Stop Treating Music Like It's a Tennis Shoe

Wired News' Xeni Xardin (ahem, faker . . . Case in point, on Boing Boing she calls the article her "interview with Wilco" . . . Obviously I'm not a big fan of the platinum haired tech whore, but I mean that with the utmost respect) had the luxury of interviewing Wilco's Jeff Tweedy on the band's embracing of streaming audio and downloads.

Jeff seems to have the right idea. Fans are not necessarily criminals. Treating them as such will only serve to further alienate the audience. What's more is the fact that those who download full albums in lieu of purchasing them are more likely to have never bought the album in the first place. Worse still, have you seen the prices of CDs? And who are they actively going after? Teens. Where the hell is a teen going to get $18 for a few CDs a month? Sure part-time jobs pay better than they did when I was a kid, but they don't pay that well.

In most cases I see P2P music as a bad idea for a variety of reasons. But P2P isn't going to stop the crap that the record companies are shoving down our throats. They can, however, serve to help bands like Wilco. Where else are you going to hear the music? Either the band has to offer you a taste for free or you have to find it. Radio doesn't play it, TV doesn't pay attention and while the print media is supportive, no one has yet devised a way for you to listen to a magazine. But I'm certainly not going to pay $18 for a piece of shit. I need to check it out first. I don't personally use P2P to do so, but it certainly is a viable avenue. And if you read the article, fans of good faith are willing to pay for the music. Often more than once.

Anyway, quoth Tweedy:

If they succeed, it will damage the culture and industry they say they're trying to save. What if there was a movement to shut down libraries because book publishers and authors were up in arms over the idea that people are reading books for free? It would send a message that books are only for the elite who can afford them.

Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should take a look at some of their six-figure executive expense accounts. All those lawsuits can't be cheap, either . . .

A piece of art is not a loaf of bread. When someone steals a loaf of bread from the store, that's it. The loaf of bread is gone. When someone downloads a piece of music, it's just data until the listener puts that music back together with their own ears, their mind, their subjective experience. How they perceive your work changes your work. Treating your audience like thieves is absurd.

Or, in other words:



And, on a personal note, I'd like to thank Wilco for streaming their Fillmore show last night. Sounded damn good.