Seth Locklear Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 April 3, 2013

Locklear 1

What has the Internet done to my Music?: An Analytical Review

In todays society, the Internet is extremely unpredictable when it comes to music. People put songs or ideas on the web, and before long, someone has either stolen it or shared it with 300 people and now youre famous. In other words, no ones really in charge, not even the law. With the Internet being this sort of Wild West culture, the music industry has changed drastically to survive and thrive. With all of the different faucets for people to consume music from via the Internet, I have always pondered the question, Is the Internet beneficial to the way the music industry makes business? The start of Napster and music downloading The first real introduction of the online music community started with Napster back in 1999. This website was set up for the sole purpose of sharing music. Users were able to put MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer III) files for other people to download and listen to. When the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and various artists realized that people were obtaining their music without permission or purchase, they filed a lawsuit against Napster (Pikas, Pikas, Lymburner 139,140). After Napster was tried and sued, the RIAA and bands have also gone after the users of the website.
Apple User 4/29/13 10:18 PM Deleted: (Pikas, Pikas, Lymburner 139)

Apple User 4/29/13 10:18 PM Deleted: .

Locklear 2

At that time, the RIAA and other bands saw the Internet as a vehicle of destruction. Lars Ulrich, the drummer for the American rock band Metallica, is among the many music artists frustrated by peoples people use of the Internet. Ulrich states in an interview back in 2000, If we have to go knocking on peoples doors and confiscate hard drives, so be it! (ABC New Hour). Other artists who have campaigned against music piracy include British pop star Lily Allen and Elton John. The shared opinion of these individuals is that illegal music downloading via the Internet is a crime and must be stopped. Though some artists have lost money due to music downloads, some musicians would say that music downloading has benefitted the overall success of the music industry. In a debate on Charlie Rose back in 2000 between Lars Ulrich and Chuck D, the topic of Napster and illegal music downloading was addressed. As one of the rappers for the group Public Enemy, Chuck D says, I look at Napster as a situation, or the connection between file-sharing (which this is) and downloadable distribution, as power going back to the people. (Charlie Rose) He goes on to say the record labels have had control over who would succeed and who would fall out. By introducing the Internet as a place where the fans dictate who will thrive, the power of the music industry has shifted away from the record companies. (Charlie Rose) There are other artists who would say that music downloading has been a benefit to the music industry. Among these is Ed O Brian from Radiohead and Jack White. Defining bad guys and the idea of Success It does appear that illegal music downloading is a crime, but is it harmful? One point that Chuck D makes is that bands or solo artists that would never have any radio
Apple User 4/29/13 10:20 PM Deleted: .

Locklear 3

play now have a chance for people to hear their music. (Charlie Rose) I believe that this is a valid point that he makes. Its hard for bands to find a fan base if people cant hear their music, and most radio stations are only willing to play the most popular songs. So, when a band can use an Internet service that allows people to hear their music for free, its a great help. For this very reason, Myspace became another website for unknown bands to get their name on the market. (Pikas, Pikas, Lymburner 142) This is good news to anyone trying to make a career out of making and selling music. In contrast to Chuck Ds opinion, Ulrich states that the artists and record labels should have the control over where the music goes on the Internet. (Charlie Rose) This does ask the question, who should have the control of the Internets distribution of music in the first place? Chris Crouch, the owner of a small music store Polyester Records, gave his opinion as far as how the Internet has shifted control of the music industry in an interview with ABC News Hour. Crouch says, The record companies are trying to control the industry: the distribution, the media, and the artists. (ABC News Hour). He says that ever since downloads became such a contributing factor as to how people find music, the record companies have lost that control. For forty or fifty years theyve had that control says Crouch, and downloads has kind of changed the whole game, and they dont know how to respond to that. So what they are doing is saying its a negative thing. (ABC News Hour). This same remark ties into what Chuck D was saying: the record companies are starting to lose their influence, and its for the better. Though this statement may be true, and record companies are the bad guys, how did these feelings come about? In order to answer this question, we must note it is a fact that record companies do invest in the bands that they manage and see potential in. In his debate with Chuck D on Charlie
Apple User 4/29/13 10:23 PM Deleted: In addition, Chuck D mentions that the prevalence of music downloading has shifted the power from the record labels to the people, and or fans.

Locklear 4

Rose, Lars Ulrich does mention how their record company invested time and money to make their music big. Even the RIAA, an organization set up to protect the musicians ownership of their craft, helps distribute about 85% all of music here in the United States. (RIAA) With so much assistance being given by the record companies, why do people like Chuck D and Chris Crouch rejoice over the fact that they are losing control? In an article written by Marlanda English, an executive coach who specializes organizational development, and Amy Witherbee, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, the authors mention the distrust that has grown between the record companies and the fans. (Witherbee and English) Witherbee, the main author, says that before Napster had emerged, fans were becoming more frustrated with the labels for their heavy handed approach to marketing and inattention to quality. (Witherbee and English) The result was that record companies were working towards making more corporate-endorsed shows and boy bands that would give them singles for the top 40 most popular songs to be played on the radio. This trend of events made fans suspicious. Fans believed that record companies were sacrificing quality for profit. Because of this distrust, the fans are more skeptical about buying CDs. In addition, the price of CDs has led to much frustration among fans. Though the RIAA will not disclose what the average cost is to make a CD, rumor has it that it can be placed around $0.50. (Witherbee and English) With so much animosity from the fan base, it does lead one to think that downloading is more reasonable, and that the Internet is nothing but a good thing. This leads to a major question, Has the Internet affected the way the record companies are making money? The Internets economic side effects
Apple User 4/29/13 10:27 PM Deleted: is Apple User 4/29/13 10:25 PM Deleted: artists Apple User 4/29/13 10:25 PM Deleted:

