[atlantaprog] Re: More about music & the internet (Wilco)

Something to keep in mind:  Leaving aside the impact on labels, if one artist 
is helped by filesharing and another is hurt, which are you more likely to hear 
about?  The first guy is selling more records, playing bigger/more shows, 
getting awards and press, while the latter is living an even more marginal 
existence than before, a foot on the banana peel toward working at Starbucks 
again.  I think FS can be good or bad for artists, depending on their music 
style and the fan behavior patterns within that scene (it's probably good for 
jam-bands, bad for one-hit-wonder top 40 types).  I also think it speaks 
volumes that Wilco jumped right back on the major-label bandwagon when they had 
the chance.  Must be some reason.
 
My hat's off to Wilco or Umphrey's McGee, or anyone savvy enough to leverage 
conditions to their advantage and keep the fans happy.  Yes, they 'get it' from 
the standpoint of figuring out how to make things work for them and their fans, 
and that's great.  The only problem I have is when someone says that because 
something works for them and they like it, that EVERYONE must do the same.  
Metallica's noise-making about this got tiresome a long time ago, and I think 
they're shooting themselves in the foot with bad PR, regardless of the merits 
of their argument-- but what gives Tweedy the right to dictate how much money 
someone else should make?  
 
I appreciate the idea that the listener is a participant in the live concert 
and in the larger fan/artist relationship, but how does that relate to 
filesharing?  If people are buying cds and downloading live shows and 
promotional giveaways with the band's approval, great; if they're just grabbing 
the two tracks they like off a greatest hits cd in lieu of buying the album, 
that stinks.  The listener is NOT a participant/collaborator in the studio, 
certainly.  These are two distinct behaviors with different outcomes and 
effects on each artist.
 
How does disallowing sampling without a license equate to racism, exactly?  
Counterproductive and not totally reasonable, but racist?
 
Brian
 


Allen Welty-Green <agmedia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Wilco seems to "get it" -

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.02/view.html?pg=5



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