Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Music's emerging digital market

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  • Steve Barnes,

    whether or not you are comfortable with Steve Jobs deciding he is king of the world.

    Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    I'd be happy to see Flash die

    Bad luck if it's the video format itself you don't like. (VP8 looks like being great for quality and file-sizes: as good, if not a tad better, than H264.) If you don't like Adobe's proprietry ownership of the world's web-video format (who does)- this also looks pretty good- there should be free- and freely available- encoding.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    But you are from Dundein, they still serve scones on two tier plates down there.

    Fnahh Fnahh. I bet they still spin at 78rpm too.
    It's all bagpipe music down there anyway.
    ;-)

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Tomorrowpeople,

    You do know what market segment buys almost all the music, right? Here is a clue: A lot of them have a crush on Justin Beiber.

    Actually, we are told those young kids get it for free - what gives?
    I 'spose their mums buy it for them.
    Hence that 'market segment' is probably anywhere upward of 35 years old.

    'Popular' has always sold the most.
    The Partridge Family would have sold more albums than Gram Parsons at the time etc.

    Nothing much has changed there.

    Thanks Tom but I'll stick to the more informed pundits on here.

    The Craps tables at the B… • Since Nov 2006 • 188 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    As covered earlier, I am definitely of the Album variety. I might then buy singles off the album, because they have extra tracks, or in the case of Julia Deans forthcoming album, because I went to see her live, and loved it. When you find a fully crafted album, or even compilation, that works from track one to the end, there's nothing better.

    iTunes is great for making your own comps though.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    What? Have you even listened to her album? She writes and performs really good pop songs. Songs that make me want to dance and not wear any pants.

    I guess that's the purpose. I hear it and find myself distracted by inanimate objects and minor household chores. But if it gets girl's pants off then I'm all for girls listening to it.

    And you know her stage name is a play on "Radio Gaga"? She's much smarter than you think.

    Isn't that one of those "insult the audience" jokes? She's effectively saying that she's that kind of boring crap that the original song was lamenting? Or did she actually not get what that song was about?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Wain,

    The iTunes shop, as with so, so many things Apple, can kiss my big ass. I've never been there, you can only access it through your iTunes right? And you have to download or do something or other to get it to work eh... meh, too hard. Plus what ratio/size can you buy there? Used to be pretty small shitty files, has it improved?

    I've paid for approximately zero of my rather large digital music collection - but I have paid for the CDs it came from, some of which I bought online (thanks Smoke CDs, you guys rule!). Otherwise it's from friends' CD or digital collections, or via good MP3 blogs (not torrent sites, don't bother with that either - too much work).

    Since Nov 2006 • 155 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Tom - you obviously have lost your passion for the tactile nature of the physical side of music - fair enough

    The packaging comes a long way behind the fun and sense of discovery I get from The Big Internet Music Store. Most days of the week I'll grab something from Hype Machine -- at my age, still feeling the joy of pop music is just great.

    And I buy about an album a week digitally. If it's something special, I'll buy the CD and rip it it as a 320k AAC so I can play it all over the house and in the car.

    PS: I'm about to release a 32 track double CD with a 24 page booklet for an artist on my own label - physical and digital.

    That does sound special.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    The iTunes shop, as with so, so many things Apple, can kiss my big ass. I've never been there, you can only access it through your iTunes right? And you have to download or do something or other to get it to work eh...

    It's spectacularly easy, really. One-time set-up, click to download. But I still don't really like the iTunes Store, certainly as a place for discovery-- if I buy there, I'll get what I want and leave.

    meh, too hard. Plus what ratio/size can you buy there? Used to be pretty small shitty files, has it improved?

    256k AAC -- generally pretty good, but occasionally problematic. Ironically, I've found turning off iTunes' own sound enhancer can resolve something that sounds ropey.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    Actually, we are told those young kids get it for free - what gives?
    I 'spose their mums buy it for them.

    Clearly you weren't paying attention, so here it is again - I'll even use a big red crayon if it makes it easier.

    So what's filling the gap? Paid digital downloads

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    Actually, on reflection, perhaps Lady Gaga is just being self-deprecating in her choice of name. That's not necessarily insulting to the audience. Could just be truthful labeling, and you were warned.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Did that half a mil for a Banksy include the building it was on?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Did that half a mil for a Banksy include the building it was on?

