[CLUE-Talk] Hatch Takes Aim at Illegal Downloading

[Jef Barnhart]

On Fri, 2003-06-27 at 12:43, G. Richard Raab wrote:
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> On Thursday 19 June 2003 05:57 pm, Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier wrote:
> > On Thu, 2003-06-19 at 16:44, Matt Gushee wrote:
> >
> 
> >
> > >   - laws that favor existing companies?
> >
> > I'm not sure how existing laws are an impediment to smaller start-up
> > record companies. You'd have to explain this one.
> >
> > > But I wonder which one of these is crucial ... or is it just the
> > > combination of all of them?
> >
> > If you're looking for the big mega-success, maybe all of them. If you're
> > talking about turning a profit and making a decent living, probably none
> > of them.
> >
> > Having decent music would probably help, though...
> 
> 
> Actually, the current laws do favor the large companies. Large companies 
> control major stores inventories (you want to sell all of sony CDs? then do 
> not carry these small companies CDs - nice monopoly) and therefore they 
> control who can come in easily. I suspect that much of the reason for 
> stopping download-able music is not to stop "theft", but to stop the creation 
> of small labels.  It is one of the problem with congress and any corrupt 
> admin.
> 
> 
> 
> - -- 
> cheers
> g.r.r.

How do you know that Sony is doing that? I doubt that Sony, Warner, WEA
and any other major label is doing those things. Most record stores are
in it for the money. If the band does not sell albums then they don't
sell them. Supply and demand pure and simple.

The bread and butter is the small labels. They are taking the chance
with new groups, spending moneys on promotion and such. Most of the
small labels have been "picked up" by larger ones. Island, Geffen, and
Virgin made there names in the 80's and 90's doing that. 

I had worked for Budget tapes and records from '84-'86. we made a ton of
money selling what people wanted. We rarely promoted the big bands
unless they had a promotion going on. What was hot was R&B that sold.
When the new manager came in he wanted to sell rock. Fine, A year later
they closed the doors. HMMM, I guess that the public wanted something
else and they were not willing to accept that.