I really think that the current situation is much inferior to what we might get should things open up. There are lots of bands that are very good, yet they get very little publicity or income because the big companies promote a handful of groups that are part of the "in" crowd.
What will happen is that music will have to earn its way by live concerts. They can't sing one tune in a recording studio, and make money off that work for decades. They'll have to work every day to make a living, just like the rest of us.
Besides, the original intent of copyright laws was to allow a right to publish for a limited amount of time. I think that's right in the Constitution. And yet these people have successfully lobbied the congress to set that "limited time" to virtually forever. It's an abuse of the copyright principle in the Constitution.
Yes, but think about it: the very minute my band publishes a song, I no longer can charge anyone for it, because it is already FREE on the internet. So who can make a living writing or playing music?
If the drug industry had this kind of paradigm, no one would ever get well.
Bingo. For an example, check out www.steveforbert.com. This guy is what Bob Dylan would be if he (Bob Dylan) had any talent and yet he gets no promotion and is lucky if he sells 10,000 copies of a new release.
BINGO! For 1,000s of years, musicians and other entertainers supported themselves through live performances. In retrospect, the technology of the last 100 years, which provided actors/musicians with a means to scale greatly beyond live performances, will prove to be only a temporary blip.
Up and coming acts would dearly LOVE to have people download their music just for the publicity. Basic human nature means people are always looking for something fresh and new - they would really like to get out and see young performers instead of the decrepit older acts (like Great White) trolling the local music clubs.
The music recording industry is a carbon copy of the defunct movie studio model. When the studios lost their influence, and stranglehold, this wing of the entertainment industry found new and very creative life.
This is the central reason the recording industry and those who control that industry have been fighting the file-sharing systems so much. It breaks their monopoly on being able to define much of modern culture. Music is more than just an industry; it not only reflects the philosophy and behavior of society, but affects it as well.
And yet these people have successfully lobbied the congress to set that "limited time" to virtually forever. It's an abuse of the copyright principle in the Constitution.
Well said.