Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MacDawg said:
File sharing nets them zero $$ and they sue their potential consumers

ITMS brings in revenue and they are scared of it because of control (and in this case what control?)

The record labels don't have a digital solution, which is clearly what many consumers want... and yet they want to force them to buy the CDs which many will not

Will the artists eventually bypass the labels and go straight to the consumer digitally through an online distributor? Maybe that is their fear

they still would need money from their label to pay for promotion(just being in a store doesnt mean anyone in the world is gonna know who you are) and it still costs tons for studio time.
 
It's hard being a record label

I have just read the indie' article and thought it made a lot of sense. Record companies have not been good at spotting trends and being nimble. Look at all those expensive "Stars" they've offloaded recently.

I think this is incredibly short sighted of them. If they are worried then they should organise their catalogue now and get all music sites to offer their songs. Do it first, do it before the competition and then the sales are yours and you are not limited by one link to the customer.

Now get back to finding decent bands (Like Franz Ferdinand) and singers and bringing them to the public. Spend your money on A&R not Sue Grabbit & Runne.
 
They're finally realizing, soon, if Apple continues with their success, that artists won't need to have a major label behind them. They can release straight to the iTMS. The major labels are going down, and they see this.

Exciting for Apple and for artists. Bad for pork-barrel record companies. ;)

they still would need money from their label to pay for promotion(just being in a store doesnt mean anyone in the world is gonna know who you are) and it still costs tons for studio time.

PLENTY of artists have done extremely well without a major label. They paid for everything themselves, and did it grass roots. Dave Matthews and The White Stripes being two patent examples.

If your music is good, word gets around quickly.

And studio time isn't that expensive. Well, it is if you're taking a crappy band with little talent and making them sound highly polished doing things they could never do live. But then again, who would do such a thing. :rolleyes: ;)
 
pennymonger said:
Does iTunes "dictate which stars or records succeed or fail by deciding which to promote on its site," as the articles states? :confused:

What could happen is the iMixes that users create may increase the popularity of certain groups not in the record companies marketing plans. In other words musicians could become popular based on "talent." God forbid that should happen! :D
 
rundevilrun said:
What could happen is the iMixes that users create may increase the popularity of certain groups not in the record companies marketing plans. In other words musicians could become popular based on "talent." God forbid that should happen! :D

Exactly, iTMS couldn't be more of a polar opposite of MTV! Honestly, MTV doesn't even play music anymore, all they do is air shows like "I Want a Celebrity Face". They try to push crap on teenagers who think it's cool. The new features in 4.5 totally blow this whole argument out of the water in my opinion.

Edit: Got the name of the show wrong
 
J-Squire said:
For example, I doubt Apple gets to choose which song the give away for free each week. I would imagine that is dictated by the record companies.

Think again ... keep in mind that there isn't just one record company that has content in iTunes. Like MTV (which was a very good analogy) once the content is licensed, Apple may do what they like with it (so long as it doesn't violate the distribution agreement). That Foo Fighters song was paid for long ago, if Apple wants to distribute it for free that is their loss, not Blockbuster Entertainment's
 
iTunes -killed the music lable star

Well - IF I was a musician - (AND TRUST ME I'M NOT) - I'd post my song with iTunes and never use a record lable again (GREEDY ARROGANT PIGS). People want my album they down load and burn it.

iTunes is the first major step towards making independant music (and some of it is quit good) available to the masses.

Heck our KFOG (stream at KFOG.com) has in house acoustic performances and then in like 24 hours you can buy it on iTunes - NOW THAT is progress!
:p
AIRHEADS - one of the great films of our time!

Iriejedi :eek:

vollspacken said:
the music industry is so full of sh*t, it's unbelievable..!!! :mad:

vSpacken
 
i know the record companies are afraid that the artists that they want to push wont be pushed, but shouldnt they acknowledge that people are going to choose what they want to listen to anyways?
 
gwangung said:
Ding! DIng! Ding!

Somebody gets it! Or, more accurately, the option of online music makes it easier for big name acts to make more money and cut the labels out of the equation (because you won't get that clout without major help of the labels). And bigger name acts, I believe, is where the labels pin their hopes of generating revenue...

You are correct. This should point out to the big record labels that they need to change the way they've operated their businesses to keep in the game against this new low-cost channel for smaller independent artists. They certainly should not, however, create enemies out of online music stores such as iTunes.

Recording companies should definitely be wary of Apple: Not because Apple is posing a danger to them by undermining the well-established business models of the recording industry, but because Apple is a case study that is showing them day-after-day that the big labels must go back to basics and change the way their business works.
 
Not to be a geek, but I guess it's too late for that....anyway, I wouldn't know about 80% of the music I am currently listening to if not for the iTMS. Most of it I've heard about or listened to according to what people who bought a song I bought bought -make sense? (that feature on the top right) or by going through the just added/new release sections every tues. I have discovered so many great indie and alternative bands this way and am more than happy to get away from the mainstream crap that's being forced upon me every which way. If not for iTunes I wouldn't be spending much $ on music at all- I'm sure my credit card could use the break, but since my first iPod (1st gen 5gb) I have been 100% more into music and what's going on and coming out. Isn't that a good thing? If they mess with the pricing or permissions too much it'll probably totally turn me off and I'll go back to taking my chances with p2p. Isn't that a situation that the record idiots want to avoid? Why are they such d&*k's?
 
no wonder why

No wonder why the record industry is so far behind the times. They're scared. They need to open up their very little eyes, and realize that this is a do or die situation here. It's really coming down to it. I hate to break it to them, but this sueing, it's not going to help. The only real way of stopping them is to help the companies that are selling online, whether it's the ITMS, or others. It's all fun and games till your caught in the act. You know what they say, what goes around, comes around.
And, compared to the amount of songs that Apple is selling, it's extremely impressive. I'd like to see numbers of how many albums are being sold before the ITMS, and how many are now being sold via ITMS. What is also impressive, is that even though the itms has 700,000 songs, there are well over 1 billion songs available to downloaders who choose to do things the illegal way. People are affraid of the unknown. You're only as bold as your first step. Apparently, the music industry crawls.
 
