Digital Music Distribution

Within the past fifteen years, music has made a huge transformation, as well as the rest of the entertainment industry. Because of the burst in technology, all entertainment has gone digital. Many people see this to be a good movement because of the ease of distribution. Others see this as a bad movement. Companies are shutting down and going out of business.

In the film industry, places like blockbuster have closed down their stores because of the digital movement. Many small music stores are being closed because of the movement as well. Even places that offer all aspects of the entertainment industry, such as FYE (For Your Entertainment), have been shut down. This caused a lot people to lose jobs and money. No one wants to buy the physical representation of music anymore if they can get the music as a file.

The upside of the digital age is the simplicity of obtaining music. There are countless websites that offer music downloads. Some of the main sites are iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play. With sites such as iTunes, buying music digitally ensures that the consumer will always have the product. Once a song is purchased, it can be downloaded again for free, if it gets deleted. Every department in the entertainment industry is moving in this direction. It gives security and simplicity to the consumer.

The only flaw to the digital distribution is the piracy. Physical products are not simple things to steal. It takes planning and it is very risky to do. Now that music is mainly digital, people steal music or violate rights all the time, and many do not even know. Music is very easy to duplicate, and computers make that easier than it has ever been. The music industry will always be a battle zone of rights and money, but is the digital movement really a good revolution?

References:

Gibson, D. (2008, March 25). Shocking news: record stores keep closing. Retrieved from

http://www.idolator.com/372089/shocking-news-record-stores-keep-closing

Go-Gulf. (2013). Online piracy in numbers – facts and statistics [infographic]. Retrieved

from http://www.go-gulf.com/blog/online-piracy/

The Difference Between Music Publishing and Distribution

Recently, people have been getting confused about the process of getting music out on the market. Because of the technology we have today, people believe that music publishing and music distribution are one in the same. Although this could seem possible because of the technological boost, they actually have two different processes. This will always cause them to be two different jobs.

Music Publishing is normally for the sheet music and compositions. This is where the writer or composer would collect his or her share of the royalties. It can also just be the finished product of the music, whether it is the sheet music or the sound recording. “We register your works with the global rights organizations and digital stores around the world” (TuneCore, 2013). Many artists do not feel that they need Publishing Administration, but if they want money for the composition or sheet music, they have to publish everything.

Distribution is the step after publication. Something can be published and never go on the market. In retrospect, something can be distributed, but never published. Distribution is simply putting the music out there for consumers. Distribution can be in-stores, online shipping, or online downloads. “Distribution is the act of making the score publicly available and accessible – getting it to stores, selling it online” (Tobenski, 2013). With today’s technology, and the future to come, music can be bought and distributed virtually any way possible.

There are many different sites that can be utilized by novice artists. Some of these sites specialize in both Publishing Administration and Music Distribution. A few to list would be CDBaby, TuneCore, and Taxi. There is also the option of sending music into studios to see if they will publish and distribute everything. The only downside to that choice is that many studios do not accept unsolicited music. This means that the artist has to obtain a manager to promote his or her music. It also means that the artist has to lose more money. The simplest way for a novice artist to get money out on the market without everyone claiming ownership would be to use one of these sites.

References:

Tobenski, D. (2010, June 24). Why self-publish? part 3: the difference between

publication and distribution. Retrieved from http://newmusicshelf.com/news/2010/06/why-self-publish-part-3-the-difference-between-publication-and-distribution/

TuneCore. (2013, January 15). What is the difference between music distribution and

publishing administration? do i need publishing administration?. Retrieved from http://help.tunecore.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/255

Expert Blog

Two podcasts have been chosen from Entertainment Law Update to be reviewed. Both podcasts deal with the Copyright Laws. I have chosen these two podcasts to analyze because this topic directly relates to my business and industry in every way.

The first podcast I assessed was Episode 13 – copyright, trademarks, and fair use and net profit suits. This was an interesting podcast because one of the first cases discussed was the Sony v. Tenenbaum case. This was the case I chose to discuss in this month’s research paper. Sony sued Tenenbaum for statutory damages because Tenenbaum illegally downloaded and distributed Sony’s music. Sony won with a statutory award of $675,000, which was appealed by Tenenbaum. The court held their decision. This case is a great asset to use if something like this happens in my business. Also, it shows that I need to watch for actions like this in the future. There still is not much anyone can do about preventing online piracy. Another case discussed was about Kate Plus Eight. They were concerned about labor permits for the children on the show. I did not know much about the work laws for minors and will definitely inquire this into my business plan. This would ensure that every employee has proper documentation to work for my company.

Episode 23 – Monkeying Around with Copyright Law was the second video I assessed. This podcast started off talking about copyright trolls and how they work. It’s a company that acquires rights to copyrights just to sue people. The main copyright troll discussed was Righthaven. Righthave has been shut down according to previous research; therefore I shouldn’t have too much to worry about in this area. I will take extra precautions on copyrightable material to make sure a copyright troll cannot receive money from me. The podcast continues by talking about Disney’s appeal case against Celador International. Celador believed that he was cheated out of money and won the case. Disney felt that they case was looked at wrong and shouldn’t have to pay him anything more than what was agreed upon. I agree by saying, if the contract is plain and simple where it states one party shall only obtain a select portion of money, then the contract should be the final word.

These podcasts were very enlightening. I suggest that anyone wanting more knowledge on entertainment laws, or current/previous court cases, to listen to these podcasts. I tried to focus more on the cases and topics that I could relate to my future business. Thank you for reading!