Change is not something the music industry is too fond of; nearly every technological advance in musical consumption has been opposed by them. With the introduction of the compact cassette in the 1970s the BPI launched and anti piracy campaign. The same concerns are present over digital downloads.
Just because something is free doesn’t necessarily mean people will steal it. On their album ‘In rainbows’ Radiohead did a ‘pay what you like’ scheme, were the average price paid was £4. For their new album ‘King of limbs’ they decided that when you download the album from their website you receive a CD, two 10” vinyls, and album artworks. Marketing schemes like this could be a key to competing with illegal downloads.
Ian Condry (2004) sees downloads as a new kind of radio, where the consumer becomes the DJ. He concludes that downloads do not have to be the end for the music industry and that downloading is ethical as long as the artists are supported.
The Radiohead example makes Condry's point rather well. If the music industry wants to kill piracy it can only do so by offering a compelling alternative, not by attempting to legislate it out of existence.
ReplyDelete