteeing revenue to all who join.
I’ll still be buying CDs and ripping them to my non-DRM player. There’s no way I’m paying more than once for the right to listen to a track.
Also, I’ve always believed that “home taping is promoting music” – I’ve bought so many CDs and concert tickets because of illegal copies of music I’ve been given.
Bottom line is that the best way to support independant musicians is to buy their CDs/MP3s direct from the artists website or at a gig.
I noticed the excellent Team Salt are burning CDs for sale at the end of gigs from their laptop. I wonder how long before most bands/artists bring laptops to gigs and do copies direct to fans MP3 players for a couple of quid. You heard it here first!