I say just let the Record Labels die!

They can kick and scream all they want as they are dragged down into the abyss.
 
ebunton said:
You are correct. This should point out to the big record labels that they need to change the way they've operated their businesses to keep in the game against this new low-cost channel for smaller independent artists. They certainly should not, however, create enemies out of online music stores such as iTunes.

Recording companies should definitely be wary of Apple: Not because Apple is posing a danger to them by undermining the well-established business models of the recording industry, but because Apple is a case study that is showing them day-after-day that the big labels must go back to basics and change the way their business works.

You know something REALLY stupid? What would stop a big name act from negotiating their next contract so that all online rights revert to them? Given the success of itMS, that is something that would certainly come up...andthey could then turn around and deal with Apple to sell their music online. AND THIS COULD HAPPEN WHETHER OR NOT THE LABELS TRY TO SHUT DOWN THE iTMS.
 
pennymonger said:
Does iTunes "dictate which stars or records succeed or fail by deciding which to promote on its site," as the articles states? :confused:

I think they're bitching about the front page to the store, where certain new releases get credence over others since they show only the first three, as does the staff favorites.

I always thought that MTV was good for the music business and helped usher in a whole new way of promoting stars that became mostly MTV's business rather than the direct machinations of the record label. I don't understand record companies at all.
 
iMeowbot said:
Funny you should mention that...

EU calls royalties groups a cartel

Yes, this is *exactly* the point. This has been discussed previously on Macrumors. It's collusion, it's illegal, and it's part of why Apple couldn't open the iTMS in one European country at a time, even if it wanted to. I suspect the sandbagging in Europe also has a lot to do with why we don't see an Aussie store, a Canada store, etc., etc.
 
synthetickittie said:
they still would need money from their label to pay for promotion(just being in a store doesnt mean anyone in the world is gonna know who you are) and it still costs tons for studio time.

Not anymore, considering the way that the majority of pop acts record their material these days. Perhaps 15 years ago it was best to record in a commercial studio, but with all of the technological advances making professional home recording possible and affordable, it is no longer a requirement to log long hours in a third party studio.

I recorded and mastered 3 albums and a truckload of singles in my own studio and the quality suits a commercial release.

With that being said, I truly hope tha we'll see more artists recording in their own studios and finding alternative and liberal ways to bring it directly to the consumer.
 
e-coli said:
PLENTY of artists have done extremely well without a major label. They paid for everything themselves, and did it grass roots. Dave Matthews and The White Stripes being two patent examples.

If your music is good, word gets around quickly.

And studio time isn't that expensive. Well, it is if you're taking a crappy band with little talent and making them sound highly polished doing things they could never do live. But then again, who would do such a thing. :rolleyes: ;)

Dave Matthews' debut was in '92 or '94 on RCA. RCA is not an indie label. Established artists can do this (Morrissey, Prince, DMB). However, emerging acts can't. I'm sure everyone has seen the Behind the Music on TLC. They were platinum sellers, but were bankrupt. Granted, I'm not a fan, but thats how major acts get started. They eventually have to pay for everything. The White Stripes were around for a number of years on Sympathy For the Record Industry before they broke out.

It would be nice to see direct-to-iTMS success stories, but they're a long way off.

This is just another example of the major label system being a corrupt industry that feels threatened and doesn't know what to do about it.
 
record labels should shut the F*** up and be happy that people like me aren't downloading illegal music anymore.

itunes is the best thing that happened to music since the CD.
 
iTMSA!

I can see it now... iTMS Awards! ;)

I just hope the record companies can do nothing to stop iTMS and the other online music stores. :mad:

Power to the people! :D
 
J-Squire said:
This is the most backwards opinion I've ever heard!
The record companies are scared that Apple will succeed? What a load of rubbish. They NEED apple to succeed in order that they don't lose millions of dollars revenue from illegal downloads.

I would imagine the record companies have a large say in which artists are promoted. For example, I doubt Apple gets to choose which song the give away for free each week. I would imagine that is dictated by the record companies.

What you're saying is "rubbish". I own a record label and its hard to sell something. If 10 bands are pushed, and itunes is the only way to hear about bands then you have to like it and buy it because it looks to others as the only new **** out. And this doesn't happen to everyone but the truth 90 of the ppl that bought the new 50 is because of MTVs push. If a big label put's out a new crappy one hit wonder band or even another 50 cent CD, if apple doesn't like the cd then they will wont do any ads on the itunes store for it. Stars are made by the PRESS!!! and nothing else. I don't care how big or small you are.
 
Maybe some need the labels

Think about it iTunes or all of the download music store are just a small part of the music business, I dont think the labels are going to loose money by making their albums available for online shopping instead of steeling, but in a long future things can change.

I Think looking somewere else that apple choose wich artist to feature on their pages, on staff pick or the big banners on top but thing some old and new features are more important like most downloaded song and album, imixes, "customer who buy this also buy....".

The record companies must thing better when doing a new album, not to choose 2 hits and some other songs to fill an album, and they should promote iTMS also, is money for they and their artist, so how about to mention "new record now available on CD and iTunes Music Store (itunes.com)" this way they will promote themselves.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.