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Re: Metallica suing Napster
5/3/2000 4:34 PM
Christopher Sung (580) wrote:
The same thread is going on at WholeNote (started by your brother, oddly enough), and here's a few thoughts that I had: - The main thing is that Napster allows anyone to digitally distribute music to anyone else. This is important because it's far easier and faster to have 1000 people come and download your ripped MP3 version of "Kill 'Em All' than for you to make 1000 cassette tapes or to burn 1000 CDs and send them out.
For bands that want exposure and don't make money from record sales, this is probably the greatest thing ever, because all someone needs is the name of the band, and they can listen to their stuff in minutes, for free
For bands that do make money from record sales, this is the worst thing ever, because all someone needs is the name of the band, and they can listen to their stuff in minutes, for free
- Why would Metallica lead the charge against Napster? Because Metallica is one of the most profitable bands in music history. Their back catalog is one of the best-selling, and their merchandising of T-shirts and other collectibles is the best in the industry.
The big question is whether Metallica is doing it simply because they are losing money, or because they are the one band with enough money, pull, and legal power in the industry to effectively kill Napster, in defense of the more struggling bands that do rely on record sales, but have none of this.
If you think this 2nd hypothesis seems silly (and it is just a theory), just remember that most major labels have around 200 signed acts, and only about 20 of them get any kind of marketing push. The rest of them crowd into vans and go on the road for 6 months, playing to 100-200 people a night who more often than not are indifferent to their music.
Just my 2 cents... |
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