Kinda, Sorta about SOPA

I've been trying to figure out how to present my thoughts on the recent SOPA/PIPA legislation and the current relationship between music and the Internet. It's about more than just piracy or theft of intellectual property. If these laws pass, and they won't, YoutTube, Blogspot and countless other websites could be taken down and our ability to express ourselves granted by the First Amendment will be further diminished. I'll let everyone else yammer on about that.

Former Guns 'n' Roses bassist and Seattle Weekly columnist, Duff McKagan suggest that we quit whining about SOPA and PIPA. I was intrigued at first to see what he meant. His main stance is that of anti-piracy, which I am sure hasn't changed since the days of Napster. You can read his editorial or just know that he's wildly against people getting music for free. (You should still read the article, which is provided in the hyperlink above) Is the music industry getting that hurt by piracy? Possibly. But maybe I'm coming at it from a different angle. (Part of what I say comes from personal experience from being in a band; from conversations with fellow musicians; good old fashioned reading; and certainly some educated speculation. So forgive me if I sound like a jack-ass. I don't know it all. Mmmkay?)

McKagan is of the idea that stealing music hurts the livelihood of those making money playing, producing and publishing music. Again, possibly. I'm pretty sure everyone's still stealing Metallica albums while they continue to make millions. In the current music climate there are waves of working class bands who don't make a living from playing music than those fortunate enough to make a suitable living from music.

The current state of music is spread so thin that piracy doesn't even begin to show how the music industry is fucked.

For starters the rise of the Independent Label has spread thin the possibilities for bands to get signed. It's also made it harder for bands to get signed. Big labels only want bands that can sell millions of albums and headline arenas and large theaters and clubs. Bands on indie labels are less likely to sell millions of records, depending on the label. But because there are so many labels the dispersal of money is spread thinner than before.

Also because there are so many bands (and I mean more than there should be) is almost impossible to keep track of them all, which is where magazines and BLOGS come in. Even if a band is considered good by a small group or scene they're not going to sell millions of albums even if there wasn't a means to get them for free. If anything the Internet has made people more aware of these smaller bands. And because of this fans can actually find out about shows and tours and give the bands money directly instead of handing to a record label who might only give the band a smaller percentage of each sale, if anything. Really, the Internet gives small bands, of which McKagan will never hear of, a fighting chance. And really, how man BLOGS boasting hoards of obscure and out of print music are diverting sales from record stores and companies?

The biggest culprit I feel are the record labels and their Internet savvy business plan. Once the labels embraced iTunes it was all over. Before iTunes you still have to buy entire albums. Singles weren't a popular product for quite some time and music fans would spend $15 just to hear a song. With iTunes you don't have to even buy an entire album. For 99cents a pop you can get exactly what you want. Just want the song you heard on the radio or that reality show you like? You can get exactly that and nothing else. iTunes has revived the concept of the single, in a way. But really they made it possible for fans to not spend $15 and instead spend even less to get exactly what they want. AND of that 99cents how much goes to Apple, the record label and then the band? I'm not math-whiz, and I have a hard time figuring out how 99cents vs $15 increases revenue. And even if you buy the entire album in mp3 form it's still pretty cheap. Although I'm pretty sure iTunes isn't the death toll of the record industry it still hurts more than it helps.

Also, a lot more smaller bands aren't even wasting time with record labels. Websites like BandCamp are cutting out the middle man and creating new ways for bands to put out their music and make a few bucks (so that they can release their album on vinyl. Duh!). It provides are more direct source of income for bands and really all they have to do is send mp3s to BLOGS and what not for promotion.

So, Mr. McKagan. While the abundance of music theft certain accounts for some of the hurt the music and movie industry is supposedly feeling, it's not about theft. While your point may hold ground, it's a bit out of touch.

So what did this have to do with SOPA/PIPA? Mostly nothing. But Duff McKagan still sucks.