Digital Music: Begging Forgiveness

Back in those halcyon days before Lars Ulrich became the Spokesmodel for Corporate Greed, I really believed Napster offered the opportunity to blow up the label system which has always been bad for artists and create a new model in which artists would get paid while encouraging the largest number possible to be exposed to their work.

Now, nearly a decade later, people trying to innovate in the music space are still encountering the arrogance and stubbornness of the labels.

From Rags Gupta writing in GigaOm:

Despite all of the issues plaguing the music industry these days, there is plenty of innovation in digital music to be found from a range of startups out there. Many of these startups require content from the labels, yet choose to plow ahead with their product marketing without getting licenses. This irks the labels, of course, but it’s of their own doing — it is generally much easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

(snip)

The founder of one innovative service (with good traction) whom I recently spoke to said his backers encouraged him to follow the ‘beg forgiveness’ route rather than negotiate directly with the labels. On the other hand, I know of another startup that has tried to negotiate direct deals with the labels over the past couple of years, holding up its full launch in the process. Traction for them? Not so much.

(snip)

It’s understandable that the labels want to capture more of the value that they feel their content creates. But in order to do so, they’ll need to not only increase the cost of begging forgiveness, but make it quicker and cheaper for sites to license their content.

I love having a hobby that lets me be around the music business, but I don't think I would ever want to have to depend on that group of general slimeballs for my paycheck on a regular basis.