Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Napster Business Model

Author:Robert Cassidy
Posted:6/26/2000; 6:14:59 PM
Topic:Napster Business Model
Msg #:18130 (In response to 18127)
Prev/Next:18129 / 18131

I disagree. Or rather, I'd say that Napster facilitates copying which in turn facilitates the *sale* of music.

In some, even many, cases.

Fast forward 24 months, however. GM gives you the option of an MP3 jukebox in you car instead of a CD player. It talks to your computer in your house via 802.11 or wireless IEEE 1394 (park within 100M and you are golden) Sony sells you an MP3 jukebox for your house. Communicates via similar mechanisms as the bugger in your car. Both communicate with the wireless base station hooked up to your DSL and both have 50+GB storage or space for over 1000 LPs. (If industry doesn't provide these things, you can be sure that somebody will - all you need is the software now...)

When do you give your money to the record company? The MP3 *is* the end product - CDs are beginning to vanish. Once you download it, you're done. People can acquire music directly to all sources in their house faster than they can play it, and they can do it for free. That's what the industry should be afraid of because they are powerless to stop such a model. They see it coming and are reacting to a problem that doesn't yet exist.

Digital media doesn't play well in a copyright based world. Analog media had the (copyrighters) advantage of quality degradation with each generation of copy. If you wanted Aretha Franklin to really sound good, you had to buy it because the copy would only be so-so. Now, a 20th generation copy sounds as good as the original. Theoretically, you only need one person to buy one digital version and share with the rest of the world...

What the industry needs to develop is an authentication mechanism for digital media if they wish to retain copyright control. It needs to be cheap, iron-clad, and hard as hell to crack open. The equivalent of a title for large value property like automobiles and property.

So if you want my Aretha Franklin LP, in whatever digital format (it shouldn't matter...), I have to hand the keys to access over with it, with no ability for me to retain them. That's a really big problem, and I don't see any concerted interest in solving it.

Instead, policy will change. Users will get what they want at a price they want to pay. Music will become interesting again, responding a bit more to the public's interest rather than industry's belief of the public's interest.

There are responses to this message:

This page was archived on 6/13/2001; 4:55:30 PM.

© Copyright 1998-2001 UserLand Software, Inc.