Being a UMass student in today's day and age is far different from those who had come before. One of my most apparent and vivid memories of being a freshman four years ago was my discovery of the (now infamous), i2hub. Being an avid record collector (both vinyl and cd form), I at first felt apprehensive to hop onto the filesharing bandwagon. What was the purpose? I felt it took away from the physicality and closeness felt upon purchasing a new piece of music. Similarly, I was also dead scared of being sued like the rest of the university has been since then. Despise my apprehension, i2hub (and later Soulseek) became my sole form of new music discovery in my life. For people who know me and my personality, music and the discovery of underground bands is my number one and sole hobby. Oddly enough, my assumptions on filesharing culture were entirely false.
[...] It is the industry who values the of music more than the audience and artist. The audience values the musicality of the product. The artist values his music because it is his “intellectual property”. The industry simply values music because of its financial value more than any other. According to the authors, what is very specifically at stake over the distribution and circulation of music is intellectual property. What Rodman states, is altered by the industry, is that they actually own that property. [...]
[...] He believes that due to filesharing the significance of music is dwindling due to not only file-sharing, but those ridiculous business practices put forth by the industry. He also understands the significance of other media tie-ins (re-intermediation) to the industry and just how unbelievably hostile the industry can be when they feel as if they are losing control (Rodman's example of the birthday song ties-in). Jones, agrees with the prior two in that he sees how the internet and filesharing can actually boost the industry standards due to the networking that can truly only take place on the internet in today's day and age, As with the industry, all of the authors wrote about the value of music. [...]
[...] Rodman and Vanderconckt (like many other academic non-industry professionals) wrote largely about the actual positive affects of filesharing and internet music networks. At the forefront, Rodman immediately attacks the industry-led notion that there is a huge financial burden taking place in the music business solely due to filesharing. Rodman immediately abolishes this notion due to a plethora of issues. Record labels fail to realize that people do understand that artists are paid mere cents for every $15 purchase by their hardcore fans. [...]
[...] The Rodman reading ties in very well with much of the material taught in Music 497. Most specifically, what seems to tie many of the articles together involves the true and underlying workings of the music industry. While some already understand the monopoly that is the music industry (Clear Channel, Sony Records, and the major touring circuit all under the ownership of 2 men), it takes a more in-depth research to truly see how the industry and the circulation of music works and revolves with time. [...]
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