"How long, however, b4 a critical mass of established artists realize that it is in their best interests, both artistically and commercially, 2 leave the system 4 good? How long b4 a critical mass of young aspiring artists become aware of the enslaving aspects of the system and r careful not 2 get involved in it without a maximum of precautions? And how long b4 a critical mass of art lovers get 2gether 2 provide these artists with a real, valuable, legitimate, truthfully enthusiastic alternative audience that completes the process of rendering the xisting system artistically irrelevant?" [NPG Music Club]

Technologists are putting the infrastructure in place to support this new market.  With that infrastructure, it will be possible to buy music you like from the artists themselves.  None of the money will go to the entertainment oligopoly. 

The artists themselves will publish their works.  They will market it themselves.  You'll pay them directly.  You won't even need to use the broadband networks owned by the parent companies of the giant record companies.  You won't read reviews published on the news outlets those parent companies own, either.

The whole thing will be completely decentralized -- the industry's worst nightmare.  And they could have avoided all of it by simply serving this new market instead of trying to stubbornly cling to their outdated 20th century business model.

Yes, the giant conglomerates will succeed in commercializing the Internet.  They'll turn it into a dumb content delivery mechanism like broadcast TV or movie theaters.  But by then we'll all have moved on.

9:20:36 PM   

"Something happened on the way 2 the 21st century. Media and entertainment companies started 'converging' and 'shareholder value' became far more important than customer service and respect 4 company employees ever managed 2 b. Compensation packages 4 company xecutives hit the stratosphere — while holding them accountable 4 their company’s results became nearly impossible. These xecutives r indeed very naïve if they think that people haven’t noticed." [NPG Music Club]

Prince, a long-time vocal opponent of the record industry, speaks out in a commentary published on the site he owns and operates, NPG Music Club.

The commentary is impassioned and angry.  Given his history, I believe it comes from a very real place.  If any artist in the industry has insight into the inner workings of the entertainment industry, it's Prince.

8:45:39 PM   

Cool.  The BBC newsfeeds are out!  [John Robb's Radio Weblog]

Happy day!  The BBC rocks!  I'm subscribed.

11:03:27 AM   

New 'entertainment' PCs restrict copying. Microsoft and HP release more details about upcoming digital-entertainment PCs, though analysts say new anti-copying technology could harm sales. [CNET News.com]

Wow, I'm pleasently surprised at this coverage.  DRM is called "anti-copying technology" and "copy protection," and is referred to as "thwarting the sharing of" digital media.  Terminology is important.  It's nice to see CNET's Joe Wilcox not adopting the evildoers' euphemisms.

It's also great to see analysts admitting that users are going to hate the restrictions DRM imposes.  If buyers get a chance to say no to DRM, they will.  Unfortunately, Microsoft and Intel may not give us a choice.

10:27:43 AM