Subj : Should EMulation....
To   : Evan Thacker
From : Amcleod
Date : Mon Jan 08 2001 09:21 pm

RE: Should EMulation....
BY: Evan Thacker to D.Jaye on Tue Jan 09 2001 01:06 am

 > I'm not defending the record compananies, nor am I slamming Napster, but, it
 > like this.  NO one is forcing bands to sign these record contracts.  Granted
 > their chances of "making it" are slim to none without doing so, but they are
 > making a councious choice to sign a record contract.  

Unfortunately, the fact that there "slim to none" chance of making it WITHOUT
the record companies, forces many into their hands unwillingly.

 > But, if a nband doesn't want to be made available on Napste
 > they shouldn't have to be, whatever their reasoning behind.  

I agree, but many don't.  

 > For the really
 > realy big stars (ie Britney Spears)....

Ugh!  

 > ANyway, 
 > point is simply that it should be up to the individual nand whether they wan
 > to be on Napster or not.

Alas, a very large number of people feel differently.  They have the power to
place a band unwillingly on Napster, It is virtually impossible to stop them,
and they have a very large number of people who support them, even if the law
does not.  The entire _company_ (Napster) was predicated on the idea that there
are millions of people willing and able to copy music expressly against the
wishes of the artists themselves.

Hopefully, with the internet as a medium for people to listen to music (as
opposed to the record company controlled radio stations) and as a medium for
the publicizing, sale and maybe even delivery of music, new business models
will evolve.  The record companies are crapping their pants about it and the
entire Napster/RIAA/DeCSS mess is about them trying not to lose their
strangle-hold on the industry.

The record company pays up front for the production of the album (studio,
pressing, etc) plus the marketing (buying DJ's, music journalists, making
video, and wotnot)  and so they want to get their money back.  Nobody can blame
them.  But they want their money back up-front, at a 10:1 rate, and then they
want 95% of any residuals, and the artist has to sign over rights to the music
FOR EVER (not just for 10 years or even 100 years).  And artists have had to go
along with this because there was no alternative.  

Well now, there IS an alternative, and it is being refined and streamlined and
improved every day.  If nothing else, this should give artists the ammunition
to fight for better terms, when negotiating with the record companies.

.