Music Industry's New Business Model: Paranoia

You know you are in trouble when the only publication that can provide accurate insights into your strategy is the satirical Onion which this week reports that: "the RIAA is going to aggressively prosecute individuals who attempt to pirate our property by generating 'buzz' about proprietary music, movies, or software, or enjoy same in the company of anyone other than themselves."  Which leaves the industry open to new blood such as the private financiers currently looking to trouser the ever-ailing EMI and its supersonic roster (Beatles, Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Norah Jones, Lilly Allen, Kylie) with the idea that, "a business model that pays more attention to the internet than previous owners," might change the company's fortunes.  Hardly a radical notion in a world increasingly driven by networked media, but it goes to show how difficult it is for music executives locked in their traditional silos to peek above the parapet without legal eagles sounding the alarm.  In fact the harder reality bites, the more terrifying change becomes as illustrated by this comment from Jupiter: "If you are a file-sharer, you know the likelihood of you being caught is very similar to that of being hit by an asteroid." 

Comments

[john smithy]

This is so true about the music industry whenever they are cornered they will take out the lawyers and threaten the very people that buy music legally.

[Graham Hill]

James

I looked at The Onion website. The story was dated November 2005. And the other Google links to the story were mostly dated November/December 2005 too.

Am I missing something?

Graham Hill
Independent CRM Consultant
Interim CRM Manager

[James Cherkoff]

Ah, well spotted Graham, The Onion story showed up in my reader as new, must have been on Topix....the sentiment is still bang up-to-date though!