According to the latest End is Nigh survey from the music biz, 47% of the music on MP3 players is obtained through an alternative method to the old 'exchanging money for product' system. I.e. they're illegal. The survey found that in 14-24 year-olds, out of the average 1,770 songs on each player, 842 are uploaded from friend's computers or through P2P networks.
For once, though, the commentary from British Music Rights/ex-lead singer of The Undertones/Feargal Sharkey was positively realistic. Rather than lambasting yoof for personally stealing the food from U2's platinum and diamond encrusted plate, he said "First and foremost, it is quite clear that this young and tech-savvy demographic is as crazy about and engaged with music as any previous generation. Contrary to popular belief, they are also prepared to pay for it too. But only if offered the services they want".
I think I love this man. And not only for having one of the best names in pop.
He recognises that it's the music industry that have some deep thinking to do in terms of the future. There's no point in turning such a huge proportion of music lovers into criminals on paper - especially when they're willing to pay for the music, when presented with a deal that is equitable and easy to manage, such as a monthly subscription allowing 'rental' of all the music you want. Personally, I don't care about actually owning the majority of my music - I just want access to it (and for those with amazing cover art, I'll fork out for the CD).
If you think about it, festivals are the ultimate in subscription pricing. You pay a one-off fee, and you're free to fill your boots full of your favourites, whilst fitting in time to sample the kinds of music you'd never think to buy whilst browsing through HMV. After you've randomly stumbled across and fallen in love with an Appalachian percussion band at 3 in the morning, you're far more likely to look them up next time they play a gig near you.
It's freakin' music. It's supposed to be an art form, there to lift you up from your pits of depression and provide a soundtrack to the best moments of your life. It's wrong to treat is as a catalogue to be jealously guarded by a few gatekeepers. In an interview with Feargal Sharkey on Channel 4, he recognises that whilst this new generation use music differently, it means they're consuming a million times more than previous generations, and once they find an artist they like, they're more than willing to shell out serious bucks for special edition CDs, concert tickets, merchandise and related crap.
The argument that it's the smaller bands that suffer is a non-argument. It's record companies that need to invest in these bands if they're to find the next Coldplay - simple economics show that you're going to back a few donkeys before you get a Grand National winner.
Music industry. It's back to you.
[Susi Weaser is the editor of Shiny Shiny, and she is apparently too old to be included in the survey. Bloody cheek.]
I think Feargal Sharkey is a good guy too - and a fellow East Finchely resident to boot. But generally I find the British Music Rights people out of touch. When they refer to music being downloaded illegally they always see this as a negative thing that's going to kill music rather than an opportunity - one that record companies have singularly failed to exploit time and time again and for which they are now paying the price. People have always downloaded music illegally, only, as Feargal admits, they used a tape recorder pressed up against the radio in the old days. That said, I think the 'business model' for the music art form (and yes I know that some people will see this as a contradiction in terms) is changing. I think people now expect to download the content without paying for it (though they probably would stomach some sort of advert before it), but pay a real premium for the live music experience. If you said to someone 10 years ago that kids would be paying best part of £200 to roll around in a field for 3 days, but effectively get all their recorded music for free, they would probably have laughed at you.