Locklear 5

This question is far more complex than simply a yes or no answer. The primary source of making money in this industry is through selling CDs (Compact Disks) that contain an entire album (Pikas, Pikas, Lymburner 142). After the court case with Napster, the RIAA estimated that more than $300 million were lost due to illegal file sharing. Now this number is quiet large, but Tour Neblett, an editor for Rolling Stone, does make an interesting point about the estimated profit loss in his interview for Frontline. He says: Any basic economist will tell you, if you go into the supermarket and there's a girl standing there with a platter of free cheese, everybody's going to take a piece of cheese. That does not mean that everybody who took a free piece of cheese would've bought one. It's not a one-to-one comparison. So the record business would love for you to believe that every download equals a sale lost. It simply doesn't bear out in common sense level. (Neblett) Though this statement is logical it does not take away from the fact that business executives and companies are being hurt by illegal downloads. Tour says that many of these businessmen see this issue with real passion. He tells Forntline (Its) like a store owner who comes in in the morning and the front pane is broken and somebody has come in and taken a bunch of their stuff. (Neblett) It is also quite clear that many people do agree to the fact that they obtain the majority of their music through unpaid downloads. In a random survey conducted by the Pikas, Pikas, and Lymburner, individuals were picked out at random to answer several questions concerning the consumption of music. Though this survey was targeted at random persons, the demographic of individuals surveyed were mostly of the younger

Apple User 4/29/13 10:30 PM Deleted: seems to be

Apple User 4/29/13 10:34 PM Deleted: .

Apple User 4/29/13 10:45 PM Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"

Locklear 6

audience. In response to the question concerning unpaid downloads, 78.66% said they strongly agreed with that being the reason for how they obtain their music. So it is quite clear that men and women are losing their jobs and business over this issue, and that is not to be overlooked. In addition, far too many individuals are using illegal downloads as a way to obtain music, which does result in a loss of profit. So then, if music downloads do in fact have a negative effect on the business side of the music industry, what are the more beneficial business aspects of the Internets involvement within the industry? Well, one company that has used the Internet as a means to make a profit is Apple with its iTunes store. Their service allowed a user to pay for an MP3 file of an individual song off any record from $0.69 to $1.29. (Pikas, Pikas, Lymburner 141) Chris Crouch from Polyester Records states that this new way of buying music has helped his store. We didnt have world distribution, he tells ABC News Hour, and we noticed people typically only downloaded one track from iTunes. So when these people wanted the actual record, theyd buy it from our store. He also states that over half of his sales went over seas. (ABC News Hour) So there is a degree of online business that the Internet has now given local music shops. Through a stores website, a person can buy CDs or vinyls that would be hard to locate, especially if the band is not very popular. Shops arent the only ones using websites for business, musicians have used them to sell merchandise, concert tickets, and communicate with fans. As far as what we can predict in the future, one can assume that more bands and artists will be using their music as a way to market to their fans, and most of the profit will come from live events and merchandise sales. (Pikas, Pikas, Lymburner 148, 149)
Apple User 4/29/13 10:35 PM Deleted: a Apple User 4/29/13 10:45 PM Deleted:

Locklear 7

To conclude, it is not a clear enough question to ask: Is the Internet beneficial to the way the music industry makes business? File sharing has helped lesser-known bands become more exposed at the cost of not making a lot of CD sales. At that same time, the more popular bands have lost a minimal amount of income due to downloads, yet still have substantial fan bases that remain loyal to buying their CDs. With music downloading affecting record companies more everyday, there have been significant advances in finding new ways to use the Internet as a means of making good business. It is clear that the Internet is here to stay, and this includes all of its negative aspects. With this notion, record companies are going to have to adapt to the constantly changing environment that they now find themselves in. As for the fans, they now have had more power than ever to dictate which artists will become successful. The vote stands with their wallets. At the end of the day, the only question to ask ourselves is How will we use the Internet to be beneficial to the music industry? Reflection As far as what my opinion is, I cannot make up my mind. I have however, discovered things unknown to me prior to my research. Firstly, that one cannot compare the business of the music industry to any other. Artists are able to record and sell CDs, but are also capable of performing live concerts and promote merchandise. Few businesses are able to give away their products as a way to promote the company. This makes the music industry very complicated, and interesting to talk about. Another thing that I did not realize was how much of an impact that Napster had. This file sharing service opened up an entirely different way for people to consume music. Finally, I notice that there is no concrete answer to any of these questions. The research will never be

Locklear 8

fully complete, no opinions will be fully sound, and no arguments will be bulletproof. This is the very reason why I cannot write to convince you of anything. The best thing I can give you, my reader, is the information and data for you to make your own opinion. I realize that the music of this world does not just belong to me, but to all of us, and we should all have a choice to how we will use the Internet to satisfy our musical appetites.

Works Cited

Locklear 9

ABC News Hour. ABC interviews Domenic Carosa on the changing Music industry. Youtube. Youtube, 21 June. 2008. Web. 2 April. 2013 Charlie Rose. Lars Ulrich, Chuck D And Charlie Rose On Napster In 2000. Youtube. Youtube, 17 April. 2011. Web. 2 April. 2013. Neblett, Tour. The Way The Music Died. Frontline. PBS Online, 6 May. 2004. Web. 11 March. 2013. Pikas, Bohdan, Anastasia Pikas, and Candice Lymburner. The Future of the Music Industry. Journal of Marketing Development & Competitiveness 5.3 (2011): 139149. Web. Recording industry Association of America. Recording industry Association of America. RIAA, 2013. Web. 11 Mar, 2009. Witherbee, Amy, and Marlanda English. Music Piracy Costs Billions. Points of View: Music Downloading (2008): 2-2.EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.
Apple User 4/29/13 11:01 PM Deleted: Print