Future Of Music

We have begun to Podcast chapters from the Future of Music.

Periodically we will post a new audio chapter from the Future of Music book along with audio commentary from the authors on the latest happenings in the digital music space.

The Podcast is available as an iTunes subscription and as an RSS feed.  To access simply click on one of the Get the Podcast links on the right column of this blog.

We hope you enjoy listening and encourage you to join our mailing list to stay in touch.

From The Future of Music book

There is no direct proof that file sharing itself is hurting the music
industry. Record companies are touting this single-bullet theory to
explain away all the ingrained problems of an antiquated business
reaching the end of its life cycle. Indeed, one can argue that file
sharing is the cheapest form of music marketing there ever was.

Danny Goldberg, Chairman and CEO of Artemis Records, said, "I
don’t think there was any more downloaded song than 50 Cent’s [in
2003], and yet it sold nine million albums. So there were nine million
households that felt, despite the fact that they had seen the video,
despite the fact that they could get it online, that they wanted to
hear the full statement that 50 Cent was making."

File sharing should not be equated with the type of piracy that
is affecting the music industry on a global scale. Traditionally, in
the music business, piracy refers to the activities of organized
criminals who manufacture illegal copies of CDs, DVDs, tapes, and
records, then photocopy the covers and sell the illicit product on the
street for a steep profit. Pirates in many countries run pressing
plants that churn out CDs by the millions without paying the mechanical
reproduction licenses and mechanical license fees to the owner of the
master recordings. The International Federation of the Phonographic
Industry estimates that the number of illegally copied and/or
manufactured CDs increased 14 percent in 2002 and an additional 4.3
percent in 2003, to 1.1 billion units; and worldwide, 35 percent of all
CDs sold are illegal copies. It is estimated that the value of the
pirated music sold amounts to $4.6 billion, and these figures don’t
even include online file sharing or recording of audio streams. In 2002
the global recorded music market declined 7 percent to $32 billion, and
another 7.6 percent in 2003. Leaving file sharing out of the equation,
CD piracy as defined above, could account for the majority of the
decline in CD sales all by itself.

Read more from chapter 3 of the Future of Music here

"It is the year 2015 and you wake to a familiar tune playing softly.
It gets you out of bed and makes you feel good. As you walk into the
bathroom, your Personal Media Minder activates the video display in the
mirror, and you watch a bit of personalized news while you get ready
for the day. You step into the shower and your personalized music
program is ready for you, cued up with a new live version of a track
that you downloaded the other day. It is even better than the original
recording, so while you dress, you tell your “TasteMate” program to
include the new track in your playlist rotation.
       

You put on your new eyeglasses, which contain a networked audio
headset, letting tiny earbuds slip into your ears. You switch on the
power, and the mix that your friend made for you starts to play. Music
pours into your consciousness. It becomes yours."
      

Read the first chapter here 

MP3 audio file of the first chapter of our book.  Download Here
Hope you enjoy it.

Podcast coming soon.