    No, stand-alone works. He also sold six works for a total of nearly £400,000 in two days at a Sotheby's auction in 2007.

    He duly updated his website with the message ""I Can't Believe You Morons Actually Buy This Shit."

    Dude, they wouldn't have been able to if you hadn't enlisted a billionaire-owned auction house to promote and sell it for you. Just sayin' ...

    (Not that I disapprove of his financial success in any way. It's one thing scooting around taunting capitalism in your twenties, but he's 36 now and probably has a family and a mortgage to support.)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Someone mentioned 8-track. You can still buy these, some classic car owners like to listen to music while keeping their Mustang or Ferrari fully original.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    I'll stick to the more informed pundits on here.

    Same - so I'll take Simon Grigg's stats over your opinions about album sales trends, if that's all the same. Like albums myself, just not silly enough to think that makes me the standard consumer propping up the music industry.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • chris,

    doesn't seem that useful in responding to what Islander says. He's wealthy, successful and he gets to travel. It's not like he has to get a job so he can afford to eat.

    Certainly not the best example assuming that is in fact his current status, but given the climate he emerged in at a time when graffitti artists were being imprisoned in Europe, and that his career was forged by breaking laws, vandalizing businesses and public property, I still feel he's relevant as being an artist(among many) whose motivations, defy the self serving (feedback/ finance) generalizations presented.

    And i don't feel I'm setting up any kind of binary, suggesting that antibusiness is an alternative (to feedback/finance). or that graffitti, vandalism is antibusiness. Pay me to tag your shop, it's still antibusiness.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • Tomorrowpeople,

    Tom - I'm not seeing red in any regard.
    Just so you know... lol

    Re iTunes - I use it as a first call 'pre-listen' source for new (and old) albums etc.
    Great for getting an idea about something before hand.

    The Craps tables at the B… • Since Nov 2006 • 188 posts Report Reply

  • Tomorrowpeople,

    Same - so I'll take Simon Grigg's stats over your opinions about album sales trends, if that's all the same.

    I wouldn't trust anything that guy says.

    The Craps tables at the B… • Since Nov 2006 • 188 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    The issue is whether or not you are comfortable with Steve Jobs deciding he is king of the world.

    If I was king of the world, I'd want it to be more powerful than able to declare "flash is dead", and then have three quarters of the world ignore me. Just saying.

    There is always going to be a niche for the collectors, the chin strokers and the true believers, but for most consumers of music the album, the music store and vinyl have gone the way of the Yangtze River dolphin.

    I like how you mix insults with broad statements based on no information.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Pay me to tag your shop, it's still antibusiness.

    I'm going to say no, it's not. Just a "new" idea in capitalism. There's plenty of corporate organisations that use anti-corporate messages to sell their products. Still selling shit.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I still feel he's relevant as being an artist(among many) whose motivations, defy the self serving (feedback/ finance) generalizations presented.

    What Islander was talking about was that artists can't live on praise alone, and that sometimes it just gets too hard to continue.

    I don't think there are many artists whose actual motivation is money -- but they do all have to eat. I don't see how it's self-serving to acknowledge that.

    Pay me to tag your shop, it's still antibusiness.

    As a wise man once sang ... turnin' rebellion into money ...

    And again, what the heck. I love Banksy's work and I'm glad if he and other street artists can make a comfortable living. I just don't see how it's "antibusiness".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Re iTunes - I use it as a first call 'pre-listen' source for new (and old) albums etc.
    Great for getting an idea about something before hand.

    Did you know that writers get a tiny, little bit of performance rights money every time you listen to an iTunes preview?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    Pay me to tag your shop, it's still antibusiness.

    This doesn't add up, no pun intended, much. Some graffiti artists have used their often incredible talent to brighten up city walls (I'm still gutted by the Kingsland wall being covered over for the world cup), and in some cases have gone to canvas, with quite amazing results.

    They deservedly get paid for this talent, and some do quite well out of it, although very few in New Zealand.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Tomorrowpeople,

    Did you know that writers get a tiny, little bit of performance rights money every time you listen to an iTunes preview?

    No I didn't - wow that's actually kinda cool.

    The Craps tables at the B… • Since Nov 2006 • 188 posts Report Reply

  • bob daktari,

    t It's one thing scooting around taunting capitalism in your twenties, but he's 36 now and probably has a family and a mortgage to suppor

    auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 540 posts Report Reply

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