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Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Here's a story for ya.
Seems the launch of the new PC-centric digital download spot BuyMusic.com is not only full of the dreaded "technical difficulties", but it's walking a dangerous legal tightrope as well. Given what former Amalgam band member Jody Whitesides has to say, it might be more than a tightrope... they might be walking themselves right off a cliff. Pimping your new online service as "helping the artists survive" in the face of illegal downloading and declining cd sales, while at the same time not getting permission from (or offering payment to) a potentially large number of lesser-known artists is not exactly the cleanest way to kick things off. Sure, maybe they're clueless. Maybe they thought the catalog they bought from the Orchard distribution weasels was legitimate. Not bothering to ask for documented proof of digital distribution rights, though? More than a slight oversight. If what Whitesides says is true, that his original contract with Orchard included no reference to digital rights, it'll be very interesting to see how this all plays out, to say the least. Me? I'll just wait for PC-compatible access to iTunes, which is still rumored to be happening by the end of the year. Even though my Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 (with the excellent RockBox open-source firmware, of course) is treating me just fine, once PC-iTunes hits... an iPod will be mine. Addendum : Speaking of iTunes, here's an interesting article at BusinessWeek.com on the battle between artists and iTunes downloaders when it comes to single tracks vs. full-album downloads.  |
 neil halstead live in cambridge, ma on november 14th, 2008 previously: joy formidable - boston 2011 recent posts on the 'nac...
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