The News Business is Saved

Well, the music business first. Over on that noted bastion of socialism and state-backed…

by Andrew Potter on Monday, January 26, 2009 11:17pm - 7 Comments

Well, the music business first. Over on that noted bastion of socialism and state-backed protectionism the Isle of Man, they’ve decided that having people pay for online content might make for a workable business model:

Under his proposal, the money collected by the Internet providers would be sent to a special agency that would distribute the proceeds to the copyright owners, including the record labels and music publishers. They would receive payments based on how often their music was downloaded or streamed over the Internet, as they now do in many countries when it is performed live or on the radio.

I could swear I read that idea somewhere before. 

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  • Critical Reasoning

    If copyright holders receive payment based on how often their content was downloaded, then what will stop record executives from paying people to download their music 24/7, or hackers from doing the same? After all, according to this poorly conceived model, the variable cost to the user for each additional downloaded song (or other copyrighted media) is $0… it is all covered by the surcharge on their ISP bill.

    The model is impossible to implement or enforce, and would be extremely unpopular among internet users, who would resent having to foot the bill for “freeloaders” (i.e. the 10% of internet users who download 90% of the media.) I imagine there would also be extreme resentment towards the music, tv, movie and publishing industries.

  • archangel

    You’re going to spoil everything with these seditious ideas, Mr. Potter.

    Monty Python Puts Free Videos Online, Sells 23,000% More DVDs

    …is the headline in a story appearing on Gizmodo last Friday. It’s still up today ans worth a read for the bottom line message.

    A new model for news is being tried at “The Printed Blog.” It just might work.

  • Ti-Guy

    I’m still waiting for the business model that incorporates the principle of doing what it promises to do: provide music that is actually musical, entertainment that is actually entertaining and news that is actually news.

    I don’t want more choice, I just want nicer things.

    • Critical Reasoning

      I don’t want more choice, I just want nicer things.

      The former generally leads to the latter. Even people with very selective and discerning tastes can usually find something to enjoy when there are millions of titles to choose from.

      Out of curiosity, what is an example of music you find musical, or entertainment you find entertaining?

    • http://ragingranter.blobspot.com Raging Ranter

      I don’t want more choice, I just want nicer things.

      You can’t have nicer things without more choice.

      That aside, was there ever a time when we had less choice and nicer things? I certainly remember less choice. But nicer things? I dunno. Someone once emailed me a PDF copy of a 1977 JC Penney sales flier. Whatever era afforded us nice things, it sure wasn’t 1977.

      There’s a book called The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More that explains in great detail that we have access to MORE unique (as in non-commercial, non-mass-produced) music and entertainment than ever before. The author says this greatly expanded choice will sound the death knell for the hit-obsessed, top-forty entertainment biz model. Presumably that’s the type of cheesy, low-brow, low quality entertainment you’re complaining about. IF he is right, the answer to your wishes is more choice, not less.

  • Worth Considering

    Would it comply with our international obligations?

    http://ohrlp.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=1

  • http://ragingranter.blobspot.com Raging Ranter

    I like this idea… about as much as I liked the proposal for a 2-cent-per-email levy to subsidize traditional postal service. To be fair, that was an email hoax, not an actual proposal, but it caught the interest of some CUPE folks who enthusiastically endorsed the idea before they were told it was a joke.

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