Recording Industry Apparently Unable To Avoid Screwing Up A Good Thing

from the nice-work,-guys dept

Fri, Jan 30th 2009 6:22pm — Mike Masnick

Back at MidemNet, the most amount of "buzz" I heard for any particular new music service was for Spotify. Time and time again, I heard from a variety of people -- both from the recording industry and from the tech side -- that Spotify was a company that had truly figured out how to make a great music service. Of course, there was some bad news too. Due to licensing issues, it wasn't available in the US. I spoke with some of the folks from Spotify (who were at the event) and they said they were focused on getting more rights so they could open the product up further -- but it looks like the recording industry is pushing them in the opposite direction, yet again. The company has announced that, rather than adding more music to its service, some licensing issues mean they'll be removing music from the product. Once again, the recording industry seems to be missing the point. Every time it freaks out about some new useful service, and demands increased limitations (or, more usually, more money), it kills off whatever potential that service had, and puts yet another bullet in its already-Swiss-cheesed feet.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: music licensing rights, recording industry
Companies: spotify

21 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

TJ, 30 Jan 2009 @ 8:23pm

Good
The more holes in their feet, the better. Let them bleed to death, slowly would be deserved but quickly would be better. If the current music cartel collapsed it might actually lead to a resurgence of good music.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 30 Jan 2009 @ 10:35pm
  
  Re: Good
  True, record companies do have a talent for choosing the correct actions for bankrupting themselves. I wonder when they'll be pleading to the government for a bailout like the banks and auto makers - two other industries that have been destroying themselves from within for decades.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2009 @ 1:24am
  
  Re: Good
  it might actually lead to a resurgence of good music
  
  Don't confuse the lack of good mainstream music with a total lack of good music. Just stop listening to the crap MTV pumps at you 24/7 and you'll do fine.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Your Gawd and Master, 31 Jan 2009 @ 6:21am
    
    Re: Re: Good
    "Just stop listening to the crap MTV pumps at you 24/7 and you'll do fine."
    
    Reality tv shows!?!?! Seriously, have you watched MTV in the past, say, 10 years?
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Ro, 1 Feb 2009 @ 4:03am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Good
      Thats a good point. I can't remember the last time I saw a music video when I turned on MTV. Maybe the music industry has already killed MTV.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Jim (profile), 1 Feb 2009 @ 7:19am
    
    Re: Re: Good
    MTV plays music?
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Known Coward, 31 Jan 2009 @ 2:53am

Recording Industry Apparently Unable To Avoid Screwing Up A Good Thing
Fuck the RIAA and David Geffen in the ass.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2009 @ 4:09am

I give up - The RIAA must DIE! PERIOD!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2009 @ 4:09am

I give up - The RIAA must DIE! PERIOD!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
thecaptain, 31 Jan 2009 @ 4:30am

That's what they want you to think
RIAA and the like shooting themselves in the foot is exactly what they want it to look like.

These people aren't stupid, as much as we'd LOVE to think they are.

The plan has always been to kill off these services and to "screw up" any of their own initiatives on the internet.

The screw ups then become the evidence for their lobbyists to take to Washington and say "See? We tried! It's impossible to make money on the internet with music, we're being robbed! Get the pirates! Give us money!"

And it works.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2009 @ 5:54am
  
  Re: That's what they want you to think
  Really?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Vincent Clement, 31 Jan 2009 @ 4:35am

Licensing killed my old MusicMatch Radio subscription. I live in Canada and one day I received an email saying that my subscription would not be renewed because MusicMatch was unable to "license" the service in Canada. Stupid recording industry.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
John Duncan Yoyo, 31 Jan 2009 @ 6:50am

I think at this point it is a foot race between the RNC and RIAA as to who drives themselves out of business first.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Lucretious, 31 Jan 2009 @ 10:12am

First there was the "Streisand Effect" ......now add yet another Masnick-ism to the pot.

I now introduce you to........"Swiss Cheese Feet"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Adam Gershenbaum, 31 Jan 2009 @ 2:31pm

Good
Let the music industry keep shooting themselves in the foot. In this day and age, an artist can cheaply produce music and if they choose market themselves, get sponsorship and endorsements, set up licensing deals, sell merch and generate cash for touring on their own. Why pay to put your CD in stores and make nothing when you can sell it digitally?

My favorite music discovery sites these days are pandora, last.fm, blip.fm, and thesixtyone.com. It's too bad spotify can't be heard here in the US. Music discovery sites are going to be the new radio station. If my pandora stations had a spot in my car radio dial that would be amazing.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Tom Jognson, 31 Jan 2009 @ 11:41pm

Workaround
Napster + Tunebite = "F" the RIAA
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
bmartin65, 31 Jan 2009 @ 11:50pm

Moronvia - the country inhabited by music industry execs.
Spotify is an outstanding service. I am listening to, and buying, songs/albums from artists I would never have heard of otherwise. But the morons who run the music industry wouldn't know a good thing, even if it bit them in their collective arses!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Headbhang, 1 Feb 2009 @ 6:11am

Good
Good, let the coprorate morons continue hanging themselves everytime someone smart throws them a lifeline. The sooner they finish themselves off, the sooner a wiser generation can adapt and rise from their ashes.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Bill G, 1 Feb 2009 @ 7:54pm

heh
MTV I think stands for Moron TV now
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I, 2 Feb 2009 @ 2:06am

For those that use Last.fm, you can have your Spotify music scrobbled -- http://code.google.com/p/scrobblify/

I truly think that if Spotify and Last.fm merged that would be the super awesome music destination for the internetz.

In the meantime...all of those music CEOs and the RIAA can eat poop.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Music, 17 Feb 2010 @ 4:10am

Pandora radio and Spotify are not available at my country... Have found tv243.com a great alternative for Music
[ link to this | view in chronology ]