As Lars Ulrich so eloquently put it �It�s about money and it�s about control. But it�s more about control than money right now�. Lars, I thought it was about the music? Granted, our friend and role model Lars is not a professional speech writer. I think what he�s trying to say is that he�s not doing it for himself, Metallica, their record label or their lawyers. He�s doing it because he feels like somebody has to do something before it gets out of control and he is the only one with the balls to do it.
So taken at his word, Lars is an altruist with a big soft heart and all he wants to do is save the world from the evil Napster bad guys. But do we really need saving? Do all the other bands really �not have the balls� to stand up against the evils of digital music trading or are Metallica really alone in their convictions? Amongst true hard rock music fans, Metallica is considered to be the definitive sell out band of our generation. If they turn out to be the only band that sides with the RIAA on this issue I think it�s safe to say that they�ll be in the running for �the definitive sell out band of all time� award.
According to Chuck D it�s about �giving the power back to the people�. In Chuck D�s world all music is free. The control is taken away from the Music Industry and it�s placed firmly in the hands of the artists and their fans. In Chuck D�s world there are millions of bands and a million independent record labels. In this �Digital Revolution� scenerio the wealth would be spread much thinner but over a much broader spectrum of bands and indie record labels. Thus ending the Music Industry�s monopoly of the media, allowing for the natural evolution of international niche music scenes based on creative integrity instead of commercial viability.
Napster really has very little to do with all of this. Napster is just the first software that enables mass MP3 trading by so many people so easily. The arrival of Napster on the scene has turned the mostly harmless trend of MP3 trading via FTP sites and websites into the immediate threat of MP3 trading via software that is specifically designed for trading MP3s on a massive international scale. But that doesn�t automatically make Napster or My.MP3.com the good guys. They�re doing what they�re doing for profit and there�s no ifs, ands or buts about it. Specifically they�re trying to profit by using copyright music files as the basis for their software products. But that�s not really the point. Even if Napster didn�t do it, someone else would have. It was inevitable. If we�re not careful though, companies like Napster, MP3.com, ArtistDirect and IUMA may pick up right where the major record labels left off. With all of the �control� and �money�.
From my point of view music is already free. Cover art, packaging, shipping, marketing and vendor overhead all add directly to cost of distributing this free music to the public via phsysical products like CDs, tapes and records. This expenditure needs to be recouped and a profit must be made by all of the middlemen along the way. CD quality music can now be digitally delivered via the Internet eliminating most of the middlemen from the equation. The result is humungous savings in production & delivery costs and that translates directly in to an enormous surplus of money..
But who pockets all of this cold hard cash? That depends solely on the shift of �control�. It could be Metallica and the RIAA if they win any more crucial lawsuits and succeed in regulating MP3 distribution. So while Mr. Lars appears to be protecting his own �art� he is actually supporting the continued oppression of truly innovative and original �art�. It could also be Napster, MP3.com and other ISPs if the laws are changed in such a way to allow them to �control� how music is distributed over the Internet. Or it could be you that profits by not spending your hard earned money on $20 CDs. Do we really need to waste all of that paper and plastic when we really don�t have to?
In Metallica�s world the RIAA decides what is suitable for consumption by the general public. In Chuck D�s world the people decide what is poplular and what isn�t. All of the extra money will remain in the consumer�s pockets and they will also have thousands of new bands from all over the world to choose from. Bands will have their websites where they can sell other products like t-shirts, mouse pads, posters, artwork or whatever. The bands that deserve it will thrive and the monetary support will come via the sales of such merchandise or via revenue generated by their website traffic. There will be a million bands making a living and zero bands making millions of dollars off of crap just because it�s played over and over on the radio and MTV.
Another positive aspect of the new digital regime is the effect it will have on live shows in general. Multitudes of obscure bands will enjoy a significantly increased fanbase while the mega-popular bands of today will lose their fans in droves (can you say Metallica?). Expect a shift from 30,000 seat coluseums to cosy venues like bars or cabarets where the atmosphere will be much better and the experience much more fullfilling for the fans. Sure the bands will have to do many more shows and work much harder to make a fair living but the real artists already do this and they don�t consider it work anyways. They consider it a way of life.
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