Streamcast Goes Down
Each of these P2Ps have fallen, one by one, folded, turned over everything they could put to together to the labels. Even wonderful Limewire, which just countersued, is on death's door. Now this, the Streamcast decision (link above). If that's not the death knell, I don't know what is. I guess things have come full circle. Now,Dianne Feinstein, my own Senator, just introduced legislation to screw digital radio in favor of the labels.
It was a good fight. The fight to free up music for the masses was like the Summer of Love, it was such a great idea, had so much promise, even worked for awhile. A small, temporary Utopia snuffed out by mankind's inevitable lust for money and power. I feel like Peter Finch in Network being told in no uncertain terms, you do not fuck with the forces of nature. Human nature, that is. I guess we all value money and control, so maybe I shouldn't blame the people who work at the labels... or Northrup... or Halliburton... OK now I'm cracking up.
Things have changed a bit, at least you don't have to buy the whole crappy album any more. You can now get label music (with tons of DRM) off the web legally. Music got better for a while. But, change will be much slower now and I think we will slip back to the status quo. In the end, people are essentially passive and prone to habit. TV is as strong as ever. People do want to control their media and kids are used to it but the mainstream media delivers a sophisticated palette and this idea of grassroots empowerment, is, in the end a red herring. Will these Echo Boomers, grown up on soccer teams, really rebel in any meaningful way? Not like the Boomers did, they don't have the same relationship to their parents.
At this point, there still seems to be a pretty sharp demarcation between the viral 'web junk" and commercial entertainment. Perhaps that line will blur. People should get paid for their content and there will be some opportunity for that, but, I think it will continue to be negligible compared to what the Murdochs and Bronfmans of this world will skim off.
It was a good fight. The fight to free up music for the masses was like the Summer of Love, it was such a great idea, had so much promise, even worked for awhile. A small, temporary Utopia snuffed out by mankind's inevitable lust for money and power. I feel like Peter Finch in Network being told in no uncertain terms, you do not fuck with the forces of nature. Human nature, that is. I guess we all value money and control, so maybe I shouldn't blame the people who work at the labels... or Northrup... or Halliburton... OK now I'm cracking up.
Things have changed a bit, at least you don't have to buy the whole crappy album any more. You can now get label music (with tons of DRM) off the web legally. Music got better for a while. But, change will be much slower now and I think we will slip back to the status quo. In the end, people are essentially passive and prone to habit. TV is as strong as ever. People do want to control their media and kids are used to it but the mainstream media delivers a sophisticated palette and this idea of grassroots empowerment, is, in the end a red herring. Will these Echo Boomers, grown up on soccer teams, really rebel in any meaningful way? Not like the Boomers did, they don't have the same relationship to their parents.
At this point, there still seems to be a pretty sharp demarcation between the viral 'web junk" and commercial entertainment. Perhaps that line will blur. People should get paid for their content and there will be some opportunity for that, but, I think it will continue to be negligible compared to what the Murdochs and Bronfmans of this world will skim off.
posted by Intervision at 9:18 PM
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