Napster or Metallica: Who killed the party?

I got to this party late.

It was 2001 and the teacher next door was always downloading music.  I didn't think much of it until he showed me his collection: over 3000 songs.  Many obscure and one-hit wonders, along with the usual must-have albums and such.

Fast-forward to 2009.  Here we are when music downloads are surpassing.  In 2007, digital downloading surpassed CD sales, but that figure is arguable; the analysts say that digital sales won't exceed physical sales until 2012. That's a big deal.  It's indicative that people are using digital media players (on PCs and portable).  As consumers continue this trend, the market for free downloadable content (DLC) rises.  So is there a right side to this?  Maybe we need to go back a little bit...

I'm sure you remember, especially if you are reading this, back in the days of cassette tapes.  How often did you are someone you know take the time to make a mix tape?  Maybe you wanted to impress that special someone and mixed them a extra-special one.  I did many years ago.  But in doing so, were we violating laws?  I'm pretty sure we were, but I don't remember anyone getting sued over it (not to say it didn't happen).  But you are probably saying, "People weren't copying thousands of songs."  Ah...

The proliferation of digital music has not only expanded the arena of music (read: over-crowded genres), but also increased the vulnerablility of thieves to find/obtain free music.  I'm sure that most of you remember that Napster was the most widely used program that distributed the shared files.  Metallica was arguably the most vocal opponent to the shared files.  There was even a pretty funny skit with one of the Wayans and Lars about "sharing" that was presented during a music awards.

So what has the digital realm done to change music?  A lot.  Prince is credited as being the first to distribute an album entirely on the internet.  Digital Rights Management (DRM) became a common tool used to counter downloaders.  Many cds today (I've had problems with Foo Fighters, Audioslave, and Velvet Revolver) are encoded with anti-copying software/coding to prevent copying (much to my dismay!).  The industry has changed, and it reflects in the final product.

As I asked my readers recently, one suggested discussing the "relationship between the musician and the followers".  Depending on who you are, that relationship has been strengthened or weakened.

The late 1990's brought about changes in music previously discussed as the Internet dramatically changed the distribution of music.  You could bascially be anyone and get your music out to the mainstream.  The rise of mp3s in 1997 (due in part to the Winamp player) lead to Napster in 1999.  The peer-to-peer (P2P) networks thrived for a few years, expanding the amount of music readily available to anyone interested.  At that time, I used the now defunct audiogalaxy, as not only could I get a fix, but also it allowed users to recommend songs that were similar.  I learned about some new artists that way.  Apple developed/published GarageBand in the early 2000's, allowing for budding musicians to really polish their music at home, then deliver via the 'Net.  

All of this has allowed artists to connect with their fans immediately.  Want that song?  Download. On your phone.  Now.  That sort of thing.  In certain ways, artists are able to reap more monetary rewards via the net (cut out some of the middle man business).  It's even allowed new listeners to discover new music.  I personally like many of the blogs that post about new music and artists and like to post a song or two for the listener to judge for themselves.  Sure, you can just download the songs there, but if you like it, why not support the artist and buy the song legitimately or even the album?

This leads to two problems:  illegal

 downloading and sucessful business models.  Illegal downloading isn't going away.  Want to minimize it by altering the code?  Sure.  But then, why is iTunes removing the DRMs from their songs?  Have an iPod and a Zune?  Used to be, you couldn't interchange the two formats (not that easily anyways; forget about loss of audio quality).  Illegal downloading is something that occurs and there isn't one singular solution out there.  I wonder this:  how much revenue does illegal downloading take away from artists?  Without the digital media, I would not have the song. What are my options?  Buy it at 1) retail shop, 2) resale shop, or 3) record off radio.  Most of us probably would visit the resale shop.  But illegal downloaders piss off artists.  I don't blame the artists; support them.  I have about three digital copies of Journey albums on my computers, but bought a Greatest Hits compilation at Best Buy this weekend.  Why?  Because I want to support the artists.  But, here's a great article on it.

What about the business of making music?  The digital realm is fouling up the executives' world right now.  They probably won't admit it, but in the end, they become about as needed as that third nipple on Lily Allen's breast: quite a novelty but not necessary.  In a recent interview, Trent Reznor discussed NIN's buisness plan, in regards to the digital media. 

 “I can give you free music, and in my opinion, it may contribute to more people showing up to a show,” he says. “It’s not up to me to give you free music, it’s free anyway, you know for anybody that wants to admit it. Pretty much any piece of music you want is free on the Internet anyway.”

“We’re in between business models,” he continued. “You know, the old record labels are dead, and the new thing hasn’t really come out yet. So, I’m hoping that whatever gets established puts a lot more power in the hands of artists and more revenue.”

Basically, the companies just aren't sure yet what to do.  They want to follow the old models, but it ain't working.  Naptster, Kazaa, and iTunes all lent a hand in establishing successful models for successfully distributing music digitally.  What's even more funny, the other industries (movie and television mainly) are watching music to see what happens.  Digital media isn't going anywhere and business need to learn quick to handle this.

I can go on about this, about how Sony and Microsoft has digital video set up via their respective gaming stores.  I think that there will be abuses 

of digital media, as there already exists a problem in this area.  I think that most people will take  nicely to the transition to digital files and less physical clutter.  I think in the end, this will help the relationships between artists and their fans. As for the party, I don't think Napster or Metallica  killed it; we as a society became greedy about more music and no money.  We shot ourselves in the foot.  Gotta thought?  Feel free to leave a comment or three.  

But is this good for society as a whole, to be allowed instantaneous gratification?  Ahh, that's something coming...

Final quote: Times change, and we change with them - William Harrison