................................. To leave Commie, hyper to http://commie.oy.com/commie_leaving.html ................................. A columnist for the NY times recently proposed a web site where you could download a track for a dollar. he was overwhelmed by the positive response of readers. Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 11:57:00 -0400 From: The New York Times Direct <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Circuits: Reactions to 'My Napster' Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Circuits from NYTimes.com Thursday, May 17, 2001 [..] 1. From the Desk of David Pogue: Reactions to 'My Napster' ========================================================= Last week, I expressed my frustration at not being able to go onto the Web, search for a certain song in MP3 format, pay a dollar and download it. I proposed the creation of a new Web site that could be called, for example, Napster-for-a-Buck.com. Well, I might as well have written about abortion, gun control or the virtues of Windows; I drowned in a flood of passionate e-mail. Some gave me a rosy glow. "I couldn't agree more," one said. "A Web site that offers a HUGE database of songs that customers can buy for a buck or two would be a dream come true for me (and I'm sure many others). I would never even consider getting music from Web sites like Napster if this Web site existed!" Many others, however, chided me for my naivete: "Like Duh!" one wrote. "I would estimate, oh, maybe EVERY OTHER TECH GEEK ON THE PLANET KNOWS THIS. Feel free to join the rest of the planet in this conversation. When you're ready." Well, consider me enlightened. As it turns out, several people have already tried to create such a Web site -- and found it impossible. "I have spent three years of my life in a project that was aimed at offering exactly what you describe," wrote Fred Carbonnier. "After $14 million and a lot of sweat, it failed miserably. One link was missing for the dream to come true: the majors [the record companies]. It does not matter how bright and how dedicated, well funded and well connected the entrepre- neurs can be in this field. The digital distribution of the broadest musical selection will happen on the majors' terms." Another entrepreneur wrote: "As the current holder of the Web domain www.songforadollar.com, I would say great idea ... except that part about 'Get every record company on board.' If there was a chance in hell of it actually happening, I'd do it." Most readers seemed to believe that the problem lies with corporate insecurity at the record companies. "Haven't you figured it out yet? The record companies aren't interested in selling songs for a buck or two; they're interested in selling CD's. You want the song? You get to buy the whole CD." "If only we had some empirical evidence," wrote another reader, "to show the record companies that they would be better off selling, for example, 1,000,000 copies of 'Take the A Train' from Ken Burns's Jazz compendium at $1 a pop -- and sacrificing 10,000 copies of the entire album." Many readers proposed solutions to the problem. "There's a great business model based on $10 or $20 per month for access to a great catalog," said one. "Maybe instead of organizing record companies, whoever does your idea should try and pull a coup with the actual musicians," wrote another. "Most of them already hate their labels and consider themselves indentured to a bunch of musical morons." Today, as Congress convenes its third set of hearings in less than a year on the future of digital music, fans are expected to get their first glimpse of a major, and legal, online music subscription service, called MusicNet. We'll see. In the end, I almost wish that I had simply summarized the entire brouhaha as concisely as this reader did: "Loved your idea, but it'll never fly. It is too simple and makes too much sense to ever be taken seriously!"
