Comments on: Music paradigm shifts (and other bollocky buzzwords) http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/ A barrister gossips & rants on intellectual property law, the legal system and civil liberties. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:53:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Oh what a tangled web… at Nearly Legal http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-18407 Oh what a tangled web… at Nearly Legal Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:16:56 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-18407 [...] artist formerly known as Prince (hereinafter ‘ex-Prince’) won plaudits, even from Geeklawyer, for giving away his last album with a certain ‘newspaper’. From hero to zero, he then [...] […] artist formerly known as Prince (hereinafter ‘ex-Prince’) won plaudits, even from Geeklawyer, for giving away his last album with a certain ‘newspaper’. From hero to zero, he then […]

]]> By: Geeklawyer http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15375 Geeklawyer Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:55:48 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15375 Oddly the last Mail on Sunday had had its CD nicked; errr what town do you live in :eek: Of course, being a lawyer I eat babies, so buying the MoS doesn't present much of a moral quandary. Oddly the last Mail on Sunday had had its CD nicked; errr what town do you live in :eek:

Of course, being a lawyer I eat babies, so buying the MoS doesn’t present much of a moral quandary.

]]> By: Clint http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15374 Clint Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:51:37 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15374 Damnit, I'm just too principled to buy the Daily Mail. I blagged the disk off my friendly local corner shop owner instead. Damnit, I’m just too principled to buy the Daily Mail. I blagged the disk off my friendly local corner shop owner instead.

]]> By: Kirit http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15369 Kirit Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:14:49 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15369 Couldn't agree more. I remember from my own days of gigging around London that it was great fun, but paid very poorly (we were OK, but not brilliant -- not without our fans though). I think that doing concerts as the main income for the wide middle tier of bands is probably good. Below that you have to build your following and it's only (not that it's easy) a matter of building the numbers of those who come to see you perform. Above that they're so rich right now it probably doesn't matter if they never make another penny. The more money you can make running with the same business model the easier it is for the artists. So if you can start your career and maximise it doing the same thing this is great. That Prince is able to use this model and outperform the traditional earners is a very important data point. What it seems to mean is that there is a transition cost (rather than benefit) from being a "live" performer/band to being a "studio" performer. If you cannot perform then it seems that now you won't make the money that people who are good performers can make. The problem comes if song writers cannot also monetise their song writing ability. That really will make us all culturally poorer because the best song writers and the best performers aren't often the same people. I welcome the change towards artists making more money in live gigs than sold records. Hopefully there is still an economic model for the song writers as well. Couldn’t agree more. I remember from my own days of gigging around London that it was great fun, but paid very poorly (we were OK, but not brilliant — not without our fans though).

I think that doing concerts as the main income for the wide middle tier of bands is probably good. Below that you have to build your following and it’s only (not that it’s easy) a matter of building the numbers of those who come to see you perform. Above that they’re so rich right now it probably doesn’t matter if they never make another penny.

The more money you can make running with the same business model the easier it is for the artists. So if you can start your career and maximise it doing the same thing this is great. That Prince is able to use this model and outperform the traditional earners is a very important data point.

What it seems to mean is that there is a transition cost (rather than benefit) from being a “live” performer/band to being a “studio” performer. If you cannot perform then it seems that now you won’t make the money that people who are good performers can make.

The problem comes if song writers cannot also monetise their song writing ability. That really will make us all culturally poorer because the best song writers and the best performers aren’t often the same people.

I welcome the change towards artists making more money in live gigs than sold records. Hopefully there is still an economic model for the song writers as well.

]]> By: Geeklawyer http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15367 Geeklawyer Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:55:33 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15367 My musicians I know love live work but complain that making money out of gigs is very hard. They tend to regard it as promo for the album. Of course for the heavyweights like Ponce, er, Elton John Cliff Richard (yea - I'm taking the piss) etc. that may be different. But for small bands it looks like there is an issue: they can't make money of the music and can't pull a large enough crowd to make gigging pay. My musicians I know love live work but complain that making money out of gigs is very hard. They tend to regard it as promo for the album.
Of course for the heavyweights like Ponce, er, Elton John Cliff Richard (yea - I’m taking the piss) etc. that may be different. But for small bands it looks like there is an issue: they can’t make money of the music and can’t pull a large enough crowd to make gigging pay.

]]> By: Kirit http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15366 Kirit Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:35:36 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2007/07/15/music-paradigm-shifts-and-other-bollocky-buzzwords/#comment-15366 According to The Economist's report on it Prince earns more from live shows than anything else. What's most surprising though is that he was the music industry's top earner in 2004. Clearly the pre-recorded music industry are worried. I guess also worried are musicians who suddenly find they'll have to get out and do some work for a change rather than just hanging out in a studio for a few months every couple of years. According to The Economist’s report on it Prince earns more from live shows than anything else. What’s most surprising though is that he was the music industry’s top earner in 2004.

Clearly the pre-recorded music industry are worried. I guess also worried are musicians who suddenly find they’ll have to get out and do some work for a change rather than just hanging out in a studio for a few months every couple of years.

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