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.

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

21 Comments

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2009 @ 4:09am

I give up - The RIAA must DIE! PERIOD!
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2009 @ 4:09am

I give up - The RIAA must DIE! PERIOD!
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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"
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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.
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Tom Jognson, 31 Jan 2009 @ 11:41pm

Workaround
Napster + Tunebite = "F" the RIAA
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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!
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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.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2009 @ 5:54am

Re: That's what they want you to think
Really?
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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.
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Jim (profile), 1 Feb 2009 @ 7:19am

Re: Re: Good
MTV plays music?
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Bill G, 1 Feb 2009 @ 7:54pm

heh
MTV I think stands for Moron TV now
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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.
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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
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