By perching themselves at the top of the pyramid, not interested in albums with initial sales potential less than gold (500,000), the major labels are insuring their own marginalization. For it's a long tail world, and he who does not participate in it is doomed.
An aggregator must give something to its stable of clients, and at this point the only thing major labels offer is a potential moon shot. With a failure rate far higher than the Space Shuttle. And, other than John Glenn, what astronaut has had a career AFTER his brief trip to outer space?
Follow the porn industry. Anybody with a body to bare has LEFT the aggregator to go it alone. For they're sick of being ripped off by the fat cats, "Playboy" emulators who believe their brand is bigger than the body. As if EMI were bigger than the music. That's the future. Everybody's cottage industry. And those who profit sit ON TOP of the cottage industry. Offering a lot for very little. A la Google. That's where you go to find out about everything, but they make their money elsewhere, off advertising from the glut of eyeballs they generate.
This TV story is both dazzling and informative.
While the major labels bickered about the price of tracks at the iTunes Music Store, the television networks realized selling shows for $1.99 on Apple's site WAS NOT WHERE IT WAS AT! Was a veritable SIDESHOW! Leaving most people OUT!
Credit AOL. With broadcasting old sitcoms like "Welcome Back Kotter" on its site. Suddenly, Disney is broadcasting NEW shows one day later, and now Fox has followed suit. These companies realize that they must satiate the CUSTOMER, not THEMSELVES! That people don't want to own the damn shows, they just want to SEE THEM! Sure, you can steal them P2P, but if you can just click and watch them WHENEVER YOU WANT, what's the POINT?? Maybe sell them all as a package of files a la DVDs in the future, then again, if everything's always available, why do you have to OWN IT? As for the commercials, if you can pause, if you're watching the shows when YOU want, you can burn that time in front of the fridge, you can take a dump, it's not like "All In The Family" is only on for half an hour Thursday night and if you miss it you're fucked until RERUNS!
Micropayments are bullshit. It's like being pecked to death by ducks. By charging per track at the iTunes Music Store, the major labels are MARGINALIZING THEMSELVES! Americans want to know what the price is. They don't want to be hit with endless charges, if so, they DON'T BUY!
TV networks are taking advantage of the Net. Major labels are not. There's nothing new about iTunes Music Store distribution other than you get a shittier product for an equal aliquot track price as you do with the CD.
To survive, the majors must distribute ALL music. Even that which sells ten copies. They must SKIM profits, not make ALL the profits. And they must distribute the product in a form their clientele finds desirable and usable. In other words, no DRM. Complete portability. More tracks for fewer dollars. In other words, flat fee pricing. Yup, all you can eat for a few bucks a month.
There's a way out, licensed P2P.
Don't expect the majors to take it. Instead, in front of EVERYBODY they're making themselves irrelevant. Ceding the music landscape to those younger and more innovative. BELIEVE ME, some twentysomething's going to aggregate and own online distribution charging very little. Along the lines of CD Baby, but DIGITALLY!
With the Net, distribution costs go down very low. If more people own more music everybody makes more money. Venues are full. Careers burgeon. This is the music savior we've been waiting for. DON'T listen to the RIAA bullshit!
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