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# Is the music industry too busy getting in its own way to move forward?
- URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/is-the-music-industry-too-busy-getting-in-its-own-way-to-move-forward/
- Published: 2010-02-23T21:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2010-02-23T21:00:00.000Z
- Author: Drew Shannon
- Tags: #import-tumblr-2026-08-27, writing

I’m an outspoken opponent of music piracy, and I have little doubt that it’s played an important (and negative) role in the current state of the music industry. While I’ve occasionally been guilty of it in the past, I find that in most cases, excuses for piracy are generally guilt-driven maneuvers to make people feel better about themselves. I’m sure there are people who disagree, but in my opinion, if you like it, there’s no reason you shouldn’t buy it unless explicitly advocated by the band or label. That said, piracy isn’t going anywhere, and arguments otherwise are naive and represent an unrealistic view of how the world works. Instead, the music industry needs to refocus their attention on providing fans with interesting, unique products. As a music fan, give me a compelling reason to spend money, and I’ll gladly part with my cash. Few companies understand this better than [Topspin](http://www.topspinmedia.com/?ref=drewshannon.net). According to [Hypebot](http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2010/02/topspin-shares-impressive-music-marketing-study.html?ref=drewshannon.net), Topspin stated in a recent presentation that:

> “More than half of the transactions in the Topspin study are under $10, but they only accounted for 17% of overall revenue. Rather the majority of revenue for most artists came from items priced $25 and over that included physical items.”

So why isn’t this happening more? ***My opinion is that today’s music business – particularly the major labels – is too busy getting in its own way to move forward.*** Take the following three examples, *all taken from the last two weeks*: OK Go lead singer Damian Kulash recently wrote a New York Times Op-Ed piece criticizing EMI, his band’s record label, for disabling YouTube embedding of their new music video:

> “But the fans and bloggers who helped spread “Here It Goes Again” across the Internet can no longer do what they did before, because our record company has blocked them from embedding our video on their sites. Believe it or not, in the four years since our treadmill dance got such attention, YouTube and EMI have actually made it harder to share our videos…**Now we can’t post the YouTube versions of our videos on our own site**.” (via [New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/opinion/20kulash.html?ref=drewshannon.net))

Muse bassist Chris Wolstenholme slammed the band’s label after it was announced that they would stop licensing acts on the company’s roster for free streaming services such as Spotify and We 7:

> “It’s like taking your song off the radio, isn’t it? The corporations are setting the rules on these things because they’re clutching at straws.” (via [NME](http://www.nme.com/news/muse/49899?ref=drewshannon.net))

Finally, Tim Jones of the Electronic Frontier Foundation had this to say about Google’s recent removal of some music blogs due to copyright complaints:

> “In cases like this, attacks on music blogs seem to be the latest example of the **widening disconnect between the goals of the music industry’s promotional wing and its enforcement wing**. Smart musicians and promoters understand that the Net is a powerful promotional tool, and know that sharing an artist’s music is the best way to earn new fans.” (via [eff.org](http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/02/musicblogocide?ref=drewshannon.net))

This scorched-earth policy regarding copyright infringement is a step backwards and only serves to dig the business into a deeper hole. Instead of accepting that piracy exists and moving forward with interesting marketing ideas, lawyers have made the labels their own worst enemies. —————- *There are obviously exceptions to these stories, and I don’t want this post to come off as a total rant-fest. I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to be a music fan, and there’s more great music out there today than at any point in history. I’m genuinely excited for the future of the business, and I hope to be a part of it.*